Reference no: EM131452430

Question: A factory produces cardboard boxes. The production sequence consists of three operations: (1) cutting. (2) indenting. and (3) printing. There are three machines in the factory, one for each operation. The machines art 100% reliable and operate as follows when operating at 100% utilization:

(1) In cutting. large rolls of cardboard are fed into the cutting machine and cut into blanks. Each large roll contains enough material for 4,000 blanks. Production cycle time = 0.03 min /blank during a production run, but it takes 35 min to change rolls between runs.

(2) In indenting, indentation lines are pressed into the blanks to allow the blanks to later be bent into boxes. The blanks from the previous cutting operation are divided and consolidated into hatches whose starting quantity = 2,000 blanks. Indenting is performed at 4.5 min/100 blanks. Time to change dies on the indentation machine = 30 min.

(3) In printing, the indented blanks are printed with labels for a particular customer. The blanks from the previous indenting operation are divided and consolidated into batches whose starting quantity = 1,000 blanks. Printing cycle rate = 30 blanks/min. Between batches, changeover of the printing plates is required, which takes 20 min. In-process inventory is allowed to build up between machines 1 and 2, and between machines 2 and 3, so that the machines can operate independently as much as possible. Based on this data and information, determine the maximum possible output of this factory during a 40 hr week, in completed blanks/wk (completed blanks have been cut, indented, and printed)? Assume steady state operation, not startup.