This report is part of a long-term study of maintenance policies and their effect on Air Force capabilities and costs. It specifically examines the interactions between planned replacement—a form of preventive maintenance—and the factors of reliability, availability, and cost. It is an abbreviated version of M. Kamins and J. J. McCall, Jr., Rules for Planned Replacement of Aircraft and Missile Parts, The RAND Corporation, Research Memorandum RM-2810-PR, November, 1961. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
An interesting problem which crops up in the field of industrial learning is the question of when an apprentice can be said to be a fully experienced operator. The importance of this question crops up for industrial training programs. It also occurs under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act which provides that during the learning period the apprentice can only receive an hourly rate which is less than the standard going hourly rate for experienced operators. It therefore becomes important to determine when the learning period is over for apprentices, so that they may receive the higher rate to which they are then entitled. This is equitable enough but the real question which then arises is by what criterion do we determine the actual length of the learning period. Management will tend to exaggerate its length and labor will tend to minimize it. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
The textile industry is well known for its cyclical characteristic. The ups and downs, however, are largely due to changes in the order backlog position and the subsequent response in production and inventory levels. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a method whereby management can more effectively control its productive response to changes in the backlog, thereby tending to permit less inventory speculation as backlogs rise and reducing price weakness as backlogs fall. In addition, sharp changes in production levels are avoided and inventories maintained for actual requirements only. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
This paper describes a study of several factors influencing the cost of a particular raw material blank, the policy changes based on this study, and the cost reduction accomplished by means of these changes. This general approach may be employed to reduce the raw material cost of a variety of machined components. The operation in question was to purchase hot rolled metal blanks and from these to machine closely dimensioned plates. To allow for process variabilities and to assure sufficient material removal to yield a high quality finished surface, we bought blanks thicker, hence heavier, than the finished plates. The material was expensive and the machining chips were not recoverable, so this excess blank weight represented a substantial annual cost. To minimize this loss we considered reducing the process variabilities, sorting blanks to narrow the range released for machining and to divert the others to less critical applications, and reducing the minimum thickness of blanks selected for machining, tolerating some loss due to machining rejects with the expectation that this would be outweighed by the reduction in cost of the average blank machined. As a result of these studies we were able to reduce the blank weight 8%, thus reducing our material cost for this single component more than $50,000 per year. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
This paper describes the application of model building and computer simulation to planning, decision-making and budgeting. The discussion is based on the use of this approach for a proposed finance company. The mathematical model described in the paper was constructed and programmed for a computer. Various simulations on an IBM 7090 computer tested the feasibility of using the model as suggested. The examples in the text are from the simulation results. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
An analyst, in approaching the design of an integrated factory warehouse decision system, finds out that existing operations research theory concentrates on the rigorous solution of only limited and selected segments of the complex relationship between production and distribution. The fixed or economic order quantity re-ordering practice most frequently discussed in O/R literature results in an undesirable fluctuation in orders at the plant. If the manufacturer owns both the plants and the warehouses, he must incorporate an order smoothing decision rule into his system which must necessarily modify the size of the economic order quantity. The fixed re-order point (or trigger point) is likewise an undesirable restriction on the operation of a system attempting to optimize both factory and distribution costs. At the times when the sales rate is below the rate of production a particular re-order point may not be reached at all. Conversely, at times of high sales, the re-order point may be reached repeatedly with the ultimate consequence of lengthening the lead times at the plant. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
This article contains a description of the concepts and techniques used in the computer simulation of a supply system containing geographically scattered sources, stock piles and consumption points. The simulation was successfully used to explore the effects of carrying lower inventories of a basic raw material. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) To review and discuss applications of mathematics to the scheduling of electric power production, which until recently has been subjected only to investigations of a restricted nature. (2) To illustrate, in the context of a particular electric power scheduling example, the point that the choice of techniques applied in problems of management science should be matched to the accuracy of the available input information, and to the practicality of carrying out the chosen technique. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
For a number of years the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Corporation, Limited (C and H) has found it increasingly difficult to conduct experiments essential to improving refining technology or to gaining a greater understanding of the specific capabilities and limitations of its refinery at Crockett, California. This article discusses the manner in which the refining process was analyzed, describes in brief the formulation of the model, and reviews the benefits derived from the model's development and use. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.
The application of inventory control theory to job shop operation has been limited, largely because the made-to-order nature of the product prohibits its accumulation in finished form prior to sale. In this situation it is, in fact, not inventory which must be controlled in order to achieve optimal operation, but rather it is the backlog of orders on hand at any time for production and delivery at some future time which requires management's attention. This paper describes a heuristic system for control of order backlog which was developed for a rather special type of job shop operation. Management Technology, ISSN 0542-4917, was published as a separate journal from 1960 to 1964. In 1965 it was merged into Management Science.