CIPS L5M9 real exam prep : Operations Management

Below are details of 4 local manufacturing companies. For each company you must decide what the main objective is for the organisation and what layout their manufacturing plant has.
Company 1: This company creates large, delicate products which are hard to move. The main aim of the company is to stand out from competitors due to the superior level of materials used and by using the latest forms of technology to create the items.
Company 2: This company produces 72 different items and has designated zones within its premises for the creation of each item. The zones are organised based on the technology used and some products may be passed between different zones to be completed. The company creates many different items in response to changing customer demands, with many product lines only lasting a single season.
Company 3: Company 3 creates one product which flows along a single production line, with staff members adding to the product on four different occasions. The company must produce a high volume of this singular product in order to break even. Therefore, there is always a steady flow of items through the plant and it is important there is no stoppage in production.
Company 4: This company produces small batches of products, as and when they are ordered by customers. Due to uncertainty in demand, a high profit margin is added to the cost of each item. Teams in the factory are grouped into different areas depending on the technological process they are using.
Complete the table below by listing the objective criteria and plant layout for each company. Each response should only be used once: flexibility, speed, quality, cost, functional layout, cell layout, product layout, fixed-position layout

Which of the following will you put into box 7?

• A. product layout
• B. functional layout
• C. cell layout
• D. fixed-position layout

Which of the following would you require in order to calculate the availability of a piece of equipment used in manufacturing?

• A. production rate
• B. cost of repair
• C. output of machine
• D. mean time to repair

In what circumstances would an organisation use a Fishbone diagram?

• A. to demonstrate a pattern has occurred
• B. to find the cause of an issue
• C. to visually represent links between activities
• D. to depict changes in quality

In the SERVQUAL model how many different types of gaps should be identified by a service provider?

• A. 5
• B. 10
• C. 3
• D. 1

Barry is a Hotel Manager and is keen to understand where his business is failing. He has asked his staff to conduct a number of different techniques to uncover failures within the service. Of those listed below, which of the following would provide Barry with answers the quickest? Select TWO

• A. phone surveys
• B. machine diagnostic checks
• C. in-process checks
• D. point-of-departure interviews