L4M7 Whole Life Asset Management Questions and Answers

Explanation

Minimum open aisle width for standard counterbalance forklift is 10.5-13.1 ft. You can look at the minimum aisle width for different equipment here, or calculate yourself with an instruction here.

LO 1, AC 1.3

Explanation

Dependent demand is the requirement for stock item which is directly related to and therefore de-pendent upon the rate of production (examples are: raw materials, components, energy). The com-ponents in the scenario are dependent demand items.

Independent demand is the requirement for stock item which is not directly related to, and is therefore independent of rate of production.

Explanation

Possible solutions to the high irregular or seasonal demand problems are listed below:

• Take advantage of the height of the warehouse

- Mezzanine floor

- High racking system (increase storage capacity but require high-reach material handling equip-ment)

• Eliminate dead stock or inventory

• Improve material flow

• Improve storage location method

• Consider using aisle space during demand peak

• Narrow aisles between racks (require narrow handling equipment)

• Carousel-type storage system

• Auto-storage and retrievals system (ASRS)

Explanation

Purchase order lead time (POLT) refers to the number of days from when a company places an order for production inputs it needs, to when those items arrive at the manufacturing plant.

LO 2, AC 2.3

Explanation

The concept of a unit load is to create a stable and secure, easy-to-move group of stock that is fast to load and unload from vehicles.

The advantages of unit load concepts are as the following:

• More items can be handled at the same time, thereby reducing the number of trips required and, potentially, reducing handling costs, loading and unloading times, and product damage.

• Enables the use of standardized material handling equipment.

Explanation

If the planning and mitigation measures fail and redundant or obsolete stock is identified, it needs to be removed from the current inventory location as quickly as possible. There are some methods to deal with these types of stock. The worst case scenario is disposal to landfill, which is inadvisable if it can be avoided, both from environment point of view and the financial costs of such disposal.

For example, the problem of obsolete pesticides remains extremely serious and urgent. Many of the stocks identified continue to deteriorate thereby giving rise to an ever escalating source of severe pollution and posing a threat to human health, the environment and development in particular. To reduce the impact of obsolete pesticides on environment, FAO initiated a project in Yemen in which a total of 262 tonnes of obsolete pesticides were removed from 20 different sites and successfully disposed of between March and June 1996. The major field operation was completed in six weeks during which period almost all obsolete pesticides were brought to a central location and subsequently shipped to the United Kingdom for incineration.

Explanation

Dependent demand is the requirement for stock item which is directly related to and therefore de-pendent upon the rate of production (examples are: raw materials, components, energy).

Independent demand is the requirement for stock item which is not directly related to, and is therefore independent of rate of production.

'Number of independent demand items may be derived from the forecast': Although independent demand is called thus, it can still be influenced by economic factors external to the demand-supply model such as general consumer sentiment and consumers' available disposal income. However, businesses that need to predict the number of products with independent demand needed to sate their customers have it easier than businesses that must calculate the demand for products with dependent demand because there are fewer factors to consider.

'Dependent demand items are not directly correlated with production rate': As mentioned above, dependent demand items are directly correlated with production rate.

'All indirect supplies are independent demand items': Though most indirect supplier are inde-pendent demand, some are determined by the production rate, i.e. energy consumption of a major machinery.

'Car engine is an example of independent demand items in a car assembly plant': Car engine is a component in car which is the finished good of a car assembly plant, it is a dependent demand item.

LO 2, AC 2.1

Explanation

Safety stock is also known as buffer stock. As this name suggests, this type of stock provides some kind of 'buffer', which means safety stock will help the business to reduce the shocks induced by volatile demand or disruption on the supply chain. In other words, safety stock will reduces the probability of stockouts. The following graph would explain the reason why an organisation should have safety stock:

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Figure 1: Safety stock graph

As it is only the buffer against uncertainty, safety stock level should be equal to the deviation of demand or replenishment time. Safety stock should be able to accommodate variance of demand and variance of lead time.

Explanation

Material requirement planning (MRP) is a production planning and material (inventory) control system used in manufacturing. Objectives of MRP are to ensure materials are available for production while minimising inventory and to plan production and procurement activities.

MRP process is described in the graph below:

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Explanation

The most common subjective forecasting techniques include the following:

- Market surveys

- Employee surveys

- Expert knowledge (Delphi method is a method using expert knowledge)

- Test marketing

Cycle counting is a periodic analysis of inventory in a storage location which is conducted through the counting of samples instead of physically counting the entire inventory available, so as to quickly have an accurate estimate of the inventory available without causing a stop to the day to day working as is the case with physically counting every unit.

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, or the principle of fac-tor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

Weighted moving averages assign a heavier weighting to more current data points since they are more relevant than data points in the distant past. The sum of the weighting should add up to 1 (or 100 percent).

Explanation

The triple bottom line is a sustainability framework that examines a company’s social, environment, and economic impact (or People, Planet, Profit). ASI Ltd practice would reduce the waste into the environment as well as keep the business more profitable. So the correct answer should be Planet and Profit.

Explanation

Material requirement planning (MRP) is a production planning and material (inventory) control system used in manufacturing. Objectives of MRP are to ensure materials are available for production while minimising inventory and to plan production and procurement activities.

MRP software combines the master production schedule, the bill of materials and the inventory information to work out the net requirements (net MRP) of what to purchase or produce and when.

These net requirements are worked out using the following equation:

Net requirements = Total requirements - Available inventory

Where:

Total requirement = Gross requirements (gross MRP)

Available inventory = Inventory on hand + Units on order

In the other words, Gross MRP = Net MRP + Available inventory, so the answer should be "The gross MRP includes consideration of available inventory, whereas the net MRP does not"

LO 2, AC 2.3

Explanation

The system of slip sheet load handling involves the use of a thin sheet of material, the slip sheet, as a base on which items are assembled as a unit load for handling, storage, and transport. The slip sheet is used in conjunction with a pallet, if desired, at certain stages in the distribution cycle. If all lift trucks in the cycle are equipped with the proper attachment, an appropriate slip sheet is the only material handling base required. Slip sheet requires special push pull accessories and usually use thin and wide forks.

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Skids are generally described as single-deck pallets and do not have bottom flatted layer which makes them less bulky and cheaper than conventional pallets but also less universal in their use.

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Shrink wrap, also referred to as shrink film or shrink wrap, is a versatile polymer material used for the packaging of finished goods. Heat is applied to the film – by either a conveyor heat tunnel or an electric or gas heat gun – which catalyzes the film to shrink tightly around the item placed within. This process results in a clear, durable barrier of protection around the product.

Post pallets have a simple metal structure with four uprights and substantial feat to take the load. These may be free standing, but many are designed for the feet to interlock with the posts of another post pallet so that the stack can be created.

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Explanation

The amount of closing stock (properly valued) is used to arrive at the cost of goods sold in a periodic inventory system with the following calculation:

Opening stock + Purchases - Closing stock = Cost of goods sold

Explanation

Subjective forecasting uses qualitative methods (surveys, opinions) which relay on perception and opinion. Objective forecasting uses quantitative methods (facts and figures). Both methods have to make assumption about how closely (or not) the future will resemble the present and the past. Forecasting is never exact.

Explanation

Along with Jidoka, Just-in-time (JIT) production is one of the pillars of the two Toyota Production System. It is a production method that fundamentally changed the way large-scale production oc-curred in the 20th century, and is the basis for Lean Manufacturing (Lean for short), which is the school of thought many modern companies have modeled themselves after.

JIT production is often called a pull system because instead of using traditional push production where scheduling is done based on historical data and demand forecasting, production is scheduled based on actual customer orders. Rather than predicting demands from customers, the JIT method requires that actual customer demand exists. Production doesn't begin before an order triggers it. This system not only reduces the amount of extra inventory, but also reduces the amount of work in progress at one time.

Explanation

ISO 18602:2013 is about Packaging and the environment — Optimization of the packaging system. ISO 18602:2013 specifies requirements and a procedure for assessment of packaging to ensure that the weight or volume of its material content is optimized consistent with the functions of packaging. This is one of several options for reducing the impact of packaging on the environment.

It also provides methodologies and procedures for

- determining the amount and minimization of substances or mixtures hazardous to the environ-ment, and

- determining the amount of four heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium) in packaging.

The optimum balance in this standard weighs the environmental impact of losses that may happen with no packaging or inadequate packaging against the environmental impact from excess packag-ing.

The process for packaging design, including material selection, is not part of ISO 18602:2013.

The procedure for applying ISO 18602:2013 is contained in ISO 18601.