Optimizing Factory Performance: Cost-Effective Ways to Achieve Significant and Sustainable Improvement »

James P. Ignizio, Ph.D.,

is founder and principal of FactoryAnalyst.com, a

consulting practice with clients on four continents,

including those in the semiconductor and solar cell

manufacturing sectors. Dr. Ignizio is the author of

nine books and over 350 technical papers, including

more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed professional

journals. He is a Fellow of the Institute of

Industrial Engineering, a Fellow of the British Operational

Research Society, and a Fellow of the World

Academy of Productivity Science. Over the past 30

years, he has presented short courses and seminars

on manufacturing, operations research, and industrial

engineering to thousands of professionals in

industry and government.

Boost factory performance

and transform your company

into a world-class competitor

You can dramatically improve factory performance, decrease cycle time, increase capacity, and cut

costs, while expanding your profits and market share. You won’t need to invest in new equipment and

technologies, make sweeping personnel cuts, or relocate your facilities to far-flung locales around the

globe. Best of all, these improvements will be sustainable.

Sound too good to be true? You won’t think so once you’ve read Optimizing Factory Performance.

Unlike TQM, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and similar “remedies,” which offer only partial solutions

to the problem of manufacturing inefficiency, the methodology outlined in this book is firmly rooted

in the real world of manufacturing and based on sound science. Dr. James Ignizio offers a balanced,

three-dimensional approach to understanding, measuring, and conquering the three enemies of

manufacturing: complexity, variability, and poor leadership. Armed with simple, easy-to-use metrics,

interactive factory simulation models, and other original tools, you will

• Cut cycle times
  
  
• Increase capacity
  
  
• Reduce variability in outs and lead times
  
  
• Decluster starts and maintenance events
  
  
• Root out performance-killing
  
  company politics and turf battles
  
  
• Create a culture of continual
  
  performance improvement

  James P. Ignizio, Ph.D.,
  
  is founder and principal of FactoryAnalyst.com, a
  
  consulting practice with clients on fourcontinents,
  
  including those in the semiconductor and solar cell
  
  manufacturing sectors. Dr. Ignizio is the author of
  
  nine books and over 350 technical papers, including
  
  more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed professional
  
  journals. He is a Fellow of the Institute of
  
  Industrial Engineering, a Fellow of the British Operational
  
  Research Society, and a Fellow of the World
  
  Academy of Productivity Science. Over the past 30
  
  years, he has presented short courses and seminars
  
  on manufacturing, operations research, and industrial
  
  engineering to thousands of professionals in
  
  industry and government.

Ch. 1 Introduction 1

Ch. 2 History - and Implications 33

Ch. 3 Terminology, Notation, and Definitions 67

Ch. 4 Running a Factory: In Two Dimensions 117

Ch. 5 Variability 139

Ch. 6 Running a Factory: In Three Dimensions 161

Ch. 7 Three Holistic Performance Curves 177

Ch. 8 Factory Performance Metrics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 197

Ch. 9 A Transition: From Words to Deeds 221

Ch. 10 Reducing Complexity 231

Ch. 11 Reducing Variability 261

Ch. 12 The 12-Workstation Model Revisited 287

Ch. 13 The Fundamental Model of Manufacturing 303

Ch. 14 The Elements of Success 329

Ch. 15 Summary and Conclusions 347

Bibliography 355

Index 359