L4M7 Questions and Answers

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

According to Hines and Rich, value stream refers to specific parts of the firms that actually add value to the specific product or service under consideration. XYZ Ltd is mapping the value stream by analysing the value-adding activities that contribute to their most important product.

Postponement is a business strategy which maximizes possible benefit and minimizes risk by delaying further investment into a product or service until the last possible moment. An example of this strategy is Dell Computers' build-to-order online store. One of the earliest references to the concept was in a paper by Zinn and Bowersox in the Journal of Business Logistics. They highlighted five types: Labelling, Packaging, Assembly, Manufacturing and Time postponements.

Kanban (看板) (signboard or billboard in Japanese) is a scheduling system for lean manufacturing and just-in-time manufacturing (JIT). Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer at Toyota, developed kanban to improve manufacturing efficiency. Kanban is one method to achieve JIT. The system takes its name from the cards that track production within a factory. For many in the automotive sector, kanban is known as the "Toyota nameplate system".

Put simply, silo working occurs when several departments or groups within that organisation do not want to share information or knowledge with other individuals they work with.

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.

Explanation

Last in, first out (LIFO) is a method used to account for inventory that records the most recently produced items as sold first. Under LIFO, the cost of the most recent products purchased (or pro-duced) are the first to be expensed as cost of goods sold (COGS)—which means the lower cost of older products will be reported as inventory.

Moving average: a calculation to analyse data by creating series of averages of different subset of full data set. It is commonly used with time series data to smooth out short-term fluctuation and highlight long-term trends or cycle

ABC analysis is a method of analysis that divides the subject up into three categories: A, B and C.

There is no technique called time-weighted series.

LO 2, AC 2.3

Explanation

There are several methods to reduce the acquisition costs in procurement. L4M7 study guide lists the following methods:

- Buyer discretionary spend

- 'User buying'

- Vendor managed inventory (VMI)

- Two-bin Kanban

- Product catalogue

- e-Procurement techniques, including some systems such as ERP, procure-to-pay (P2P), e-requisition, e-tendering, etc.

- Procurement cards

Explanation

Material Requirements Planning (MRP) software manages material requirements for manufacturing processes.

LO 2, AC 2.3

Explanation

The normal breakdown in a manufacturing organisation would be raw materials, components, work in progress and finished goods.

Following are the different types of inventory:

Raw materials are the basic materials that a manufacturing company buys from its suppliers, and that is used by the former to convert them into the final products by applying a set of manufacturing processes. For example, aluminum scrap is the raw material for a company that produces aluminum ingots. Flour is the raw material for a company that produces bread or pizza. Similarly, metal parts and ingots are the raw materials bought by a company that manufactures cars, and crude oil is the raw material for an oil refinery.

Work in progress inventory can also be called semi-finished goods. They are the raw materials that have been taken out of the raw materials store and are now undergoing the process of their conversion into the final products. These are the partly processed raw materials lying on the production floor. And they have also not reached the stage where they have been converted into the final product.

Finished goods are indeed the final products obtained after the application of the manufacturing processes on the raw materials and the semi-finished goods discussed above in the article. They are saleable, and their sale contributes fully to the revenue from the core operations of the company.

Explanation

Tote box is the reusable storage box. These can be open or have lids or flaps to close them and come in a large variety of sizes and weight loadings.

A tote is ideal for holding and hauling items such as: tools, fasteners, bark dust, dry cement, cords, wires, smaller boxes,...

Pallets are the platform structures designed to support a load and be lifted using the forks (typically seen on forklift trucks and other equipment). These are in a variety of standard sizes and can be made of many materials including plastics, resin, board or timber. Pallets are not containers, but support platforms.

Bar racks are designed to store bars and pipes

Stock cages are available in many sizes and can hold single items or groups of items

Explanation

One-dimensional (or 1D) barcodes systematically represent data by varying the widths and spac-ings of parallel lines. These include some of the most traditional and well-recognized barcode types, such as the UPC and EAN codes. 1D barcodes are also commonly referred to as linear barcodes.

Two-dimensional (2D) barcodes look like squares or rectangles that contain many small, individual dots. QR codes, Data matrix and Aztec codes are examples of 2D barcodes

Numerical code contains all numbers, no letters

There are two different scan engine types (laser scanner versus imager) for interpreting the infor-mation provided in the barcode. Many companies producing the technology capable of reading the barcode data uses the term “scanning” regardless of the type of scan engine used. For the purposes of these FAQs, we are trying to draw a clearer distinction for you.

Linear (1D) codes can be scanned with a traditional laser scanner. A laser scan engine uses a laser and mirror to create the bar that scans the information. 1D barcode scanners will only interpret the linear barcode scanning technology. 1D barcode scanners are typically less expensive since the type of encryptions they can decode is limited.

Diagram Description automatically generated

LO 1, AC 1.2

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

In inventory management, service level is the expected probability of not hitting a stock-out during the next replenishment cycle or the probability of not losing sales.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) can be used to analyse data based on performance objectives and set actionable goals for improvement. KPIs can be developed in conjunction with suppliers as well as others, and can be used to measure the essential elements of the process.

Safety stock is the amount of inventory a business needs to have to achieve a certain level of risk mitigation when it comes to stockouts.

Reorder level (or reorder point) is the inventory level at which a company would place a new order or start a new manufacturing run.

Explanation

The ISO 14000 family of standards are developed by ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 207 and its various subcommittees. For a full list of published standards in the series see their standards catalogue. ISO 14001 provides requirements with guidance for use that relate to environmental systems. Other standards in the family focus on specific approaches such as audits, communications, labelling and life cycle analysis, as well as environmental challenges such as climate change.

ISO 27000 family of standards concerns information technology, with the goal of improving security and protecting company assets. Started in 2005, the two most popular standards are ISO 27001:2013 and 27002:2013. 27001 is management-based system, whereas 27002 is a technical document, focused on the individual and putting a code of conduct in place. Organizations can choose either standard; ISO 27001 has over 22,000 certifications worldwide. It is a broad standard, and for this reason the certification can be customized to fit the needs of the organization, and is not mandatory.

ISO 22000 sets out the requirements for a food safety management system and can be certified to it. It maps out what an organization needs to do to demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards in order to ensure that food is safe. It can be used by any organization regardless of its size or position in the food chain.

ISO 9001 is a family of quality management standards, there are fourteen in total. Of these, ISO 9001:2015 is the only one that can be certified to. It was first published in 1987, and has since been updated about every 7 years. The standard details how to put a Quality Management System (QMS) in place to better prepare your organization to produce quality products and services. It is customer focused, and places an emphasis on continuous improvement and top management processes that extended throughout the organization.

Explanation

Obsolescent stock is stock, usually finished goods, which is in good condition and satisfactory working but for which demand is irreversibly falling towards zero. Once this demand reaches zero the stock can be considered 'obsolete'. It cannot be used or sold in its current state. Food ingredients (like candy canes) which are out of date are another example.

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:

Text Description automatically generated

Explanation

Organisations often create their own stock keeping unit (SKU) numbering system, which may or may not have a meaningful structure. Stock keeping unit is a number that is assigned to a product for the purpose of inventory management and is of tracking. In other words, a stock keeping unit is a unique identifier assigned to each product for easier and more efficient record keeping.

An FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) product code describes a specific product and contains a combination of five to seven numbers and letters. The product code submitted with each FDA line item should match the actual product name and/or invoice description of the product.

The International Standard Book Number is a numeric commercial book identifier which is in-tended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, also known as the Harmonized System (HS) of tariff nomenclature is an internationally standardized system of names and numbers to classify traded products.