Synchronized Production

近年来，美国制造商面临着来自国外日益激烈的竞争。除了价格低廉之外，现在要想具有竞争力，还需要卓越的质量、较短的交货期和对客户不断变化的需求的更高的响应能力。成功应对这种不断变化的环境的公司已经通过降低在制品(WIP)和成品库存水平来做到这一点，从而能够及早发现质量问题，缩短交付期，减少对不断变化的需求的脆弱性。在制品水平高和交货期长的一个主要原因是制造和组装之间缺乏同步。在它们适用的地方，看板和其他这样的拉式系统实现了高度同步。不幸的是，看板只适用于重复性制造环境。因此，不太有效但更适用的系统，如材料需求计划，继续得到应用。这个项目将开发一种称为同步生产的生产控制策略，在更广泛的制造环境中提供更高的看板性能。IBM公司正在资助与一家电路板工厂直接相关的研究的某些部分。NSF和IBM联合资助的结果将成为新控制战略背后的基本理论以及部分实施经验。通过结合行业和政府的支持，该项目将开发所需的理论和应用成果，使同步生产在恢复美国制造业的竞争力方面发挥作用。

In recent years American manufacturers have faced increasing competition from abroad. In addition to having low prices, being competitive now requires outstanding quality, short lead times, and increased responsiveness to customer's changing demands. Companies that have successfully responded to this changing environment have done so by decreasing work in process (WIP) and finished goods inventory levels thereby allowing early detection of quality problems, shorter lead times, and less vulnerability to changing demands. A major cause of high WIP levels and long lead times is the lack of synchronization between fabrication and assembly. Where they are applicable, Kanban and other such pull systems achieve a high degree of synchronization. Unfortunately, Kanban is suitable only for repetitive manufacturing environments. Thus, less effective but more applicable systems such as Materials Requirements Planning continue to find application. This project will develop a production control strategy, called Synchronized Production, that offers the increased performance of Kanban in a much wider variety of manufacturing environments. IBM Corporation is funding certain portions of the research that pertain directly to a circuit board plant. The result of the joint NSF and IBM funding will be the basic theory behind the new control strategy as well as experience with portions of its implementation. By combining industry and government support, this project will develop both the theoretical and applied results needed to enable Synchronized Production to play a role in restoring the competitiveness of American manufacturing.