Factory Physics, Inc. Overview

Profitability, Information Technology and Science
Companies spend billions of dollars on manufacturing and supply chain software solutions and the results are quite often dismal. Executives in operations, marketing, finance or IT should understand the practical science that describes the natural behavior of their operations systems before purchasing and implementing software “solutions.”

Managing Supply Chain Risk
In recent years, companies have begun to realize the severity of the risk facing the entire corporation by not addressing supply chain risk.  Indeed, more than two thirds of the companies surveyed by Accenture said it had experienced a supply chain disruption from which it took more than one week to recover (Manufacturing Business Technology 2006).  Furthermore, the study revealed that 73% of the executives surveyed had a major disruption in the past 5 years.  Of those, 36% took more than one month to recover.  Why does it take companies so long to recover?  Why are so many companies susceptible to disruption?  Do the new “Advanced Planning and Optimization” systems offer any help?  There are at least two reasons why modern supply chains are so susceptible to such disruption:  (1) supply chains are not designed with risk in mind and (2) modern planning and scheduling are not robust enough to operate under conditions significantly different from those for which they are planned.  This white paper provides invaluable insight for executives dealing with supply chain risk and the accompanying effects on profitability.

Factory Physics Principles for Managers 1
An introduction to the upcoming series of articles addessing the benefits from applying a scientific framework and applications based on Factory Physics principles. The start of a journey to get best possible performance out of your operations.

Factory Physics Principles for Managers 2
The Problem with Productivity Initiatives. A description of the problems associated with following industry trends in productivity improvement and a start in describing permanent, comprehensive measures for understanding and improving your operation's performance.

Factory Physics Principles for Managers 3
Understanding Your Value Stream in a Hurry. Understanding your value stream (or plant or supply chain) in a hurry means: Understanding how well the value stream is performing versus how well it could be performing. Understanding where the biggest levers are to drive performance improvement. So how do you understand your value stream in a hurry? At Factory Physics, Inc. it's a practical, scientific technique we call Absolute Benchmarking.

Factory Physics Principles for Managers 4
Managing Variability. Variability is an unavoidable fact of life that is best managed through understanding the tradeoffs it presents. Variability is a double-edged sword; it can be good, e.g. having more than one product to offer to your customers, or variability can be bad, e.g. machine breakdowns or order cancellations.

To Pull Or Not To Pull, What Is The Question?
In this paper, we will provide a short history of Lean Manufacturing detailing its roots at Toyota and how it has evolved since. We also separate the myth from the science to determine the true reasons for the successes (and the failures) of Lean Manufacturing.

Lot Sizing to Minimize Cycle Time in a Sequential Operation?
We discuss two methods of lot sizing: traditional EOQ lot sizing and a method that seeks to minimize cycle time.

Productivity, Quality and Measures
Using Factory Physics® Principles to resolve conflict and improve profitability.