Chapter 14

Question 1

50. For a company with a product mix of 40% of product A and 30% each of products B and C, which of the following mixed-model sequences most reflects the lean philosophy?

    a. AABBCCAABC

    b. ABCABCABCA
    c. AAAABBBCCC
    d. BCABCABCAB
    e. BBBAACCCAA

Answer 1

b. ABCABCABCA

Question 2

51. The lean philosophy suggests that workers are _________.
    a. Assets

    b. Liabilities

    c. Interchangeable
    d. Replaceable

    e. To be phased out

Answer 2

a. Assets


Question 3

52. The ultimate goal of lean operations is to have:

    a. no in-process inventories

    b. cross-trained workers capable of handling every process
    c. a smooth, rapid flow of materials through the system

    d. no setup times

    e. all of the above

Answer 3

c. a smooth, rapid flow of materials through the system


Question 4

53. Which one of the following is not one of the building blocks that is the foundation of the lean philosophy?
    a. product design

    b. process design

    c. personnel/organizational elements
    d. manufacturing planning and control
    e. kanban

Answer 4

e. kanban

Question 5

54. Building up an inventory of standard parts or modules instead of immediately producing the finished end items is the essence of:

    a. delayed differentiation

    b. kanban
    c. autonomation

    d. andon

    e. matrix management

Answer 5

a. delayed differentiation


Question 6

55. Which of the following would you not expect to see in a lean environment?
    a. a flexible system

    b. minimum inventory

    c. little waste
    d. reduced setup times

    e. a significant number of daily schedule changes

Answer 6

e. a significant number of daily schedule changes

Question 7

56. The comprehensive approach used in lean systems to deal with quality includes:
    a. designing quality into products and processes

    b. insisting vendors provide high quality materials

    c. making workers responsible for producing high quality
    d. A, B and C

    e. 100% inspection of raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods

Answer 7

d. A, B and C


Question 8

57. Which of the following is not a benefit of small lot sizes in lean systems?
    a. In-process inventory is considerably less.

    b. Each product is produced less frequently.

    c. Carrying costs are reduced.
    d. There is less clutter in the workplace.
    e. Inspection and rework costs are less.

Answer 8

b. Each product is produced less frequently.


Question 9

58. In the lean philosophy, the ideal lot size is:
    a. the economic order quantity

    b. the economic run size

    c. one unit
    d. the capacity of the standard container
    e. N= (DT(1+X))/C

Answer 9

c. one unit

Question 10

59. Which of the following does not contribute to reduced setup time and cost?
    a. standardized setup tools

    b. standardized setup equipment

    c. custom setup procedures for each product
    d. use of multipurpose equipment or attachments
    e. use of group technology

Answer 10

c. custom setup procedures for each product

Question 11

60. A conveyance __________ signals parts movement.
    a. Request

    b. Routing

    c. Bar code
    d. Kanban
    e. Kazian

Answer 11

d. Kanban

Question 12

61. The term that refers to the automatic detection of defects is:
    a. kaizen

    b. kanban

    c. autonomation
    d. automation

    e. 100% inspection

Answer 12

c. autonomation

Question 13

62. A basic requirement for operating with the low inventories present in lean systems is:
    a. Inventory space must be increased.

    b. Inventory investment must be increased.

    c. Major problems must be identified.
    d. Major problems must have been solved.
    e. Inventories must be reduced rapidly.

Answer 13

d. Major problems must have been solved.

Question 14

63. Which of the following is not characteristic of preventive maintenance in lean systems?
    a. maintaining equipment in good operating condition

    b. replacing parts when they are worn but before they fail

    c. workers maintaining their own equipment
    d. eliminating supplies of spare parts to reduce capital investment
    e. perceiving breakdowns as an opportunity for improvement

Answer 14

d. eliminating supplies of spare parts to reduce capital investment

Question 15

64. The Five S’s don’t include _______.
    a. Sort

    b. Straighten

    c. Sanitize
    d. Sweep

    e. Standardize

Answer 15

c. Sanitize

Question 16

65. The Kaizen philosophy applies to ________.
    a. Employee development

    b. Safety stock

    c. Waste
    d. Supply Chain Management
    e. MRP III

Answer 16

c. Waste

Question 17

66. A kanban card is used to signal that:

    a. work is needed at the work center

    b. work is ready to be moved to the next station

    c. a worker has run out of parts needed for further processing
    d. a machine has broken down and needs immediate attention
    e. a machine is ready for preventive maintenance

Answer 17

a. work is needed at the work center


Question 18

67. With regard to suppliers, lean systems typically require:
    a. delivery of large lots at regular intervals

    b. buyer inspection of goods and materials

    c. multiple sources from which to purchase
    d. long-term relationships and commitments
    e. the lowest price possible

Answer 18

d. long-term relationships and commitments

Question 19

68. Which of the following is characteristic of the lean philosophy?

    a. Inventories are an asset.

    b. Lot sizes are optimized by formula.

    c. Vendors are co-workers, essentially other departments of our organization.
    d. Queues are a necessary investment.
    e. all of the above

Answer 19

c. Vendors are co-workers, essentially other departments of our organization.

Question 20

69. The activities controlled in the same way by kanban and MRP II is the determination of:
    a. rates of output

    b. products to be built

    c. materials required
    d. capacity required

    e. feedback information

Answer 20

b. products to be built


Question 21

70. Process design supporting lean doesn’t include ______.
    a. Production flexibility

    b. Duplicate facilities

    c. Setup time reduction
    d. Minimal inventory storage
    e. Small lot sizes

Answer 21

b. Duplicate facilities


Question 22

71. Which of the following questions is not answered by value stream mapping?
    a. Where does waste occur?

    b. Which processes or sub-processes exhibit the most variability?

    c. Where are the best opportunities to extract more value from customers?
    d. Where are process bottlenecks?
    e. Where do errors occur?

Answer 22

c. Where are the best opportunities to extract more value from customers?

Question 23

72. A successful conversion to a lean system requires that the conversion:
    a. be done as quickly as possible

    b. begin at the start of the process and work forward

    c. convert vendors to lean as one of the last steps
    d. reduce setup times as one of the last steps
    e. all of the above

Answer 23

c. convert vendors to lean as one of the last steps

Question 24

73. A potential obstacle to conversion to a lean system is:
    a. lack of management commitment

    b. lack of worker cooperation

    c. supplier resistance
    d. all of the above

    e. insufficient space to store the increased inventories

Answer 24

d. all of the above


Question 25

74. A system of lights used at each workstation to signal problems or slowdowns is:
    a. command and control center

    b. automation

    c. andon
    d. pull system
    e. kanban

Answer 25

c. andon

Question 26

75. Which of the following contributes to the competitive advantage enjoyed by firms using lean production?
    a. Backup employees to cover for absenteeism

    b. 100% inspection to remove defects

    c. Dedicated equipment to reduce unit costs
    d. Safety stocks to prevent stock-outs

    e. Greater flexibility to cope with change

Answer 26

e. Greater flexibility to cope with change

Question 27

76. An operations strategy reflecting the lean philosophy of production should recognize that lean:
    a. is most suited for non-repetitive manufacturing

    b. cannot be implemented sequentially

    c. requires a wholesale commitment from the outset
    d. may provide a competitive advantage
    e. all of the above

Answer 27

d. may provide a competitive advantage

Question 28

77. With regard to suppliers, lean systems typically involve:
    a. delivery of large lots on short notice

    b. the highest quality at the lowest price

    c. long-term relationships
    d. multiple suppliers to assure continuous availability
    e. dedicated staging areas for material

Answer 28

c. long-term relationships

Question 29

78. A common objective of both MRP and the lean philosophy is to:
    a. smooth production

    b. minimize inventory

    c. obtain high quality
    d. reduce overhead

    e. eliminate inventory

Answer 29

b. minimize inventory


Question 30

79. The ultimate objective in a lean system is:
    a. low to moderate levels of inventory

    b. high quality, zero defects

    c. minimal waste (less than 6%)
    d. balanced and rapid flow
    e. all of the above

Answer 30

d. balanced and rapid flow