Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
3-1996
Abstract
In 1991, IBM San Jose decided to produce and sell magnetic heads for computer disk drives on the open market to original equipment manufacturers. However, as IBM's wafer fabrication facility increased the number of products it manufactured, its manufacturing cycle time lengthened. Since cycle time is important in competing in the open market, IBM San Jose formed a study team (in cooperation with UCLA) to examine the wafer fab and to develop ways to reduce cycle time. The team designed a new production control system and proposed new performance measures for operators and engineers. IBM implemented the new production control system and established the performance measures in June 1992, and the cycle time decreased by 50 percent by the end of 1992.
Keywords
High technology industries, production scheduling, Flow shop
Discipline
Business | Operations and Supply Chain Management | Technology and Innovation
Research Areas
Operations Management
Publication
Interfaces
Volume
26
Issue
2
First Page
34
Last Page
49
ISSN
0092-2102
Identifier
10.1287/inte.26.2.34
Publisher
INFORMS
Citation
DEMEESTER, Lieven and TANG, Christopher S..
Reducing Cycle Time at an IBM Wafer Fabrication Facility. (1996). Interfaces. 26, (2), 34-49.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/1064
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1287/inte.26.2.34