Production Systems Engineering
For Factory Floor Management
Course Outline Registration

Course Date:
TBA

Location:
University of Kentucky Campus
Lexington, KY

Instructors:
S.M. Meerkov, PhD, University of Michigan
J. Li, PhD, University of Kentucky
Authors of Production Systems Engineering, WingSpan Press, 2007

Overview of the course

Production Systems Engineering (PSE), a recently developed field of engineering science, describes fundamental principles governing production system operations. Based on these principles, methods for production system analysis, design, and continuous improvement have been developed.

This 2-day course will present these principles, emphasizing their practical applications. Dozens of case studies carried out by the instructors at GM, Ford, and Chrysler, will be described. Participants will be expected to complete a project on system anaylsis and improvement using the PSE Toolbox developed by the instructors and their team.

Course Contents:
• Analysis and prediction of production systems performance, including throughput, work-in-process, customer demand satisfaction, blockages and starvation
• Identification and elimination of system bottlenecks based on the data measured on the factory floor
• Designing continuous improvement projects with justified results of performance improvement
• Selecting the smallest (i.e., lean) buffering, which ensures the desired throughput and customer demand satisfaction
• Selecting the smallest number of carriers in closed production systems, which leads to no impediment of the open system performance
• Analysis of product quality and rework in production systems

PSE Toolbox:
The participants will use a toolbox that has been recently developed by the instructors, which implements the principles mentioned above. This toolbox provides a foundation for the projects to be carried out within this course.

Expected Outcome:
Attendees will acquire rigorous engineering knowledge for measurement-based management of production systems, their design, and continuous improvement. In addition, this knowledge and insight can be used for plant and supply chain management.

Audience:
Technical and engineering personnel, production and manufacturing specialists, and managers are among those who would benefit from this course. A bachelors degree is recommended, though not required.

Instructors:
Professor Meerkov has been carrying out research and applications in Production Systems Engineering for over 25 years. Most of the principles included in this course have been discovered by him and his team. Prior to joining the University of Kentucky, a member of this team, Professor Li, had six years of industrial experience with General Motors Corporation where he was instrumental in the deployment of some of the principles included in this course.

Fee:
Introductory offer - $1250.00

For course information:
Contact Prof. J. Li, 859-257-6262, ext. 450 - jingshan@engr.uky.edu

For general information:
Contact Sandra Dunn- 859-257-6262, ext. 214 -sdunn@engr.uky.edu

Registration