Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons^™

The Impact Of Priority Consistency On The Performance Of A Job Shop, Kenneth W. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

This study introduces the construct of consistency to production operations management research. As a job passes through a job shop, its priority may or may not remain consistent relative to other jobs in the system. A new classification of priority rules is introduced. Consistent priority rules maintain a jobs priority relative to other jobs throughout the system. Inconsistent priority rules allow a job's relative priority to change as it moves through the system. This study is an initial investigation into the effect of consistency on performance. A simulation experiment was conducted using a full two- factorial repeated measures design with …

Aligning Demand For Spare Parts With Their Underlying Failure Mode, Steven D. Kephart, Richard C. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Current Air Force demand forecasting systems, DO41 and REALM, assume reparable demand is solely flying hour driven. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between demands, flying hours, and number of sorties at the work unit code level and improve reparable demand forecasting. A three phase methodology is used to analyze the demand, flying hour, and sortie relationship. The first phase uses multiple regression to determine a relationship at various work unit code levels. Multiple regression provides limited correlation between demands, flying hours, and sorties. The second phase uses Poisson regression to evaluate the integer, count nature …

The Effect Of Consolidating Two-Level Reparable Inventories On Aggregate Inventory Requirements And Mission Capability, Glenn R. Barney

Theses and Dissertations

One of the proposals of Lean Logistics is the relocation of many inventory assets to Intermediate Supply Points (ISPs). This research investigates the effect of consolidating Two Level Maintenance designated reparable asset inventories. The effects of interest are the potential reduction in aggregate inventory requirement and resulting savings and the effect of delayed issue of the assets on mission capability. The metric selected to measure the effect on mission capability for this study is the Not Mission Capable-Supply (NMCS) rate. A spreadsheet analysis of world-wide Two-Level Maintenance designated reparable asset demands over the study period is used to determine the …

Tracking Air Force Pallets Using Rfid Technology: A Concept Study, Gary A. Gross

Theses and Dissertations

The lack of asset visibility experienced at Aerial Ports of Embarkation (APOEs) during Operation Desert Storm is a phenomenon that has occurred in every major conflict for the last 40 years. The costs associated with this lack of control directly relate to the combat readiness and capability of supported units. This study examined the possibility of installing a Radio Frequency Identification (RF-ID) system to track Department of Defense 463L pallets worldwide. Performance characteristics of commercially available RF-ID systems were summarized, and a conceptual Air Mobility Command (AMC) tracking system was presented. For purposes of concept study, Amtech Corporation's Intellitag RT …

Evaluation Of The Management Of The Department Of Defense's Wholesale Ammunition Stockpile, David J. Rega

Theses and Dissertations

This research solicited expert opinions regarding how well the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition (SMCA) manages the DoD wholesale ammunition stockpile. Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, as well as members of the SMCA, were surveyed twice. The first survey contained four statements, each referring to a different area of responsibility for the SMCA. These four areas of responsibility were SMCA storage of ammunition, SMCA demilitarization of ammunition, SMCA tiering program for depots, and SMCA customer support. The respondents were asked to provide positive and negative aspects for each area, as well as recommendations for improvements. …

Order And Ship Times Of Communication-Electronic Components Under Lean Logistics And Conventional Air Force Reparable Pipeline: A Comparative Study, Clifford G. Altizer

Theses and Dissertations

Lean logistics (LL) is a new logistics system that applies state-of-art business practices utilized in private industry to Air Force logistics processes. Several LL demonstrations have been initiated to develop the best way to implement these new practices in the operational arena. This study focused on the Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) lean logistics demonstration. The repairables in this demonstration differ from aircraft repairables in that they are highly reliable and high-value items. This research determines that the use of LL principles results in shorter order and ship times for the customer. As a follow-on to this finding the …

A Comparison Of The Standard Base Supply System And The Distribution And Repair In Variable Environments Models In Determining A Depot Working Level, Joseph M. Ferris

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force has adopted a philosophy of logistics operations directed toward improving the products, costs, and responsiveness of the Air Force's reparable pipeline. The philosophy was termed Lean Logistics. This research addressed one problem created through the implementation of Lean Logistics. The problem was determining a depot Working LeveL The Air Force Materiel Command needed to determine an appropriate method to use when determining the depot Working Level. To help determine the appropriate method, this research compared the Standard Base Supply System (SBSS) and the Distribution and Repair In Variable Environments (DRIVE) model. Both models were utilized in two …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Integrated Weapon System Management Concept Of Seamless Processes, Timothy H. Surabian

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the way four Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) single manager organizations operationalized the Integrated Weapon System Management (IWSM) concept of "seamless processes." In this thesis, the IWSM concept of "seamless processes" refers to the degree of integration between acquisition and sustainment organizations. Four SPO organizations were involved in six case studies. This research focused on the way "seamless processes" affect the shifting of the organizational "center of gravity" within or between single manager organizations. An interview questionnaire was administered to 13 Product Center managers and 6 Logistics Center managers. The interview questions focused on IWSM in general, …

A Comparison Of Consistent Versus Inconsistent Scheduling Rules In A Flow Shop Environment, Nicola Gismondi

Theses and Dissertations

A consistent scheduling rule is one which will ensure a job's priority (relative to all other job's) will remain constant as it moves from queue to queue in a production system. Previous research concerning flow shop priority scheduling rules focused on comparison of either consistent or inconsistent rules. Conversely, this study sought to provide additional insight by comprising consistent and inconsistent rules in a flow shop environment The Air Force uses both types of rules in maintenance and logistics scheduling. Time and money can be saved if the scheduling managers can better understand the effect of consistency on a system. …

Pharmaceutical Inventory Forecasting At The Wright-Patterson Medical Center, Patrick J. Reymann

Theses and Dissertations

This research was conducted to determine the accuracy of statistical forecasting techniques forecasting the inventory of pharmaceutical items. Because pharmaceutical items are subject to a degree of seasonality of demand, the Director of Medical Logistics at the Wright-Patterson Medical Center believed that the use of such techniques may provide a more accurate forecast for the items stocked by the Outpatient Pharmacy. In addition to the technique used by the Outpatient Pharmacy (the 12 month simple moving average) three statistical forecasting methods were employed: the 6 month simple moving average, simple exponential smoothing, and the Winter's exponential smoothing. These techniques were …

Fisheries Research Report No 102 - A Review Of International Aquaculture Development And Selected Species In Environments Relevant To Western Australia, C. Lawrence

Fisheries Research Reports

This paper discusses aspects of aquaculture development in countries visited during an international study tour, with particular reference to implications for the developing aquaculture industry in Western Australia.

The reasons for aquaculture development, including protein production, employment, fisheries enhancement, tradition/religion, conservation and revenue are discussed from an international perspective, along with case histories and models of development undertaken outside Australia.

The potential benefits of developing an aquaculture industry within Australia are outlined and the relative costs and benefits of developing aquaculture of native aquatic species or imported species are discussed, including relevant examples of each.

A number of species of …

Beefing Up Our Prospects, Trevor Boughton, Brad Mccormick

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In the global fish pond the Western Australian beef industry is a minnow. Production is only 5.5 per cent of Australia's total and around 2 per cent that of the United States. Our output has remained static for the last decade while competition throughout the world has expanded. Moving forward to share the benefits of growing world markets or being left behind is the long-term choice facing the industry, according to TREVOR BOUGHTON and BRAD McCORMICK.

An Immigrant's Gift: The Life Of Quality Pioneer, Joseph M. Juran - Transcript, Dr. Joseph M. Juran Collection

'An Immigrant's Gift': Interviews about the Life and Impact of Dr. Joseph M. Juran

In the latter decades of the 20th Century, there occurred a silent revolution that swept across nations and effected all the peoples of the earth. This quality revolution began in the mind of a humble immigrant to the United States, Joseph M. Juran. His contributions to industry are heralded around the world, and yet his life story has remained unknown until now. An Immigrant's Gift is a compelling and inspirational portrait of a brilliant mind and a great humanist, who, in an unassuming way, had a profound impact on the international business community and our everyday lives.

R&D/Marketing Communication During The Fuzzy Front-End, Rudy K. Moenaert, Arnoud De Meyer, William E. Souder, Dirk Deschoolmeester

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The planning stage of an innovation project has a great effect on the commercial performance of the project. During the "fuzzy front-end", the organization formulates a concept of the product to be developed, and determines whether or not the organization will invest resources in the concrete development of the idea. The integration of R&D and marketing activities is a necessary condition for success in innovation projects. The research question of this study is: from an information processing perspective, what role does information transfer play in integrating R&D and marketing functions during the planning stage, and what effects do project formalization …

Are Strong Commitment And Effective Controlling Mechanism A Key To Success?, Suat Balyedi

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

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Life Cycle Costs Of Alternatives For F-16 Printed Circuit Board Diagnosis Equipment, Kent R. Montgomery, Clifford B. Thorstenson

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes two alternatives for printed circuit board (PCB) diagnosis for the F-16 depot PCB repair shop from a life cycle cost (LCC) perspective. Alternative 1 assumes the use of the current F-16 automatic test equipment (ATE) while Alternative 2 augments the current ATE with infrared imaging test equipment. Infrared imaging is a developed technology that is currently available to the Air Force in a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) form. Using the Cost Analysis and Strategy Assessment (CASA) Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Model and data from the DL41 database on F-16 PCBs this study determined that over the current expected life …

Evaluation Of The Pre-Milestone I Acquisition Logistics Process At The Aeronautical Systems Center, Charleen A. Szczepanski

Theses and Dissertations

Due to changes in the national security environment, the Department of Defense has revised its approach to acquisition. There will be greater emphasis on research, development, and advanced technologies. The Department of Defense will concentrate on upgrading current systems using rollover of new technologies from development programs that have advanced to a certain point but not into production. The people working in acquisition must hold skills in planning and developing new technologies prior to pre-Milestone 1. A major concern is the training, education, and professional development of the defense acquisition work force. The data contained in this study was generated …

The Procurement Of Non Developmental Items: Pros And Cons, Giorgio Scappaticci

Theses and Dissertations

The acquisition of a new weapon system and its sophisticated components has become an extremely critical issue for every country, because costs associated with the development of the system have grown significantly. In order to reduce those costs and maintain an efficient system of defense procurement the Congress recommended a wider use of Non-developmental Items NDI into weapon systems and the application of commercial practices when buying NDI. This research examines the acquisition of commercial items as they exist under current statute and regulation, and how they will be handled in the future. The research involved interviews with high-level DOD …

Review Of Factors Impacting Cost Benefit Analysis (Cba) For Implementing Improvements To The Air Force Technical Order System, Susan J. Bergin, Terry A. Parsons

Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on developing a Cost Benefit Analysis process for Program Managers to implement when deciding what technical order format-- paper, computerized or automated--to purchase. Factors which determined the outcome are costs life cycle cost considering technical order format qualitative issues characteristics which are benefits of a technical order format and system responsiveness time required to develop or modify a technical order in each format. A literature review revealed problems with the paper technical order format, management infrastructure, quantitative cost estimates for different formats, and different techniques which could be used for a cost benefit analysis. Structured interviews were …

Cost And Schedule Benchmarks For Defense Acquisition Contracts, Glenn W. Buchfeller, Donald E. Kehl

Theses and Dissertations

Managers of Department of Defense programs would benefit from having cost and schedule benchmarks that are based on the historical performance of similar programs. This research generated cost and schedule variance in percent benchmarks for 48 collectively exhaustive and mutually exclusive categories of DoD contracts. The ANOVA nested design methodology was used to compare these cost and schedule benchmarks across related categories of contracts to determine if the benchmarks were statistically significantly different. Such statistical difference would ensure program managers had a very specific tool tailored to their unique needs. Due to some relatively small sample sizes in the study, …

A Case Study Of The Base-Closure Community Initial Redevelopment Process, Stephen R. Cliatt, Gregory A. Stanley

Theses and Dissertations

In 1990, Public Law 101-510 created the independent, five-year Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission BRAC. This law provided for the Commission to meet in 1991, 1993, and 1995. The 1993 Commission recommended transfer of the Defense Electronic Supply Center DESC, a Defense Logistics Agency inventory control point, to Columbus, Ohio. This action resulted in an Air Force decision to close Gentile AFS, Kettering, Ohio. A case study of the closure and initial redevelopment of Gentile AFS was undertaken to construct a framework to be used by future redevelopment policy makers affected by a defense base closure. This framework covers …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Integrated Weapon System Management (Iwsm) Upon The Support Equipment Acquisition Process (Covering The Period From Submittal Of Serd* Through The Preparation Of The Statement Of Work), Betty J. Coronado, Jane M. Kwiecinski

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of the implementation of Integrated Weapon System Management (IWSM) on the support equipment acquisition process. The literature search revealed that IWSM is the latest of many Air Force attempts to ensure all aspects of a weapon systems life cycle are considered when acquisition decisions are made. Areas of interest included organizational structure inter-functional relationships procedural changes and procedural guidance and automated tools used. Two years after IWSM implementation, interviews were conducted with twenty-four people in various functional disciplines in four System Program Offices and included both Aerospace System Center (ASC) and Air Logistics Center (ALC) …

A Methodology For Establishing Maximum Aircraft Combat Turn Rates, James R. Dudley, Michael J. Novotny

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force relies on the Status of Reports and Training System SORTS as an indicator of unit readiness. Unit Capability Levels C-Levels reported in SORTS are determined through measurements of on-hand resources and computer estimates of unit capabilities. Aircraft maximum turn rate, defined as the maximum number of sorties an aircraft can fly in a 24-hour period, is an input parameter to the assessment model. The methods used today produce maximum turn rates with unverifiable accuracy. Unit capabilities required to generate aircraft sorties are documented and their relationship to maximum turn rate established in this study. A unit capabilities …

A Study Of Physical Inventory Methodologies For The Wright-Patterson Afb Medical Center Supply Activity, Steven M. Elkins, Scott A. Parks

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates current and alternative physical inventory methodologies for the Wright-Patterson Medical Center Supply Activity. Four potential physical inventory alternatives were examined 1 100 percent annual physical inventory 2 statistical sampling, 3 continuous cyclic and 4 stratified cyclic. For each alternative the researchers used historical data and a site survey to estimate the effect on physical inventory costs and impact on customer service. The researchers found that statistical sampling was the most economically feasible alternative for the Wright-Patterson Medical Center. However, the method of stratified cyclic produced less extreme scores in both physical inventory cost and customer service parameters …

An Analysis Of Iso 9000'S Applicability To Worldwide Warehouse Quality Assurance, Anthony T. Dyess, Henry E. E. Stish

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the applicability of ISO 9000, a world-wide quality standard, to the quality assurance procedures being built into a new Foreign Military Sales FMS program. This new program, the Worldwide Warehouse, is an Air Force Security Assistance Center AFSAC attempt to assist FMS customers in reducing excess materiel inventories. Areas of investigation include ISO 9000s international acceptance, its ability to ensure quality products, and a case study of SHARE, a NATO initiative which employs ISO 9000 in quality assurance and is dramatically similar to the Worldwide Warehouse. The researchers conduct an exploratory study using a literature review and …

Developing A Template For Logistics Test And Evaluation, Timothy J. Fennell, Jason S. Mogle

Theses and Dissertations

Logistics test and evaluation, performed during the developmental test and evaluation effort, is an integral part of the aircraft acquisition process. However, there has been no standard approach to conducting logistics test and evaluation. This study researched past and present approaches to aircraft logistics test and evaluation to determine the most effective method for future programs. We conducted this study using the Delphi method. We solicited the expert opinions of 32 individuals from the logistics test and evaluation field using two rounds of questions. We then statistically analyzed the data to ultimately develop a logistics test and evaluation template. We …

Mitigating The Effects Of Manpower Reductions At A Central Issue Facility By Improving The Allocation Of Servers: A Simulation Study, Michael K. Garrity, Christopher J. Wicker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine a preferred server allocation and a preferred customer batch size for processing customers at an Army Central Issue Facility CIF under various manpower levels. The CIF is a retail warehouse which issues tactical clothing and equipment to individual soldiers. It is facing potential manpower reductions from the current level of 19 servers. The CIF exhibits flow shop characteristics. An assembly line balancing approach was used with the objective of reducing the customers average time-in-system. Five server allocation heuristics and three customer batch sizes were examined. The evaluation tool was a computer simulation …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Lean Logistics On The Current Air Force Reparable Pipeline: A Simulation Study, Tracey L. Hill, William N. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the effect of Lean Logistics proposals on the current Air Force repairables pipeline. Lean Logistics proposes reducing reparable asset levels at operating bases, reducing transportation time between bases and depots, and reducing depot repair times. Computer simulation is used as a tool to perform a 3X3X3 full factorial experiment to determine the effects of the Lean Logistics proposals on fully mission capable aircraft and transportation cost. Results indicate that lean Logistics outperforms the current repairables pipeline in term of fully mission capable aircraft. A cost benefit analysis is performed to determine the trade offs between transportation costs …

The Effect Of Violations Of The Constant Demand Assumption On The Defense Logistic Agency Requirements Model, William S. Long, Douglas H. Engberson

Theses and Dissertations

This project determined the impact of stationary but non-continuous demand levied in a multi-echelon system. Specifically discussed is how this lumpy demand affected the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Electronics Supply Center in its computed inventory levels and total variable costs. To determine the impact of lumpy demand, data was extracted from the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Electronics Supply Center Dayton, Ohio. Based on patterns of demand and distributions, the authors constructed a SLAM 2 model that depicted lumpy orders being received at the Defense Logistics Agency. The SLAM 2 model was constructed for the proposed system and simulation runs were …

An Investigation Of Integrated Product Development: A Case Study Of An F-22 Prime Contractor, Stephanie Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the effects of implementating the Integrated Product Development IPD philosophy in a major acquisition program, specifically an F-22 Advanced Tactical-Fighter Prime Contractors IPD implementation The population of the study consists of employees of the prime contractor working directly with IPTs on the F-22 program. A survey with closed- ended questions and open-ended statements was used to collect data. The survey was pretested on F-22 SPO personnel to increase survey reliability. Survey results indicate that this prime contractor is having difficulty implementing IPTs. The IPT structure in this company does not seem to have improved the ability of …