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Operations management and process technology
Chapter 8 Process technology 209
Operations managers are continually involved in the management of process technology. They
do not need to be experts in engineering, computing, biology, electronics or whatever constitutes
the core science of the technology, but they should be able to do three things. First,
they need to understand the technology to the extent that they are able to articulate what the
technology should be able to do. Second, they should be able to evaluate alternative technologies
and share in the decisions of which technology to choose. Third, they must implement
the technology so that it can reach its full potential in contributing to the performance of the
operation as a whole. These are the three issues which this chapter deals with.
Understanding process technologies
Operations managers do
not need to be experts
but do need to know the
principles behind the
technology
Computer numerically
controlled machine tools
Robots
Understanding process technology does not (necessarily) mean knowing the details of the
science and engineering embedded in the technology. But it does mean knowing enough
about the principles behind the technology to be comfortable in evaluating some technical
information, capable of dealing with experts in the technology and confident enough to ask
relevant questions, such as:
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What does the technology do which is different from other similar technologies?
How does it do it? That is, what particular characteristics of the technology are used to
perform its function?
What benefits does using the technology give to the operation?
What constraints or risks does using the technology place on the operation?
In the rest of this section we (briefly) look at some of the more significant material, information
and customer processing technologies. Our discussion of any of these technologies could
be expanded into a whole book. Here we confine ourselves to answering (also briefly) the
four questions posed earlier.
Materials-processing technology
Technological advances have meant that the ways in which metals, plastics, fabric and other
materials are processed have improved over time. Generally it is the initial forming and
shaping of materials at the start, and the handling and movement through the manufacturing
process that has been most affected by technology advances. Assembling parts to make
products, although far more automated that once it was, presents more challenges. Here are
just some of the technologies that have helped to transform material processing industries.
Computer numerically controlled machine tools (CNC) are machine tools that use computers
to control their actions, rather than control by human hand. What does the technology
do? Performs the same types of metal cutting and forming operations which have always been
done, but with control provided by a computer. How does it do it? Programmed computerstored
instructions activate the physical controls in the machine tool. What benefits does it
give? Precision, accuracy, optimum use of cutting tools which maximizes their life, and higher
labour productivity. What constraints or risks does it impose? Higher capital cost than manual
technology. Needs programming skills.
Robots. What does the technology do? Primarily used for handling materials, for example,
loading and unloading work pieces onto a machine, for processing where a tool is gripped
by the robot, and for assembly where the robot places parts together. Some robots have some
limited sensory feedback through vision control and touch control. How does it do it? Through
a programmable and computer-controlled (sometimes multi-jointed) arm with an effector
end-piece which will depend on the task being performed. What benefits does it give? Can