About this Presentation
This presentation shares some insights about managing work orders in a manufacturing plant in which the touch time is a relatively high percentage from the production lead time for both make to order (MTO) and make to stock (MTS) environments. A theoretical description and a case study is provided. There has always been a grey area between when to use the production solution versus the project management solution. There seems to be a grey area where neither solution works really well. High touch time is defined as being greater than 20% of the lead time with the total lead time being quite long (weeks or more). Two environments are provided: a high touch time operation that is not competing on a resource (a subcontractor work, a drying operation, a chemical process, an operation dependent on client approval, etc.) and a high touch time operation that comes from using a resource that tends to work slowly (relative to the market expectation for a lead time) (a CNC long operation, a resource which requires a long processing time, a manual operation that requires a large amount of time such as assembly). Buffer penetration is used in simplified drum buffer rope. Elmwood City Forge (a job shop company) is used as an example of the approach. Negative branches were created illustrating theoretical problems of high touch time and the Elmwood City Forge validated these negative branches. Lessons learned are provided.
What Will You Learn
To help you get the most value from this session, we’ve highlighted a few key points. These takeaways capture the main ideas and practical insights from the presentation, making it easier for you to review, reflect, and apply what you’ve learned.
Instructor(s)
Amir Schragenheim
Ms Alka Wadhwa
Alka Wadhwa is an experienced consultant and process improvement expert with over 24 years of expertise in the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean Six Sigma, and organizational performance optimization. She has successfully led projects in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing, driving significant improvements such as a 67% boost in hospital operations and a 140% increase in outpatient visits.
Previously, Alka Wadhwa spent 17+ years at GE Global Research Center, where she led initiatives to enhance various GE businesses through advanced technologies, process redesign, and system optimization. Founder of Better Solutions Consulting, LLC, she specializes in using TOC, Six Sigma, and data analytics to streamline operations and build high-performance teams.
Her work has earned her multiple accolades, including the Empire State Award of Excellence in healthcare.
Dr Gary Wadhwa
Dr. Gary Wadhwa is a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with extensive experience in the field. He completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and has served as an Attending at prestigious institutions like St. Peters Hospitals, Ellis Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in NY. With a career spanning over two decades, he was the former CEO and President of a group specialty practice in NY from 1994 to 2015. Dr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from UT at Knoxville, TN, and has undergone additional training in System Dynamics at MIT, Health System Management at Harvard Business School, and Entrepreneurship and healthcare innovations at Columbia Business School. Committed to expanding access to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery care, he is currently engaged in a meaningful project to provide healthcare services to underserved populations in inner city and rural areas through non-profit Community Health Centers.