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By Root 2507 0

TOC replenishment is reviewed and critiqued. Sixth, some suggested problems within DBR as presented in the academic literature are discussed. After the introductory section, the chapter is organized to follow the outline of the purposes and conclude with a summary and recommendations for future research. Two overarching objectives of this chapter are to provide academics a suggested framework and to provide information so that they and others can build a solid foundation of principles for further simulation and case study research.

Literature on Precursors of TOC and DBR

TOC represents one in a long line of improvements to manufacturing operations, which include interchangeable parts, the moving assembly line, and assembly line balancing.

Historical Developments Preceding TOC

There were a number of key developments preceding TOC. Without attempting a review of the development of the Industrial Revolution and the Information Age, I present here some highlights including the development of interchangeable parts, the creation of the moving assembly line, assembly line balancing, Just-in-time (JIT) planning and control systems, and the Optimized Production Technology (OPT®)3

Interchangeable Parts

Eli Whitney, the cotton gin inventor, is usually credited with developing interchangeable parts for his contract to make muskets for the U.S. government in the late 18th century. However, a large number of companies contributed to the development of interchangeable parts. Those who credit Whitney with the innovation note that, as a firm doing business with the U.S. government, Whitney’s firm was required to make his innovation available to the armories at Springfield and Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Both of these armories made substantial use of interchangeable parts.

Conti and Warner (1997) quote Boorstin (1965) as describing interchangeable parts as “the greatest skill saving innovation in human history,” enabling workers without specialized skills to make complex products. Conti and Warner date the history of interchangeable parts back to the mid-16th century, when the Venetian Arsenal used standardized parts in shipbuilding.

Advantages of Interchangeable Parts Interchangeable parts drove down unit costs and made available a large stock of replacement parts so that a failed unit could easily be repaired.

Disadvantages of Interchangeable Parts Initially, the items made from interchangeable parts lacked variety and thus failed to meet market demand. These finished goods also lacked the flair and uniqueness of a piece made by an artisan. Introducing new products was problematic because of the difficulty of making all new machine tools.

The Moving Assembly Line

To achieve a high-volume mechanical assembly line requires reliable precision equipment and standardized shop practices (Heizer, 1998). In August 1908, while still producing the Model N, Henry Ford hired Walter Flanders who brought to Ford a much needed knowledge of machinery, layout, and production methods (Sorensen, 1956). The initial moving final assembly line proved so successful that three of them were built in the fall of 1913 (Heizer, 1998).

Advantages of the Moving Assembly Line By moving the work to the worker, the worker did not have to move all of his tools and materials to the work. This saved a great deal of time and made the assembly process much cheaper.

Disadvantages of the Moving Assembly Line Because the assembly line moved at a specific pace, the automobile chassis was in a given station for only a certain number of seconds. If any problem arose, that particular chassis could not have the operation completed before the chassis moved out of the area. This problem necessitated a “fix-it” station at the end of the assembly line, where automobiles with problems that occurred during assembly were completed.

Assembly Line Balancing

In designing an assembly line, the number of workers, and hence the direct labor cost, is minimized if every worker or station has an equal amount of work. If every station has an equal amount of work, the