This study investigates the implementation of supermarket-based scheduling of parts at a South African exhaust manufacturing plant. The study firstly investigates the requirements the manufacturer had to contend with in ensuring a valuable contract was won. The nature of the contract is such that it warrants building of a new facility. The design of the facility and the manufacturing processes is of importance as some Lean techniques are employed during these early stages. The research takes the form of a case study and data is collected mainly through interviews with staff, but also from direct observations on the shop-floor. Interviews were conducted with: - key project leaders responsible for the original design and commissioning of the facility; - production managers and technical staff currently operating the plant; and - shop-floor personnel involved in daily production and logistics operations within the plant. The as-built facility and procedures are compared with literature found on the topic of Lean manufacturing. Various findings are recorded, both on conforming to and not conforming to typical Lean theory. Potential changes are suggested in the following areas: - a Pull strategy is proposed to coincide with the appointment of a so-called pacemaker station; - a pacemaker would need to be further supported by a production leveling strategy; - although quality delivered to the customer is reported as very high, potential improvements are still possible by introducing an "at source" approach to reduce rework; and - finally, a Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) program will serve to reduce downtime even further.

The automobile driving performance of 18 mildly demented subjects was compared to that of 18 normal elderly and 18 mid-age controls. Driving tasks were grouped according to a three-level hierarchical model that characterizes driving as a problem solving skill involving (a) low-level vehicle control skills, (b) intermediate level manoeuvring skills in response to on-road events, and (c) higher level driving-related judgemental abilities. Driving simulator measures of brake reaction time and steering accuracy were selected to represent the lowest level of hierarchy. A Motor Vehicle Branch (MVB) road test and a test of emergency braking distance indexed the intermediate level. Driving-related judgment was assessed by evaluating the accuracy of subjects' appraisals of their own driving skills, and by examining whether the demented subjects evidenced an increased level of driving avoidance that might be commensurate with the extent of their driving deficits. Overall the demented subjects performed significantly less well than did controls on the driving behaviour measures. Particularly striking were their deficits at the highest and lowest levels of the hierarchical task analysis. They were markedly impaired on the driving simulator tasks and they showed a clear tendency to over-estimate their driving competence relative to their actual performance. However, from a practical standpoint it was noted that despite significant group differences at the intermediate level, the overlap in performance scores between the demented and the normal elderly was considerable for these in-car tasks. Also, although the mildly demented subjects had significantly more demerit points on the MVB road test than did the elderly controls, nearly 70% were able to pass the licensing exam. Mildly demented drivers might best be characterized as having marginal driving abilities, a fact which may pose considerable challenges to clinicians and policy makers. A second component of the study involved evaluation of the correlations between the driving measures and several common psychometric tests of attention, perception, and psychomotor speed. After group membership was accounted for, the psychometric tests failed to add precision to the prediction of driving performance. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of the thesis is to review the development of the compensation system for traffic victims in British Columbia and to determined what changes are required in order to improve the equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the system. The study examines this question from a broad perspective because of the inter-relationships among motor vehicle transportation, traffic safety, and the compensation system. The methods of investigation were twofold. The first step was to read all the pertinent literature on the subject which could be found in Vancouver. The second step was to communicate by telephone, by mail, or in person with individuals who possessed special knowledge with respect to one or more aspects of the subject matter. The latter research was invaluable because it updated the information available in the literature, revealed the practical ramifications of different concepts, and provided British Columbia viewpoints to a world wide problem. The conclusions of the thesis are based to a large extent on value judgments because of the paucity of quantifiable data and the absence of an actuarial analysis. In general the writer feels that more stringent procedures must be employed in the issuance and renewal of licences, and the public must accept automatic suspensions of licences for repeated traffic violations or accident involvement. Simultaneously, improvement in vehicle and roadway design, and emergency treatment of crash victims must be undertaken. The writer concludes that a no-fault, direct writer, and privately operated automobile compensation system is feasible at this time, and will provide a more equitable, effective, and efficient system of allocating premium dollars to a broader range of traffic victims. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

South Africa is now well and truly part of the global economy after emerging from an inwardly looking era a mere 14 years ago. The change was felt by all South Africans, and most certainly also by local companies who entered the global market with their goods or services. This study investigates the way in which the South African automotive component manufacturing industry has entered the global market and adjusted to become globally competitive. This study is done in light of the presence of the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP), a sector-specific industrial policy that aims at making the South African automotive industry more competitive by enabling them to export. The study has shown that the MIDP is succesful in making component manufacturers more competitive, but that its methods for doing so are varied and in some cases not direct or perhaps even intentional. The study has also illuminated the role that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) play in enabling the MIDP to affect component manufacturers and in enabling the component manufacturers to sell its products profitably in the global marketplace. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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Recently much research has focused on the control of enclosed sound fields, particularly in automobiles. Both Active Noise Control (ANC) and Active Structural Acoustic Control (ASAC) techniques are being applied to problems stemming from power train noise and road noise (noise due to the interaction of the tires with the surface of the road). Due to the low frequency characteristics of these noise problems, large acoustic sources are required to obtain efficient control of the sound field. This creates demand in the automobile industry for compact lightweight sources. This work is concerned with the application of active control to power train noise, as well as road noise in the interior cabin of a sport utility vehicle using advanced, compact lightweight piezoelectric acoustic sources. First, a test structure approximately the same size as the automobile was built to study the principles of active noise control in a cavity. A finite element model of the cavity was created in order to optimize the positions of the error sensors and the control sources. Experimental work was performed with the optimized actuator and sensor locations in order to validate the model, and draw conclusions regarding the conditions to obtain global control of the sound field. Second, a broad-band feedforward filtered-X LMS algorithm was used to control power train noise. Preliminary power train noise tests were conducted using arrangements of four microphones and up to four commercially available speakers for control. Attenuation of seven decibel (dB) at the error sensors was measured in the 40-500 Hz frequency band. The dimensions of the zone of quiet generated by the control were measured, and show that noise reductions were obtained for a large volume surrounding the error sensors. Next, advanced speakers were implemented for active control of power train noise. The results obtained with different arrangements of these speakers were very similar to those obtained with the commercially-available speakers. These advanced speakers use piezoelectric devices to induce the displacement of a speaker membrane, which radiates sound. Their lighter weight and compact dimensions are a significant advantage over conventional speakers, for their application in automobile. Third, preliminary results were obtained for active control of road noise. The controller used an optimized set of four reference signals to control the noise at one error sensor using one control source. Two sets of tests were conducted. The first set of tests was performed on a dynamometer, which simulates the effects of the road on the tires. The second set of tests was performed on a rough road. Reduction of two to four decibel of the sound pressure level at the error sensor was obtained between 100 and 200 Hz. / Master of Science