Toshiba Notebook Computer Assembly Line - Case Study Example

Question No. 4: What about running the line at 300 units per day? If overtime were used with the engineers initial design, how much time would the line need to be run each day?Answer: In exhibit 6.9, it has been detailed how the engineers who designed the new subnotebook computer felt that the new line should be organized. The engineers designed the line with the assumption that for every 2 minutes, one subnotebook is assembled. By using this assumption, we calculate the time needed to produce 300 units a day:300 computers X 2 minutes = 600 minutes a day600 minutes X (1 hour/60 minutes) = 10 hoursTherefore, ten hours is needed every day in order to produce 300 units of Toshiba Subnotebook.

Question No. 6: What other issues might Toshihiro consider when bringing the new assembly line up to speed? One example for question number 6.Answer: Remember that in question number six, we assume that there are only six line workers working in an assembly line and they are expected to produce one unit for every 2 minute. That is already overwhelming. If Toshihiro brings the line speed up, he may need to add more workers to ensure quality. Of course, quality is an utmost consideration. However, the goal of the company is to increase productivity and reduce production cost.

Speeding up the line speed may require more line workers in order to ensure quality and this would likewise increase the production cost. In a nutshell, the top concerns that Toshihiro should consider are the quality, productivity and production cost.