Industrial Production Management Course

Lesson 1 • Introduction to Production Performance Metrics

Introduces OEE, productivity ratios, and cost-per-unit as baseline measures. Metrics serve as the measurement foundation for all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 2 • Core Concepts and Terminology

Defines essential terms: throughput, capacity, cycle time, and yield. Shared vocabulary enables precise communication throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Production System Types and Models

Compares job shop, batch, flow, and continuous production models. Students select appropriate system types for given product and volume scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Roles and Responsibilities in Production Management

Maps organisational roles from plant manager to floor supervisor and support functions. Clarifies accountability structures students will operate within.

Lesson 1 • Master Production Scheduling

Translates aggregate plans into item-level time-phased schedules. The master schedule drives material and capacity requirements in subsequent sections.

Lesson 2 • Aggregate Production Planning

Develops medium-range plans balancing workforce, inventory, and capacity against demand. Aggregate plans set constraints for master scheduling covered next.

Lesson 3 • Demand Forecasting for Production

Covers qualitative and quantitative forecasting methods and their accuracy measures. Accurate forecasts are the input that drives all downstream planning decisions.

Lesson 4 • Short-Term Scheduling and Dispatching

Applies sequencing rules and dispatching logic to assign jobs to machines and workers. Connects daily floor execution to the master schedule.

Lesson 1 • Just-in-Time and Pull Replenishment

Contrasts push MRP with pull-based kanban and JIT replenishment systems. Students design kanban loops appropriate to their production environment.

Lesson 2 • Inventory Classification and Analysis

Applies ABC and XYZ analysis to prioritise inventory management effort. Classification directly informs the control policies designed in later sections.

Lesson 3 • Warehouse and Storage Management

Covers storage layout, location systems, and material handling to support production flow. Efficient storage reduces retrieval time and prevents production stoppages.

Lesson 4 • Economic Order Quantity and Reorder Points

Derives EOQ models and safety stock formulas to minimise total inventory cost. These calculations underpin the replenishment systems built in subsequent sections.

Lesson 1 • Inspection, Sampling, and Control Plans

Designs acceptance sampling plans and control plans that balance inspection cost with risk. Integrates inspection into the production flow without creating bottlenecks.

Lesson 2 • Statistical Process Control

Builds control charts for variables and attributes to monitor process stability in real time. SPC is the primary tool for detecting process shifts before defects occur.

Lesson 3 • Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action

Applies fishbone diagrams, 5-Why analysis, and fault tree analysis to identify and eliminate defect causes. Corrective actions are documented in closed-loop systems.

Lesson 4 • Quality Management Principles and Systems

Introduces total quality management philosophy, quality costs, and international quality system standards. Provides the strategic framework for all quality tools that follow.

Lesson 1 • 5S Workplace Organisation

Implements Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise, and Sustain to create a disciplined workplace. 5S is the foundation for visual management and standard work.

Lesson 2 • Kaizen and Continuous Improvement Events

Structures rapid improvement events (kaizen blitzes) to implement future-state VSM changes. Students plan, execute, and sustain kaizen outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Lean Thinking and the Seven Wastes

Defines lean philosophy and the seven classic wastes plus the eighth waste of unused talent. Waste identification is the prerequisite for all lean improvement activities.

Lesson 4 • Standard Work and Takt Time

Establishes standard work documents and takt time calculations to synchronise production with demand. Standard work is the baseline for kaizen improvement cycles.

Lesson 1 • Preventive Maintenance Programme Design

Builds PM task lists, frequencies, and work order systems for critical equipment. A structured PM programme reduces unplanned failures and extends asset life.

Lesson 2 • Maintenance Strategy Fundamentals

Compares reactive, preventive, predictive, and reliability-centred maintenance strategies. Strategy selection directly affects OEE and production cost outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Spare Parts and Maintenance Inventory

Manages critical spare parts stocking levels to support maintenance without excess inventory. Integrates maintenance inventory with the broader materials management system.

Lesson 4 • Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Implements the eight TPM pillars with emphasis on autonomous and planned maintenance. TPM integrates operators into equipment care to reduce the six big losses.

Lesson 1 • Collaborative Planning with Suppliers

Implements vendor-managed inventory and collaborative forecasting to align supply with production needs. Collaboration reduces lead times and inventory across the chain.

Lesson 2 • Supplier Selection and Qualification

Applies weighted scoring models and qualification audits to select capable suppliers. Rigorous selection reduces incoming quality failures and supply disruptions.

Lesson 3 • Supplier Performance Management

Tracks delivery, quality, and cost KPIs through scorecards and regular business reviews. Performance data drives supplier development and sourcing decisions.

Lesson 4 • Supply Chain Structure and Flows

Maps material, information, and financial flows across multi-tier supply chains. Understanding chain structure is prerequisite to managing supplier relationships effectively.

Lesson 1 • Theory of Constraints in Production

Applies the five focusing steps of TOC to identify and exploit system constraints. TOC provides a systemic lens for maximising throughput across the entire operation.

Lesson 2 • Building a Production Performance Dashboard

Designs integrated dashboards combining OEE, quality, delivery, and cost metrics for management review. Dashboards translate operational data into actionable strategic insights.

Lesson 3 • Operations Strategy and Competitive Priorities

Aligns production capabilities with competitive priorities: cost, quality, speed, and flexibility. Strategic alignment ensures operational decisions support business objectives.

Lesson 4 • Production Cost Analysis and Control

Breaks down standard costing, variance analysis, and activity-based costing for production decisions. Cost visibility enables managers to target high-impact improvement areas.