Factory Physics

• Factory Physics is the study of the underlying behavior of manufacturing systems. It allows us to identify optimizations, design new systems, and balance tradeoffs to coordinate policies from disparate areas.

  • Low-level operations details have always had strategic consequences for manufacturing firms.
  • The answer to the problem of operations management is not what to do about manufacturing problems, but how to think about them
  • Factory physics is founded on — Problem solving, Technical details, and Well-developed intuition about the manufacturing processes.
  • We make use of prescriptive models based on provided assumptions. In this sense, all laws in Factory Physics are tautologies. These assumptions, however, can be validated with empirical evidence.

• Factory Physics is a scientific approach.

  • The scientific approach gives a set of tools for understanding the system.
  • Science offers precision using the language of Mathematics.
  • Science offers intuition about the world around us.
  • Science facilitates synthesis of disparate perspectives.

Topics §

• Inventory Management and Control

• Fundamental Objects in Factory Physics

• Factory Dynamics

• Factory Variability

• Factory Design and Policy

• Factory Optimization Techniques

• Factory Physics — Notation Guide

Links §

• Hopp and Spearman

• Manufacturing

• Management