Effective and efficient operations management is the cornerstone of any company's success. Presently, because of cost-cutting pressures, all investors look out for companies' operations before making any investment commitment. The South African Government (through the Department of Public Enterprises), as an owner and investor in Eskom, is looking at optimising operational excellence within state-owned enterprises like Eskom. Eskom is presently experiencing problems with increased electricity consumption which it cannot meet due to the limited plant capacity it presently has. These challenges are forcing Eskom to be more efficient and effective in management of the present plant assets (like Matimba Power Station) it presently operates. Matimba Power Station has consistently shown improvement in the areas of plant, financial and operations performance over the last three years. It is presently the standard bearer for the whole Eskom in terms of plant and operational performance. Asset management (through maintenance and management thereof), especially preventative management with in a power utility like Eskom, is a critical factor because supply (generation of electricity) has to meet demand (consumption of electricity) instantaneously as electricity cannot be saved. The planning, scheduling and execution of maintenance (through a work management process) to ensure success of business operations are very critical. An Eskom document titled Routine Work Management Manual emphasised the criticality of preventative management and included a six-step process of work management within the power generation business. The Japanese success in ensuring that operations costs are limited by implementing total productive maintenance (which includes work management) is suggested in the study as a way to go for operational success at Matimba Power Station. Many of the research studies done at Eskom in regard to maintenance were based on and confined to a sampling population of senior staff members like managers, engineers and supervisors. Experience has shown that progress of implementing change (whether in systems or structures) is slow if there was no proactive involvement of all participants and stakeholders, especially employees at lower levels involved in operations. A work management process, which is one of the pillars of total productive maintenance, was recently implemented at Matimba and is currently experiencing teething problems which are being attended to. Employee involvement in making sure of the success of work management is critical. The study investigates the implementation of work management from the employees' perspective in order to address problems for possible full implementation of total productive maintenance. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

This thesis is concerned with the improvement of construction practices by studying the application in the sector of some core principles underlying current production management theories. The research is motivated by the recognition in recent literature that the best production practices world-wide have a common core. The core principles investigated in this research are the "reduction of cycle time", "reduction of variability", "increase of transparency" and "build of continuous improvement into the process". The fundamental rationale underlying these principles is the concept of flow where production is seen as composed of waiting, transporting, inspecting and transformation (processing) activities. According to this concept, transformation activities are the only ones that actually add value. Hence, all other activities should be reduced or eliminated from the flow whilst increasing the efficiency of transformation activities. The assessment of construction practices against the theory was carried out through six case studies, based in England and Brazil, and a complementary meta-case. Cross-case study analysis showed that construction already applies all heuristic approaches relating to the flow principles under study. However, the intra-case study analysis revealed a serious lack of integration among the literal replications identified in each of the case studies. Integration of practices matching the theory is critical since the evidence suggests that there is a correlation between production performance and the level of integration among literal replications. An additional case study investigated the issue of how to implement these principles in the practice of construction. The interaction with the host company happened through an Action Learning set supported by the Revans Centre for Action Learning and Research. The experiment showed that a combination of both "push" and "pull" learning seems to be an appropriate approach for introducing the principles in study in the construction sector. Top management positive support during "gestation" period was the most important factor for motivating people to "pull" the learning after the initial 'push' learning exercise.

This research is concerned with understanding a quality management system and its interaction with maintenance management activities within the organisation. The interaction between maintenance and quality, can lead to their integration with production. The second output of production is maintenance, whose output is increased production capacity. Both the production process and the quality of the maintenance work, which, in turn, affects equipment condition, affect the quality of final product. The thesis aims to identify the barriers and difficulties affecting quality in maintenance, within Libyan (public sector) manufacturing organisations. The specific objectives are derived to provide focus for the research activities, in order to fulfil the specific aim of the research in a structured and scientific manner. In order to achieve the thesis objectives, an empirically-based systems analysis of two case study organisations in the Libyan public manufacturing sector was carried out. Substantial field work was carried out using predominantly a qualitative approach. Qualitative data was collected by semi structured interview (from different levels of management and supervisors) to explore the quality management phenomena, and to provide a more holistic understanding through triangulation techniques of required and suitable data. This study has contributed to existing knowledge through getting an in-depth understanding of quality and maintenance issues. A specific definition of "quality in maintenance" was developed, common barriers of quality systems and the key factors of improving maintenance were summarised. Furthermore, by using the framework in figure 2.8 the enablers and inhibitors of quality in maintenance were demonstrated. This study is the first one that identified the unique barriers affecting quality in maintenance within the Libyan manufacturing organisations. These barriers are divided into three main kinds: the technical, economic barriers, managerial, organisational barriers, and cultural environmental barriers. The key findings of the research indicate that the case study organisations do not actively promote quality in the maintenance area that takes into consideration the influence of organisational, social, economic and political factors (change culture) on the quality of operations and performance inside the organisations.

Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2005.

Une catastrophe naturelle, ou d'origine humaine, implique la mise en œuvre très rapide de chaînes logistiques éphémères. Les organisations humanitaires doivent intervenir de manière efficace, au bon moment et de façon cohérente, en évaluant les besoins prioritaires et en évitant les chevauchements et le gaspillage des moyens mobilisés, parfois à grand renfort d'appel à la générosité publique. La logistique d'entreprise et la logistique humanitaire ont plus d´éléments en commun que l´on n´a l'habitude de l'imaginer. Faire preuve de réactivité avec des coûts contrôlés (puisque les ressources financières des donateurs ne sont pas inépuisables) est l'affaire autant des organisations aidant les populations civiles que des fabricants ou des grands groupes industriels impliqués dans une guerre compétitive impitoyable, même si « les armes » utilisées restent évidemment spécifiques. Depuis ces quinze dernières années, la fréquence et l'ampleur des désastres d'une part, et les exigences des donateurs quant à l'usage des fonds et aux résultats des interventions d'autre part, ont incité le secteur humanitaire à évoluer vers plus de professionnalisation. En parallèle, le monde académique a montré, surtout depuis le séisme en Asie du Sud-est en 2004, un intérêt croissant pour la logistique humanitaire, ceci se manifestant par un nombre de plus en plus élevé d'articles sur le sujet dans les revues scientifiques. L'administration des Chaînes Logistiques Multi-Acteurs (CLMA) contribue directement à la performance des actions des organisations humanitaires. / The purpose of this investigation is to underline the advantages offered by applying the collective strategy model in the context of humanitarian logistics, enriching the existing benefits that operations management and business logistics techniques have brought to the field. In both man-made and natural disaster relief, humanitarian logistics operations have been hampered by a lack of coordination between actors, which directly affects performance in terms of reactivity and reliability. Adapted collective strategies could offer a solution to this problem. A literature review deals with the issue of humanitarian logistics through an operational dimension, followed by a strategic approach. This is rounded out with a case study dealing with the Pisco earthquake in Peru (August 2007), which is based on a participant observation methodological approach.The research presented revealed that a collective action approach had a positive impact on the working of humanitarian supply chains, as long as a “hub” was used to provide accountability and reliability. If a technical approach, particularly in matters of operations management (optimization of transportation, location of regional warehouses, etc.) is essential to better manage humanitarian logistics, it must also be in the service of a collective strategy, notably in the pre-positioning of supplies and the coordination of relief efforts. The case study provides several ideas for improving operation coordination, particularly through direct “symbiotic partnerships” in vertical relations and direct “commensalistic partnerships” in horizontal relations.

O plano de revitalização da construção naval brasileira e a demanda explosiva criada pelas descobertas das enormes jazidas de petróleo abaixo da camada de sal motivaram pelo menos 20 anúncios de novos estaleiros no país. Nesse contexto e colimada com o desafio de erguer uma indústria competitiva, esse trabalho visa contribuir com uma maior racionalidade nas decisões associadas à estratégia de produção para estaleiros brasileiros. O objetivo da pesquisa é desenvolver um modelo de formulação dessa estratégia e reunir o conhecimento crítico sobre cada uma das 18 áreas de decisão apontadas no modelo. O processo de formulação de estratégia desenvolvido segue uma ordem sistemática de identificação do status quo, definição do futuro que se deseja perseguir, identificação de ações necessárias, escolha da melhor solução e implementação. O conteúdo da estratégia consiste no detalhamento das áreas de decisão, que a teoria mostrou estarem organizadas em cinco grupos: Planta e equipamentos; Planejamento e Controle da Produção; Gestão dos Recursos Humanos; Desenvolvimento Tecnológico; e Aspectos Organizacionais. Ao final, as principais recomendações tecidas para um novo estaleiro brasileiro foram: utilizar produção automatizada até a submontagem, realizar a edificação com megablocos, implementar uma logística interna aprimorada e o sincronismo na produção; realizar o planejamento com software que otimiza a carga de trabalho nas oficinas; controle total da produção; atribuir maior autonomia às equipes com poder de decisão sobre problemas no chão de fábrica; engenharia deve ter foco em padronizar processos e buscar o aumento da eficiência dos recursos; garantir a transmissão da estratégia de produção para os gerentes e operários (caminho crítico, prazos). / The revitalization of the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, further reinforced with the discovery of enormous oil reserves in the subsalt layer, motivated at least 20 projects for new shipyards to be deployed in the upcoming years. In this context, and in line with the proposition of developing a competitive industry, this work aims to contribute with a greater rationality in the decisions associated with the Brazilian shipyards production strategy. The objective of this research is to build up a model to formulate this strategy and bring together the critical knowledge on each of the 18 decision areas pointed out by the model. The process for formulating the strategy follows a systematical order of identifying the status quo, determining the future that should be sought, identifying the necessary actions, selecting the best solution, and implementing it. The content of the strategy consists in the detailing of the decision areas, which theory illustrated to belong to one of five groups: Plant and equipment, Production Planning and Control; Human resource management; Technological development and Organizational issues. Main recommendations to a new shipyard in Brazil were: use of automation in the manufacturing of panels up to the subassembly, erection of the ship with megablocks, enhanced internal logistics and synchronism of the production; use of software that optimizes the work flow in the shops during the planning process; total control of production; assignment of greater autonomy to teams with decision power over problems at the shop floor; focusing of the engineering department on standardizing processes and striving for increased efficiency of assets and labor; assurance that the transmission of production strategy to managers and employees (critical paths, deadlines).

Orientador: Orlando Fontes Lima Junior / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T22:02:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pinto_JanainaAntonino_M.pdf: 1177906 bytes, checksum: 001c546a8dc43c107f8f3c0bdaae25ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver um modelo de simulação, utilizando sistemas dinâmicos, para a análise de diferentes políticas de logística hospitalar. O modelo permite analisar de forma integrada como a gestão de diferentes políticas de estoque e de capacidades influenciam o custo do atendimento no hospital. Na modelagem consideraram-se como principais fatores a gestão de estoque de medicamentos e a capacidade de atendimento, que é definida pela disponibilidade de mão-de-obra especializada (médicos). Dois outros importantes fatores foram considerados como restrições de capacidade: a disponibilidade de macas e de equipamentos. Para demonstrar a aplicabilidade do modelo, um estudo de caso foi desenvolvido no pronto socorro do Hospital de Clínicas da Unicamp (Universidade Estadual de Campinas), onde foi realizada a análise dos diferentes cenários, integrando as políticas de estoque, capacidade e seus custos. Após análise destes cenários, estratégias integradas de políticas de estoque e capacidades que reduzissem o custo de atendimento foram propostas. / Abstract: The main objective of this dissertation is to develop a simulation model, using systems dynamics, to analyze different hospital logistic policies. The model allows an integrated analysis of how the management of different stock and capacities policies impacts the hospital attendance costs. The main factors of this process considered in the modeling are the medicine stock management and attendance capacity, defined as the specialized work source availability (physicians). Other important factors in this process were considered as capacity restrictions: hammock and equipments availability. In order to show the model suitability, the Emergency Room of Unicamp Clínicas Hospital case was studied. Different scenarios analyses were done combining stock policies, capacities and their costs. Using these results, integrated strategies of stock policies and capacities were proposed in order to reduce costs. / Mestrado / Transportes / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Propôs-se no presente trabalho um modelo estruturado para, partindo-se da missão e visão da organização, de seus objetivos estratégicos declarados bem como de suas estratégias, identificar quais os fatores críticos de sucesso e propor-se um sistema de indicadores de desempenho estrategicamente alinhado com seus objetivos. Para tanto, utilizou-se de uma série de conceitos, modelos e ferramentas disponíveis para medição e avaliação de desempenho a fim de se criar um modelo de gestão das contribuições individuais que pudesse confrontá-las com as metas globais, com o objetivo de subsidiar o gestor na tomada de decisão no que se refere ao direcionamento de ações e recursos, de forma a garantir metas globais, aproveitando-se também das diferenças ambientais e potencialidades individuais de cada uma das unidades contribuintes da organização avaliada. / In the present work a structured framework is proposed for, departing from the organization’s mission and vision of the future, from its strategic objectives and adopted competitive strategies, identify critical success factors and propose a performance measurement system that is strategically aligned with the organization’s objectives. For such, a number of available performance measurement and evaluation concepts, models and tools where used in order to create a performance management framework form managing individual contributions that could be confronted to global targets, with the purpose of subsidizing manager in decision making, regarding action and resource directing, as means of guarantying global targets while taking advantage of environmental differences as well as individual potentialities of each of the evaluated organization’s contributing units.

M.Tech. (Quality and Operations Management) / This paper focuses on the social impact of the sugar industry in South Africa. A social impact assessment is a method that aims to assess social features of the product and their positive and negative aspects in terms of its processing of raw material to the final stages of its disposal. The objectives of the study were guided by the guidelines on social life cycle assessment of products of the South African Sugar Industry developed by the United Nations Environmental Programme and SETAC initiatives. The main aim is to add value to the social assessment methodology and application techniques of social impacts assessment, focusing on the sugar industry in South Africa. The study’s main focus is on health and safety, freedom of association, employee’s wages, gender equality in the workplace, working conditions, crime and the social wellbeing of the communities that surround the sugar industry’s operations. Field research, historic comparative research, interviews and questionnaires were used for the collection of relevant data. The areas that grow sugar were identified to have low unemployment rates as compared to areas that do not grow sugar. Although it is good that the sugar industry decreases the level of employment in some areas, the decrease in sugar production during the season of 2010-2011 could have major financial and social challenges for these areas, and could also impact the rest of South Africa. The other social impacts discussed above are also assessed and presented in the paper.

No description available.