Browsing by Author "Montgomery, Peter Roland James"

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    Improving operations viability and reducing variety using A.D.I.S (Accurate drawing information system): a multiview methodology of design
    (1997) Montgomery, Peter Roland James; Ryan, Tom
    Gabriel S.A. is a South African shockabsorber manufacturing company which has undergone a strategic repositioning to become internationally competitive. This entailed a move away from the traditional hierarchical management structure and production line manufacturer, to a flatter structure with cross-functional Business Units. Each Business Unit is made up of self-contained, Manufacturing cells run by self-directed work teams. The objective of this change is to ensure that Gabriel S.A. becomes a world class manufacturer.. The company has gone a long way down this road in implementing World Class Manufacturing techniques through the Gabriel Total Quality Production System (GTQPS). However, problems still arise within the system, especially with regard to new product/component designs and changed designs reaching the shop floor timeously. This is aggravated by the necessity to penetrate new markets and retain existing ones successfully. The number of quotations to be prepared will increase. As will the subsequent number of required assembly and component drawings and modification to existing products. These, in turn, will involve revisions to current drawings. This is compounded by the fact that in the current business operations, there are already concerns regarding the routine drawing information requirements. This thesis investigates the affect of the drawing information system on the viability of the Manufacturing cells and documents the intervention of a socio-technical drawing information system.