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The aim of this research is to discuss the benefits of U-shaped layout for production cell operating in variable takt time. Different experiments were conducted using benchmarks to highlight the performance gap between a linear cell and a U-Cell.

The implementation of the production cell, either in a U-shaped or in a straight line layout, is optimized through linear programming based on the number of operators. The two corresponding programs, in Mosel language, use the same approach to not introduce bias in the comparison of results. The study used the authors’ own datasets and other well-known academic benchmarks.

A comparison was conducted between the obtained takt times, with equivalent operating conditions, in both U-Cell and linear cell. A significant increase of the production rate was observed. This increase has often exceeded 10 per cent, reaching 32 per cent. All the experiments show that, with the same number of operators, a cell in a U-shaped layout is always at least as efficient, in terms of attainable production rates, than an equivalent linear cell. Ninety-six per cent of the studied cases give an improvement of production rate. Moreover, the dispersion of the U-Cell results is weaker, which suggests that the U-shaped layout gives better performances in more robust manner.

Results were obtained through a study of various academic benchmarks. The results must be validated on industrial situations.

This paper will be very useful for researchers and practitioners to understand lean implementations and their derived benefits. This paper will allow them to evaluate and analyze the expected benefits of the implementation of the production cell in the U-shaped layout (operating in variable takt time).

U-Cells constitute an appropriate solution for a layout of any kind of production cells with a variable structure (variability of the number of operators, of the organization of the cell, of the takt time […]). When facing a significant variation in the demand, the response consists of adjusting the number of operators assigned to the cell. This study jointly addresses the problem of the U-shaped layout and the operation in variable takt time.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a modeling of the interrelations in talent markets.

This paper uses the graphical presentation developed by J.E. Meade.

It is shown how the development of talent depends on demand and supply, on exchange relations, and on the demand and production structures of the households and enterprises. It is derived from the model that demand for “specific talents” that is typical of highly developed national economies and specialized enterprises can be served more cost effectively by enterprises than by the state and by the households.

This paper shows the influences and interrelations of changed framework conditions in regard to the development and provision of talents for enterprises.

The paper answers questions from entrepreneurial practice, especially for talent and organization management.

The study aims to investigate the impact of indirectly evoked incentives, in the form of supervisor’s preferences, on the decision about accounting policy regarding depreciation method selection and to examine subsequent post-decision distortion by evaluating the depreciation method.

The authors conducted two experiments with control and treatment groups, manipulating the supervisor’s indirectly evoked preferences. In Study 2, the authors also measured the evaluation of both depreciation methods to investigate post-decisional distortion regarding the assessment of the depreciation method chosen in a decision task. Study 1 was conducted among 85 accounting students, while Study 2 consisted of 200 accountants.

Both studies revealed the significant impact of supervisor’s indirectly evoked preferences on accounting policy decisions. Participants who were aware of supervisors’ preferences were more likely to choose the depreciation method that was consistent with those preferences. The authors also found that those participants attached a higher value to the depreciation method, providing evidence that adherence to the supervisor’s preferences results in a distorted assessment of the depreciation methods.

First, this study shows that indirectly evoked supervisors’ preferences may lead to a departure from substantive criteria resulting in low-quality accounting outcomes. Second, the assessment of the depreciation method is inseparable from the situational context, as the evaluation of the depreciation method is interdependent upon the preferences of the choice of a depreciation method and the fulfillment of those preferences.

MOMENTOUS days for work study. The footwear industry have recently recognised work study as a basis for rate‐setting on the one hand. And on the other, the Productivity Council of British Railways announces that work study is to be applied.

Focuses on the integrated use of simulation tools, particularly discrete‐event simulation, in the design and development of manufacturing systems in Japanese industry. The results are based on questionnaires and visits to seven large Japanese manufacturers and show that most of the visited companies do not use simulation to any large extent, particularly not discrete‐event simulation. Some of the reasons for this are general, while others are specific for Japan. However, the use of simulation is believed to increase in Japanese industry. Furthermore, argues that there is a large potential for increased use of advanced simulation techniques in Japanese manufacturing companies, mainly for two reasons. This would result in improved communication, reduced time‐to‐market and higher flexibility in volume and product‐mix.

AT last there is conclusive evidence, of that which we have hitherto proclaimed namely, that incentive schemes based on time and motion study are the best and most satisfactory means, to worker and management alike, of increasing productivity.

AT regular intervals the Ministry of Labour Gazette publishes statistics of labour turnover on an industry‐wide basis from which certain generalisations may be drawn. On the whole, however, it is an industrial burden about which very little detailed information is available. Its causes have been variously ascribed to such factors as the level of employment and the chances of alternative work.

Many problems occur when assigning tasks to work centres, especially in determining the required number of workstations for line balancing which requires a minimum theoretical number of workstations. The most common problem is bottleneck. In this paper, a method is proposed to solve floating tasks problem in single-model line when the actual required number of workstations exceeds the minimum theoretical number, and the standard time of the floating task (work center) exceeds the cycle time. The floating task will represent a critical bottleneck activity in line. The proposed method depends on minimizing the standard time of critical bottleneck and non-critical activities by a minimum free-floating time depends on the average of slack times of the non-critical activities, and it will increase the line efficiency from (77%) to (88%), and balance delay is minimized from (23%) to (12%).

This study aims to propose a new multiobjective optimization metaheuristic based on the tiki-taka algorithm (TTA). The proposed multiobjective TTA (MOTTA) was implemented for a simple assembly line balancing type E (SALB-E), which aimed to minimize the cycle time and workstation number simultaneously.

TTA is a new metaheuristic inspired by the tiki-taka playing style in a football match. The TTA is previously designed for a single-objective optimization, but this study extends TTA into a multiobjective optimization. The MOTTA mimics the short passing and player movement in tiki-taka to control the game. The algorithm also utilizes unsuccessful ball pass and multiple key players to enhance the exploration. MOTTA was tested against popular CEC09 benchmark functions.

The computational experiments indicated that MOTTA had better results in 82% of the cases from the CEC09 benchmark functions. In addition, MOTTA successfully found 83.3% of the Pareto optimal solution in the SALB-E optimization and showed tremendous performance in the spread and distribution indicators, which were associated with the multiple key players in the algorithm.

MOTTA exploits the information from all players to move to a new position. The algorithm makes all solution candidates have contributions to the algorithm convergence.

BECAUSE of an almost complete absence in our library at Shrivenham of material other than elementary textbooks, I hesitated to accept the invitation to give this paper when it first reached me. You must understand at the outset, that this paper was, of necessity, prepared almost entirely from memory,—a fact which will account for its many shortcomings. Consequently, it is restricted, for the most part, to illustrations drawn from the educational institutions and industries of Southern California,—the area where I worked and lived from shortly before the Jap raid on Pearl Harbour, until shortly after VE day.