CPM Plant Operations Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metric best measures the overall effectiveness of manufacturing equipment by combining availability, performance, and quality?
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) (Correct answer)
- Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
- Capacity Utilization Rate
- First Pass Yield (FPY)
Correct answer: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
OEE multiplies availability, performance, and quality rates to give a single composite score of equipment effectiveness.
Question 2: A plant manager notices that cycle time on a production line exceeds takt time. What is the most appropriate immediate corrective action?
- Add overtime shifts to increase output
- Identify and eliminate bottleneck constraints to reduce cycle time (Correct answer)
- Increase the selling price to reduce demand
- Hire additional quality inspectors
Correct answer: Identify and eliminate bottleneck constraints to reduce cycle time
When cycle time exceeds takt time, the line cannot meet customer demand, so eliminating bottlenecks is the priority corrective action.
Question 3: In a pull production system, what triggers the release of a work order or production signal?
- A weekly master production schedule
- Downstream consumption or a kanban signal (Correct answer)
- Forecasted demand from sales
- Supervisor discretion based on labor availability
Correct answer: Downstream consumption or a kanban signal
Pull systems are driven by actual downstream consumption, often signaled through kanban cards or electronic equivalents.
Question 4: Which type of plant layout groups equipment by process function (e.g., all drilling machines together)?
- Product layout
- Cellular layout
- Process layout (Correct answer)
- Fixed-position layout
Correct answer: Process layout
A process layout organizes equipment by type or function, offering flexibility for varied job routings.
Question 5: A plant is implementing 5S. Which step involves creating a designated place for every item and ensuring every item is in its place?
- Sort (Seiri)
- Shine (Seiso)
- Set in Order (Seiton) (Correct answer)
- Standardize (Seiketsu)
Correct answer: Set in Order (Seiton)
Set in Order (Seiton) establishes and labels specific locations for all tools and materials to minimize search time.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a production capacity study in plant operations?
- To determine the break-even point for new products
- To identify the maximum sustainable output rate and pinpoint constraints (Correct answer)
- To calculate standard labor costs per unit
- To schedule preventive maintenance windows
Correct answer: To identify the maximum sustainable output rate and pinpoint constraints
A capacity study measures maximum sustainable throughput and reveals where constraints limit output.
Question 7: Which scheduling rule gives priority to the job with the least slack time remaining?
- First Come, First Served (FCFS)
- Shortest Processing Time (SPT)
- Least Slack Time (LST) (Correct answer)
- Critical Ratio (CR)
Correct answer: Least Slack Time (LST)
The Least Slack Time rule prioritizes jobs whose due dates are closest relative to remaining processing time, minimizing late completions.
CPM Plant Operations Management 2
Which metric best measures the overall effectiveness of manufacturing equipment by combining availability, performance, and quality?