MRP II: Inventory Management

While MRP I primarily address the inbound flow of inventory (materials management), MRP II adds other interfaces such as finance, marketing, and integrated logistics. Like MRP I, MRP II is a push inventory model which pushes product through manufacturing and distribution processes in order to meet forecast demand. However, it adds further dimensions to the basic model. MRP II not only considers the inbound flow of material, but also how much material can actually be handle within the plant. Furthermore, it actually handles production scheduling, labour needs, inventory budgets, and personnel needs. But the most important feature is the addition of the finance interface. This module provides the capability of transforming the operating production plans into financial terms, consequently the data can be used for financial planning and control purposes of a more general management nature. Another significant addition is the simulation module. This simulation capability enables management to perform a more comprehensive alternative planing work in developing the marketing and business plans. Operating variable could be regulated to examine the systemwide response to the proposed operating change. Besides MRP II includes the entire set of activities involved in the planning and control of production operations. It consists of a variety of functions of modules and includes production planing, resource requirement planning, master production scheduling, materials requirements planning (MRP I), shop floor control, and purchasing. Step 1 – Market Demand; the process begins with an aggregation demand from all sources. Examples of sources are firms† orders, forecasts, and safety stock requirements. Step 2- Production Plan; with inputs from manufacturing, finance, and marketing, the production plan would be derived. Step 3- Rough-cut capacity planning; it involves short-term capacity considerations that are affected by irregularities in demand. It formulates benchmarks for the proper use of personnel, machines, and shifts. Bills of capacity and bills of labour resources are the primary inputs to determine rough-cut capacity. In the event of incapability in producing the require output (due to limitation of capacity), adjustment to the production plan would be made. Step 4- Master production schedule; formulation of the master production schedules provides a realistic, detailed, statement of what the firm expects. It is more detail than the aggregate plan, it translates the aggregate plan into specific numbers of specific products to be produced in a specific period of time. Step 5- Material requirements planning (MRP); MRP is the heart of the entire process (MRP II). When MRP comes into play, material and schedule requirements would be generated. Step 6- Capacity requirements planning; at this stage, the capacity requirement planning determine whether the firm has enough capacity (e.g. worker, space, money) to meet the schedules. Again, if schedules could not be met, some adjustment in the master production schedule would be required else requirements would be scheduled. – Improved consistency in one-time customer delivery – Reduction in purchasing cost due to fewer expedited shipments – Inventory reduction of one-fourth to one-third (cost reduced) – Improve responsiveness to demand changes – Allowing more planning flexibility – Minimization of workforce overtime Problems in Implementation of MRP II Implementation an MRP II system is a monumental effort. The system requires a tremendous amount of information, which must be accurate if the system is to be successful. The MRP II systems is capable of affecting all function within Forges†s marketing, production, purchasing, accounting, finance and logistic. All personnel who have any interaction with the MRP II system require training. Further, Forges must be committed to make the MRP II system work. The problems that occur in implementing MRP are frequently organizational and behavioral rather than technical. Existing Systems and the Informal System If an MRP II system is replacing an existing production and inventory control system, Forges may see significant resistance to change, even if the existing system has been unsatisfactory. People generally resist to change, and they prefer the familiar to the unfamiliar. Also, when a system performs poorly, an informal system develops to deal with problems. For MRP II to operate effectively, the company must have a large amount of timely and accurate data. Besides, bill of material must be developed for all items. Furthermore, all the bill of material (BOM) must be reviewed, updated, and structured that provide the data needed by MRP II. This would not be a simple task. Frequency product changes and modification can make the process of developing a BOM challenging. To maintain the integrity of the BOM, the company must practice effective configuration control, that is, the company must control and coordinate changes to its products to ensure a smooth changeover to new product designs. After a system is installed, careful attention and discipline must be exercised to ensure at all data used by the system is accurate. For example, if a clerk is supposed to enter a code 3, indicating that the item is purchase in thousands, but instead enters code 1, indicating that it is purchase in dozens, serious error and material shortages are likely to occur. If a system gives erroneous data at times, people may develop other way to get the data they need and may no longer bother to update the system, since they no longer use it. The system could then become even less reliable and be a burden rather then a benefit. All MRP II data must be accurate to ensure system integrity, but the inventory data are the most difficult to maintain because they change frequency. The MRP II inventory data must be compared periodically with the actual physical inventory to maintain accuracy. Periodic counting involves more than just counting parts. Forges must maintain proper housekeeping so that parts are properly located, accessible and identified. When implementing MRP II for the first time, getting inventory under control can be a formidable task. Top-level managers and managers are in all parts of the organization that will be affected by MRP must clearly recognize all the efforts needed to achieve this new way of managing their activities. These mangers must fully support all the changes and must remain supportive of the new system. The participation of users of the system in its development will make the people more familiar with the system. Besides, they would also be more committed as they play a part in the system†s development. For the system to work, the entire user would have to be properly trained. Users must understand the system in order to used it effectively. A well-designed MRP system could help to improve a company†s operation greatly, however a poorly designed can lead a company into deep trouble. Wallace†s Proven Path for MRP Implementation According to Thomas Wallace, an MRP II expert, the implementation could be completed in 18 months. 12 months for implementing MRP, 3 months to â€Å"close the loop,† and three more months to implement MRP II. Figure above is a graphic representation of the implementation timetable. The process starts with first-cut education follows by developing a consensus that the company should implement MRP. Next, the education and training phase will begin and it is an ongoing activity even after implementation. By the second month, inventory accuracy and bill of material accuracy and structure will begin, they are the most time and labour consuming step. In the mid of the third month, production planning and MPS policies together with the system and software participation would start. By the eighth month, the first pilot program would commence. Subsequently the cutover phase would start. By the end of the twelveth month, the implementing of the basic MRP would be completed. The next three-month is for closing the MRP loop which encompass shop-floor control, capacity requirement planning and purchasing. Routings, work centers and system preparation will commence simultaneously. Once finished, another pilot program will commence follows by the cutover program. By the end of the fifteenth month, the MRP loop would be closed.

Discourse Analysis Features of Context

Name: Duong Hong Anh Group: 06. 1. E1 Date: 01/02/2010 —————————————————————————————————— Discourse Analysis Assignment 1 Text: [pic] [pic] Features of context 1. Addressor: a BBC journalist 2. Addressee: the US readers 3. Audience: online readers 4. Topic: US to resume shortly Haiti medical evacuation flights 5. Setting: place: in a column of online BBC newspaper; time: February 2nd, 2010 6. Channel: writing 7. Code: Standard American English 8. Message-form: journal article . Event: BBC news 10. Key: informative, updated 11. Purpose: to inform about actions of the USA government to help Haiti and some other related issues. ———————– US to resume shortly Haiti medical evacuation flights The Unit ed States will resume within hours emergency evacuation flights for critically injured Haitian quake victims, the White House has said. The airlifts stopped last Wednesday because of what Washington described as â€Å"logistical issues†. Doctors warned scores of people would die if the flights did not resume soon. Meanwhile, some of the Haitian children identified as orphans by a group of Americans who were taking them abroad may have parents, it has emerged. Haiti imposed new controls on the movement of children following the 12 January earthquake that killed up to 200,000 people. Officials fear that orphans are now particularly vulnerable to being abducted and sold for adoption. Also on Sunday, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) began a large-scale aid distribution at 16 sites across Haiti's capital, aiming to feed two million people. Only women will be allowed to collect the 25kg (55lb) rice ration, enough to feed a family for two weeks. ‘On track' White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement on Sunday evening: â€Å"Having received assurances that additional capacity exists both here and among our international partners, we determined that we can resume these critical flights. † â€Å"The flights are on track to resume in the next 12 hours. Patients are being identified for transfer, doctors are making sure that it is safe for them to fly, and we are preparing specific in-flight paediatric care aboard the aircraft where needed. Mr Vietor said the US government had worked with international partners, NGO's and US states to increase capacity to treat the Haitian patients. Hundreds of patients with spinal injuries, burns and other wounds have been flown on US military planes to America since the quake. Most of them have been treated in Florida. But the US halted the so-called mercy flights o n Wednesday. A White House spokesman told the BBC the move was due to â€Å"logistical issues†, not over medical costs as had been reported earlier. Last week, Florida Governor Charlie Crist warned President Barack Obama's administration that the state's â€Å"healthcare system is quickly reaching saturation, especially in the area of high-level trauma care†. Mr Crist also asked the federal government to activate the National Disaster Medical System, which usually pays for victims' care in domestic disasters. ‘Hungry and dehydrated' On Sunday, SOS Children's Villages international charity said at least one of the 33 Haitian youngsters whom the Americans had tried to take out of Haiti, a little girl, insisted her parents were alive. Charity spokesman George Willeit told journalists the girl said she had believed she was being taken to a boarding school or summer camp. Mr Willeit also said many of the children had been found to be in poor health, hungry and dehydrated. One of the smallest – just two or three months old – was so dehydrated she had to be taken to hospital, he added. Haitian authorities said none of the children had documentation or proof they were actually parentless. ‘Mistake' The 10 Americans, who are now in police custody in Port-au-Prince, said they were taking them to an orphanage in neighbouring Dominican Republic. The five men and five women, from Idaho-based charity New Life Children's Refuge, were stopped while travelling on a bus with the children on the border with neighbouring Dominican Republic. They said the youngsters had all lost their parents in the quake. Laura Silsby, the group's leader, said the arrests were the result of a mistake. â€Å"Our understanding was that we were told by a number of people, including Dominican authorities, that we would be able to bring the children across,† she said. The mistake we made is that we didn't understand there was additional paperwork required. † But the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, in Port-au-Prince, says the regulations are very clear – each case of child adoption must be approved by the government. Even before the earthquake, he adds, child-smuggling was a massive problem in Haiti, with thousands of children disappearing each year. (Source: http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/americas/8490469. stm, retrieved on Feb 2nd 2010)

Early americas history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Early americas history - Essay Example This paper will analyze two of the articles available in the book during a period when slavery was rampant in the south (Johnson, 2012). One of the articles is ‘Plantation rules’ written by Barrow as a code of regulations that he wrote down. The article appears in one of the plantation journals written during a time when slavery of black people was the order of the day. The article presents us with clear picture of the rules that a black slave adhered to and the level of ownership that the owner felt. The document depicts what was happening in the American past at around 1852. Barrow wrote down this article with his black slaves in mind because he expected them to understand precisely his expectations for as long as they worked under him (255-256). From the article, some facts become clear about the period of 1800’s in the United States. During this time, blacks worked for white landowners as slaves. In addition, the owners of land perceived slaves as their proper ty. Therefore, they formulated rules that governed the entire life of the salve. The article highlights the restrictions that the slaves went through on the farms. They worked all day long and had to acquire permission in order to engage in any extra activity. The owner of the slaves controlled their movements. Through this, he intended to ensure that slaves did not interact with other slaves fro m other farms. He was aware of the potential reactions of black slaves. If they met too often and without control from their owners, slaves were likely to stage a rebellion. From the article, a reader realizes that black slaves did not have an opportunity to enjoy their rights as free individuals. They received minimal allowances for their work. They often worked for long hours. In addition, the owner limited the development of relationships of the slaves forbidding them from marrying from a different farm. The article highlights the plight of slaves in the southern states in ancient Americ a. It tells the facts from the owner’s point of view without altering and it presents reliable information of the fate of Negroes who ended up in white farms (258). However, the article does not reveal the story from the slave’s point of view. However, it provides the reader with an opportunity to experience the attitude and power exercised by slave owners in ancient America. The article highlights the core issue that led to racial issues between the whites and blacks. The article is the ‘confession of Nat Turner’ officially published by Ruffin Gray. Gray was the lawyer to Turner, a slave who was responsible for the organization of a slave revolution in one of the southern states, Virginia. Turner had been a slave who could not bear the conditions that surrounded slavery and called upon other slaves to raise a rebellion against the whites who were continually oppressing the slaves and overworking them. Turner’s confession targeted the entire America n public at that time. He was in jail and felt took the responsibility of narrating his reasons and contributions in organizing the revolution. He made his confessions to Gray, the lawyer who published the confession (259). From his account, it becomes evident that slavery in the southern states was very rampant. In addition, the article elaborates how the salves perceived the situation they were going through. Turner claims that he sought to organize a revolt with a divine motivation. He described

International Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Finance - Case Study Example One of the ways through which persistently weak currencies can be stabilized is by use of the preexisting currency. This implies that the government can employ microeconomic policies in order to ensure that the currency regains its value. For example, central banks should ensure that money supply is closely monitored to avoid inflation. Other instruments that can be used to regulate money supply include open market operations, discount rate and reserve requirements among others. Most importantly, the interest rates should be controlled to ensure that the public do not excessively borrow an aspect that can result to increase of the money in circulation and inflation. Another way of solving the problem of persistent currency is introducing a new currency. This implies that the central banks should hire experienced economic analysts in order to study the implication of generating new currency. It is vital to note that due to dire causes of making new uncontrolled currencies including hy perinflation, it is essential that government should first use all the available microeconomic policies before embarking on introducing a new currency. Vietnamese Dong among other weaker currencies can also be stabilized by borrowing foreign currencies (Ellen, 2012). Most of the countries with weak currencies usually borrow US dollars in order to ensure that the value of their currencies is maintained at an appropriate rate. While all the three ways are important, the best approach that a government can use depends on political situation. Most importantly, the three approaches should be able create a domestic market, increase reserves and strengthen the existing institutions. By importing or exporting to a foreign country such as Thailand, Blades is able to benefit in various ways. First, the company is able to import the products that it is facing difficulties in producing. Based on the high costs of production that Blades is facing in the US market,

Classic and Non Classic Analysis in Likelife Essay - 7

Classic and Non Classic Analysis in Likelife - Essay Example Classic style is identified by a collection of techniques which are used by the writer rather than the attitude depicted towards writing (Thomas and Turner 8). ‘Likelife’ presents a mixture of classical and non classical forms of writing in literature as the writer uses these styles to explain the events that took place in the 2003 World Taxidermy Championship. It not only depicts the technique but the passion of the writer towards her topic of discussion. Thomas and Turner refer to this aspect as a concept used in classic style. Orlean Susan The uses classic style in ‘Likelife’ as she describes the culture portrayed in taxidermy events. This notion depicts the art of classic writing as the writer tends to know what she is scripting before the actual publication. She describes Taxidermy Championship as a culture that astonishes many people in the world. Susan presents the history of World Taxidermy Championship which portrays the concept of classic writing as it refers to classical events. The World Taxidermy Championship became popular in 1882. It was viewed as a culture of the Society of American Taxidermists. Â   Non classic style is reflected in Orlean’s writing where she presents the transformation of World Taxidermy Championship from being an ordinary cultural event to an economy generating sport (Thomas and Turner 8). This is due to its ability to raise much income annually. Taxidermy is estimated to raise 570million dollars annually. Economic reflection in literature is not a concept used in classic but modern writing as it depicts the influence of pop culture in literature. This form of transition from describing the sport as a traditional cultural practice to an economic event presents the difference between two eras thus depicting the art and role of non classic style as described by Thomas and Turner.

The mad cow disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

The mad cow disease - Research Paper Example It was further determined that vCJD was caused when the individual was exposed to BSE (Collinge, 1997). Mad cow disease eventually resulted in significant financial loss to farmers as approximately 5 million cows were killed in Europe to prevent the spread of BSE. In the meantime, 150 deaths were linked to BSE (Robinson, 2005). Other measures taken were the ban on MBM feed although it was not uniformly enforced across Britain (Stevenson, Morris, Lawson, et al., 2005). It therefore appears that mad cow disease was inadequately regulated amidst significant uncertainties, risk to life and health and the financial losses to farmers. Prior to the emergence of information that human who had consumed contaminated meat had succumbed to vCJD, the government had been adamant that British beef was safe to consume (Millstone & Zwanenberg, 2002). The public was said to be left to self-regulate and in this meant assessing the risks for themselves (Jasanoff, 1997). The BSE scare exposed the weaknesses of national food safety laws which were primarily regulated on an ad hoc basis (Vos, 2000). In this regard, the EU implemented a framework for institutional reform for the regulation of food safety across the EU. National governments also reformed the way in which they gathered and publicized information about food safety (Millstone & Zwanenberg, 2002). The purpose of this research study is to identify how mad cow disease is and should be regulated. This research study therefore examines the national laws of countries effected by the mad cow disease during the scare and the emerging laws developed by various countries in response to the mad cow disease scare. In order to determine whether the laws as they are now, compared to how they were during the scare are adequate, it is necessary to establish the historical and clinical facts surrounding mad cow disease and the scare. If the law is

Why There Would Be No People Without Plants Essay - 2

Why There Would Be No People Without Plants - Essay Example Since humans exhale carbon dioxide, plants use that to create oxygen that enables humans to live. This makes life possible for all living forms on earth. This paper will review the importance of plants, and how their existence orchestrates the existence of other life forms. Plants have the task of cleaning the air. This implies that they take up all the carbon dioxide that humans exhale, and turn it into oxygen. They are a primary source of energy. This is because some individuals somewhere in the world do not have electricity as a form of energy. They provide basic heat energy in the form of charcoal and wood. It is a known fact that, without this heat source, many lives would perish (Balick & Cox, 1997). Through plants, the soil pH and acidity is maintained. It is through the existence of shrubs and grasses that the top soil is stabilised and held in place. Through any form of erosion, soil would be rendered useless. The growth of anything on earth depends on how the soil tends to behave. Supporting life form on earth is based on the ability to grow and sustain food (Balick & Cox, 1997). This can only be possible if rich, top soil is maintained. Through plants, it is possible for human beings to get treatment for certain diseases. Some plant species aid in the excretion of chemicals that help combat diseases. Without some of these plants, it would be next to impossible for humans to exist for long (Chiras, 2011). Isolating plant proteins is responsible for this, and through technology; many scientific breakthroughs in medicine are made possible. These proteins are synthesised in plants. Through cellular respiration, the conversion of these nutrients into biochemical energy occurs. This further leads to the breakdown of large molecules into much smaller ones, thus releasing energy to the immediate environment. This occurs through aerobic and anaerobic respiration. Though they perform almost similar functions, the two operate under different conditions

Homosexuality in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homosexuality in Britain - Essay Example According to the article, the orientation for preference to same sex relations remain covert as it was categorized as criminal in nature to expose homosexual acts, in private or in public, even by consenting adults prior to 1969. There was no organization in England promoting for any homosexual reform that it waited for American ideals of homosexual liberation to emerge. Despite the British laws prevailing to be predominantly homophobic, homosexual content in English literature still remained sporadic, depending on the creativity and restraint of the writer. British literature had patiently waited for fourteen years since the Wolfenden Report of 1953 recommending that homosexual behavior between consenting adults in private no longer be criminalized in England, before they can freely express homosexual content in their literary works. It is my personal contention that the issue of homosexuality remains to be controversial in other parts of the world until contemporary times. What American culture had promoted in terms of liberalizing homosexual behavior was readily accepted in other Western civilizations. Some Eastern culture remains to be still conservative in openly accepting homosexual acts given the cultural values and beliefs, especially pinning on religious orientations. In literature, however, I support freedom of creative expression including the writing of homosexual content conforming to ethical frameworks. Wanton disregard for the readers’ morals would render their literary work utterly improvident. I share Jeremy Bentham’s belief that in writing about homosexuality, one must weigh â€Å"the pleasure of consensual homosexual relations against the pain or harm it causes the general public†¦ by causing no harm to others, homosexuality is justified by the pleasures of those who practice it.† (glbtq, 2002,

Kale in Kenya- Ag Issue 2012 Essay Example for Free

Kale in Kenya- Ag Issue 2012 Essay Jonathan King Ag 101 September 16, 2012 Current Issues in Horticulture- Kale in Kenya I am going to go into the Horticultural field and one of the issues facing horticulture today is solving world hunger. Kenya is a nation that mostly lives in poverty, The United States and other countries are trying to help the Kenyan poverty problem by researching different food that can grow there along with trying to improve the food that they already have. A big crop in Kenya is kale because it costs so little to produce and the name sakuma wiki the Kenyan name for kale loosely translated means that it can sustain people throughout the week due to its extreme affordability, particularly for those who earn a dollar and below a day. The kale in Kenya is poor quality and it yields easily to diseases like black rot and leaf spot. Through a collaborative research project investigating the poor quality of kale seeds in parts of Kenya a team found that the best kale plants in Kenya originate from Kinale, a forested region north of Nairobi on the edge of the rift valley. The plants were then took to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute and propagated to obtain clean, disease-free seed. Five lines of kale were developed and two of them did very well once the seed was tested in different parts. The propagated seed flowered later thus making the crop produce longer and had a better color with a sweeter flavored leaf. By using Horticulture the problem of hunger in Kenya is being addressed by diversifying kale to improve food and nutrition and to improve the economy by making a better plant that people would want to buy and eat.

Police officers Essay Example for Free

Police officers Essay Have you ever been in a situation where you find yourself stuck between facing consequences for things you haven’t done and giving in to someone who seems to be on a power trip and is taking advantage of their superiority over you? Whether it be a manager taking advantage of his power in the work place or a police man or woman doing unnecessary and over the top things to you. Abuse of power seems to be a common thing in some police officers every day life and this is not okay. It is very apparent what a police officers job is and that is to protect and serve the community and make sure that real criminals are being served justice, however; some may come across police officers that use the fact that they have badges and weapons to their advantage in order to basically become a bully instead of a hero. Of course not all police officers are corrupt, most are actually doing their job and are concerned with the safety of all people and not just their own but those few that are corrupt need to be stopped and be punished for their police brutality and/or abuse of power. So the question is, are police men and women being evaluated thoroughly enough so as not to hire corrupt officers? Are police officers being punished and or brought to justice because of their wrong doings? In this paper I will bring some cases of police brutality and or abuse of police powers to your attention as well as if and how police are being punished because of their illegal or down right cruel behavior. Becoming a police officer is far from an easy task as it should be, but why is it that after so much questioning and tests of integrity and moral values citizens are becoming more and more victimized by police officers? In my opinion police officers are not being as extensively tested for a corrupt mind set as we are led to believe they are. Possible police officers are asked questions on a polygraph test that mostly tie in with the questions asked in the application process so as to get details and obviously the truth out of anything remotely suspicious on the application. These questions mostly having to do with drug use or theft and anything that may prove an officer to be dishonest about questions already asked prior to the polygraph. These questions however rarely have to do with how officers view a citizens race, religion, gender, levels of class, etc. For example, a police officer is not asked in a polygraph test if he does not like Muslim people or if he is disgusted by gay individuals.