Pull-push Simulation (Harvard Business Publishing)

Question 5

Now run the Default Scenario 1 with all workstations set to PUSH, and answer questions (a) - (d) of problem #1.

a. Where is the bottleneck?

b. At which workstation(s) do you expect the lowest capacity utilization?

c. Will the process be able to keep up with demand?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Can't tell from the information provided

d. Where, if anywhere, will work-in-process inventory (WIP, shown as a workstation's "raw material") build up?

Questions 6 and 7

6. Now, run the process as all PULL. What changes? What doesn't change? Why?

7. Without changing any of the process times, what could you do to improve the process? Run the exercise to test out various alternatives. What's the best?

Questions 8 and 9

8. Now, make the system run significantly faster. In the upper right corner of the screen, there is an input box to change all set-up times. Change them all to 15 (minutes). Then go to workstation I, and change its set-up time to 20 minutes. Change all batch sizes back to 5 units. This process now has every workstation setting up five minutes faster than the process that you started with in question 1. Run this process in both all-PUSH and all-PULL configurations. What do you see? Why?

9. Without changing any of the process times, what could you do to minimize batch sizes, while still keeping stockouts minimal? Run the exercise to test out various alternatives. What's the best? Is all PULL better than all PUSH? Along what dimensions?