Suppose you are given the linear process depicted below. Numbers in parentheses indicate throughput capacities. No buffers exist between stations, so blocking & starvation rules apply.

Task A (5) ---> Task B (6) ---> Task C (4) ---> Task D (7) ---> Task E (6)

Suppose you could hire an additional worker, which would double the throughput capacity for any single task. To which task should you assign this worker?

A

B

C

D

E

Following the previous question, what would the actual throughput rate out of Task E be after hiring the new worker?

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Suppose you have two workers performing the same task in parallel. Each worker can handle one order at a time. Worker A can process an order in 10 minutes; worker B is takes 5 minutes per order.

How many orders per minute can both workers produce in combination?

A).1

B) .2

C) .3

D) .5

E) 2

F) 5

G) 15

H) 20

Suppose you have a three task sequence. All customers go to Task A. After task A, 60% of customers go to Task B; the other 40% go to task C. After task B or C, all customers then go to Task D before leaving. No buffers exist between tasks, so blocking/starvation rules apply.

Suppose throughput capacities are as follows. Task A: 10 customers/hour; task B: 5 customers/hour; task C: 6 customers/hour; task D, 12 customers/hour.

Use this information to answer the next 3 questions.

At what rate will customers leave task D (in customers/hour)? Pick the closest answer.

1

3

5

7

9

11

The utilization of Task B is closest to which of the following?

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

What is the bottleneck in the A-C-D process route?

A

B

C

D