Using S-DBR for Rapid Response Manufacturing

In this 2006 article,

 Eli Schragenheim, explains how to use S-DBS to support a competitive advantage of accepting requests for faster delivery dates in return for a premium.

S-DBR is short for simplified DBR and Schragenheim claims it has now totally replaced DBR in the GG consulting work. This is due to the fact that the classic DBR has too much protection in it and was overly rigid - the schedule was set at such a level of detail that each time a change was needed it impacted the entire system. This means that local variance is amplified to the entire system. S-DBR, on the other hand, uses only one layer of protection, meant to protect the system as a whole and leaves the micro-management to the people who can do it the best - the floor operators and foremen. The explanation of S-DBR and its mechanism is very detailed and clear.

While S-DBR can be used in any manufacturing system (made to order, to stock, to availability and so on) the focus of this article is made to order. In this kind of environment there may be customers willing to pay more for expedited treatment. Adding the ability to respond rapidly without negatively impacting the standard operations can allow the company to gain those premiums, establishing a decisive competitive edge. The article shows how to reserve capacity for the expedited orders and how to manage them.

Overcoming Resistance to Change - Isn't It Obvious?

A lovely video by Goldratt's people. I truely found this to be an eye opener.

When you need to conduct a change - first analyse it from your point of view in all 4 quadrants, then try to understand the other party's point of view and figure out, in advance, how to minimize the risks and loses. While Dr. Goldratt has a book by the same name, the topic of this video is hardly covered in it.

Learning The Basics Of Thinking Process

Flying Logic is a software designed to help graph the logic trees used in TP. I have not tried it yet and right now I think it comes with a very high price tag with regards to what it does. The tool can also be purchased on Amazon at a better price point.

Their site offers a few free documents, including a PDF book called "Thinking with Flying Logic" by Robert McNally that covers the basics of TP, but about half way through it becomes a Flying Logic user manual whith a bit of technique thrown in. It gives a good overview and can help fill in the blancs. It is important to note that their present a slightly different logic than the one presented by GC people in some aspects. For example - they require all the assumptions in a cloud connector to be refuted in order for the cloud to evaporate, GC claims refuting one should be enough. Another point that bothered me is the option to combine solutions when evaporating a cloud, I have a hunch this will open the door wide open to compromises (which are considered lose-lose solutions)