Question 1

A German company specializes in building laboratory rooms for handling dangerous viruses and bacteria.Each room is designed to have a completely separate life support system that allows the users to examine and identify the viruses and bacteria without contaminating any other area.What type of a layout would be used to construct such a room?

Accepted Answer

Fixed-position layout is used for projects where the product cannot be moved due to its size or nature, such as constructing specialized laboratory rooms. This layout allows all resources needed to come to the site of the project.

Question 2

After product specifications are set, a company must decide whether to purchase or manufacture the parts that it needs.This is called a(n) _____ decision.

Accepted Answer

The correct term for the decision a company makes between producing its own parts or purchasing them from an external supplier is "make-or-buy" decision.

Question 3

The product layout is sometimes called the _____ layout.

Accepted Answer

The product layout is often referred to as the assembly-line layout because it arranges resources in a sequence to efficiently produce large volumes of similar products.

Question 4

Beyond all the publicity around a recent government audit about the lack of oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is another problem that has not received much publicity.Quality control is not being maintained when an airline engages a contractor to work on an engine, who in turn signs up a subcontractor to work on one part of the engine.This example represents a problem with:

Accepted Answer

The example illustrates a problem with outsourcing, where a company hires an external organization to perform work or services that could be or were previously conducted in-house. The issue highlighted is the lack of quality control when work is outsourced to contractors and further subcontracted.

Question 5

A(n) _____ layout arranges work flow around the production process.All workers performing similar tasks are grouped together.

Accepted Answer

A process layout arranges workflow around the production process, grouping together workers or machines that perform similar tasks. This is in contrast to layouts that are organized by product or assembly lines.

Question 6

_____ is a production technique that uses small, self-contained work stations and has each perform all or most of the tasks necessary to complete a manufacturing order.

Accepted Answer

Cellular manufacturing is a production approach that organizes the work space into small, self-contained units or "cells," each capable of performing a complete set of tasks necessary to manufacture a whole product or a significant part of it. This method aims to reduce waste and increase efficiency by minimizing the movement of materials and work-in-progress between different stages of the production process.

Question 7

The purchasing function, sometimes called _____, is an important part of any firm's production strategy.

Accepted Answer

The purchasing function is commonly referred to as procurement, which involves the process of selecting vendors, establishing payment terms, strategic vetting, selection, the negotiation of contracts, and actual purchasing of goods. It is an essential component of the supply chain that involves the acquisition of all goods and services that a company needs to operate.

Question 8

The goal of cellular manufacturing is to:

Accepted Answer

Cellular manufacturing aims to create a team environment by organizing workstations into cells, where each cell is responsible for a complete process or product, promoting teamwork and efficiency.

Question 9

Products that are difficult to move out of a plant once they are manufactured, such as ocean-going vessels and room-sized murals, are usually manufactured in a _____ layout.

Accepted Answer

Products that are difficult to move, like ocean-going vessels and large murals, are typically manufactured in a fixed-position layout. This layout keeps the product stationary while resources and labor come to the product's location for assembly or construction.

Question 10

Cellular manufacturing combines aspects of both:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Cellular manufacturing combines aspects of both:
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Question 11

Rego-Fix is a metalworking manufacturing company in Switzerland.The company primarily manufactures grinding machines in different size ranges.Rego-Fix has reduced setup time and change-over costs through the establishment of small, self-contained production units with teams who produce specific machines on small assembly lines.Rego-Fix uses:

Accepted Answer

Cellular manufacturing involves the arrangement of machinery and equipment to focus on the production of a specific product or component, allowing for reduced setup time and costs, which aligns with the description of Rego-Fix's operations.

Question 12

The _____ is a list of components and number of each needed for file cabinets that a manufacturing company will produce.

Accepted Answer

The bill of materials is a list that specifies the components and the quantity of each needed to manufacture a product, in this case, file cabinets.

Question 13

Which of the following manufacturers would be most likely to use a product layout?

Accepted Answer

A product layout is most commonly used in mass production settings where the manufacturer produces large volumes of the same product. A motorcycle manufacturer fits this description best among the options provided, as motorcycles are typically produced in large quantities using an assembly line, which is a characteristic of a product layout.

Question 14

In a typical set-up, American companies will employ Chinese firms to enter handwritten cards into electronic databases, but the English skills of the Chinese can only take them so far with sloppy American handwriting.Then the Chinese (or sometimes the American companies) hire Lakota Express, a company that uses Native Americans who live on a reservation in South Dakota to pick up the slack and to vet the often imperfect work.What kind of work does Lakota Express do?

Accepted Answer

Lakota Express is hired to pick up the slack and to vet the often imperfect work of Chinese firms that have been employed by American companies to enter handwritten cards into electronic databases. This is an example of outsourcing, which is the process of contracting out a business process to a third-party provider.

Question 15

Taco Bell fast-food restaurant does not chop the lettuce and tomatoes and grate the cheese used to make its menu items, but hires someone outside the restaurant to perform these tasks.By _____ these tasks, Taco Bell can keep its overhead low and concentrate its resources on taking customer orders and assembling food.

Accepted Answer

Outsourcing refers to the practice of hiring external parties to perform tasks, handle operations, or provide services that are either difficult to manage or outside the company's core competencies. In this case, Taco Bell outsources the preparation of ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese to keep overhead low and focus on its core activities.

Question 16

Inventory management performs all of the following tasks EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Inventory management involves ordering, receiving, storing, and counting inventory, but selling is not a direct function of inventory management. Selling is a sales function, whereas inventory management focuses on the control and administration of the inventory.

Question 17

The three main types of facility layouts are:

Accepted Answer

The three main types of facility layouts are product, process, and fixed-position. These layouts are designed to meet the requirements of different types of manufacturing processes: product layout is used for mass production, process layout for job shop operations, and fixed-position layout for large, complex products.

Question 18

The physical arrangement of a production facility is called its:

Accepted Answer

The physical arrangement of a production facility is referred to as its layout. This involves the organization of machinery, equipment, and other facilities within the production area.

Question 19

What management function is production manager Cedric Stein using when he orders aluminum component parts (bumpers, drive trains, etc.) to be used in the production of Audi cars in Audi's Neckarsulm plant?

Accepted Answer

Cedric Stein is using the purchasing function, as he is ordering aluminum component parts needed for production.

Question 20

A process layout is best for a company that has:

Accepted Answer

A process layout is most suitable for companies that produce a wide variety of products, as it allows for flexibility in managing different processes and product types.

Quiz 10: Achieving World-Class Operations Management