| Now add ten more car wash trucks, with the | | | | Heroes have been made of hunches yet FCS |
| corresponding work to be done and add two more | | | | scheduling would have prevented this error. They |
| shifts to each truck to achieve maximum capacity | | | | screwed up. We would have beat them anyway, but |
| and what do you have? 12 hours worth of scenario | | | | it would have come at a much higher price as in one |
| scheduling and moving around resources to see what | | | | or two of our carriers also. Ask our torpedo bomber |
| fits best. What if a computer did it in 20 minutes? It | | | | hero, and former President George Bush Sr. he was |
| can you know. Even though Swartzkoff has an IQ of | | | | involved in this type of tactical strategy at a very |
| 165 it does not mean he does not need to use the | | | | personal level. It almost killed him. 3 days in a tiny |
| finite capacity scheduling methods to help him arrive | | | | one-man life raft in the Pacific was bad enough plus |
| at the most efficient scenario. It just so happens | | | | throw in ditching a torpedo bomber in the water |
| that it will work and he can use his brainpower to | | | | without flipping it when it has been battle |
| decide which scenario will work based on his | | | | damaged.Will Rogers was quoted in this book when |
| knowledge of human motivation which may or may | | | | he said Common sense is not common. With that |
| not be computer ready, based on the battle at hand. | | | | truth revealed. It is much easier to fix the problem, |
| Another reason why it is not such a bad idea to send | | | | first admit you have the problem and then reason |
| unmanned fighter planes into a battle zone to fight | | | | through a logical answer using ALL the facts. This is |
| and why it is necessary to have a missile defense | | | | why I also recommend the book Total Capacity |
| system set up at our perimeters. FCS scheduling | | | | Management by CJ McNair and Richard |
| works in all the tests our strategic team has placed | | | | Vangermeersch. It is interesting the differences cited |
| on it from a Blitz marketing mission to a customer | | | | in this book in types of capacity management in that |
| response system for services real time using | | | | you cannot predict total capacity management unless |
| e-commerce. FED Ex does use a finite capacity | | | | you have pushed the envelope to new heights and |
| approach to overnight package delivery. It does not | | | | find that in fact the capacity was underestimated as |
| look like one on the surface yet it most certainly is. | | | | new innovations occur out of necessity. Such as |
| As teams of people use all resources at hand and | | | | attempting to build more muskets in the North in the |
| move the flow real time to the next job as | | | | Civil War to arm the troops to fight the South. |
| completed. All with such precision that it is truly | | | | Remembering the at the same time the South was |
| predictable to schedule. Impossible? Go to Memphis | | | | commandeering factories and turning them into war |
| at midnight and take the $200.00 tour. Every | | | | manufacturing plants to compete to arm their side. |
| President of the US should go see it once. Every | | | | Total Capacity today is not the same as tomorrow |
| executive of every company who wants to be here | | | | when some lunatic entrepreneur goes and breaks all |
| in five years ought to see it. Few companies do it as | | | | the norms and industry standards. Once the barriers |
| well as Fed Ex. I believe the FCS model taken to its | | | | of thought and the limits of time, space, distance and |
| fullest could actually increase the Fed Ex system, | | | | speed are reduced or increased then the boundaries |
| although at first glance it would be hard to believe | | | | of that industry are no longer relevant. It would also |
| that anything could be more efficient than that.FCS | | | | be interesting to consider that the total capacity of |
| can handle just about anything, I put together | | | | anything is everything or nothing, depending on how |
| scenarios of rain, energy shut downs, union walkouts, | | | | you look at it. As many motivational speakers will tell |
| overruns, demand increase post commenced | | | | you with the connect the dot trick, make one cut |
| projects, delivery date changes, weekends, holidays, | | | | trick or paper cut out trick. The glass may actually be |
| force majuers, increased prices, material missed | | | | bottom less and completely empty although to you it |
| shipments. It can all be accounted for a re-scheduled | | | | appears half full. In the instance of Gold Mining when |
| without stopping production using these methods. | | | | raw dirt and rock are processed and what appears |
| When Nokia and Erickson lost the chips they needed, | | | | to contain no gold has over 8 ounces in it. And |
| which were produced in NM and the fires burned | | | | therefore if all the cubic dirt and rock where |
| down the Philips plant producing the chips last year. | | | | processed then the total capacity of that element |
| FCS would have saved Erickson, and perhaps they | | | | within that area would be astronomical in economic |
| would still be in the cell phone business today, | | | | terms. Problem is how to mine it efficiently and there |
| instead, huge write-downs unfulfilled orders and | | | | in is the other Total Capacity problem. If one could |
| exiting of the market sector. Nokia would have been | | | | convert lead into gold it sure would be easier, the |
| killed too, except they scrambled and produced half | | | | total capacity of conversion would be the issue. |
| the demand necessary. Each company although | | | | These authors talk about tactical and operational |
| would have been effected would have been | | | | management and define the two types. Operational |
| effected less using these methods, that I am sure | | | | being getting the supplies near the work stations to |
| of. And producing a computer model to give the | | | | use, which in itself involves many vendors and who |
| answers needed is possible because the computer | | | | also have a scheduling systems to deliver as |
| can re-tabulate and change no matter how far from | | | | promised. Tactical involves the decision making |
| normal.In wartime you create the fires in the enemies | | | | process used to decide while flow of production is in |
| supply chain or distribution channels, which pissed off | | | | process. I believe that FCS can be integrated into this |
| the FTC when Microsoft played out side the normal | | | | process and improve it. There is one last component |
| battle field of what was considered and went to the | | | | to add to move this to service based applications, |
| supply side to wage war, as skilled practioners of the | | | | such as with the car wash guys. By adding the |
| game often do, but are seldom taught. Why would | | | | e-commerce and real-time call center demands from |
| they not wage war there since they built the | | | | customers and knowing that we can deliver a car |
| distribution channels in the first place? They were | | | | wash in 30 minutes or less, keeping in mind that Tom |
| previous victories and trophies on the wall, and | | | | Monahan had a bigger problem and that was making |
| Netscape wanted them for free, even though they | | | | the Pizza, which had its own processes. Think of the |
| had a half a billion dollars in an IPO to build their own. | | | | simplicity for initiating the system. Now look at the |
| In the civil war the North needed the rivers to move | | | | possibilities of watching the process real-time with |
| supplies and troops even though they were in the | | | | GPS, systems, on-line transactions, using a zone |
| souths territory. Look at a disease, its job is to | | | | defense pattern which can change to man-to-man |
| spread to procreate and take over living in its host, | | | | coverage with some or all of the fleet of units. Now |
| our job is to kill the disease since it will kill us first. It | | | | add in the possibility of 24-hour operations washing |
| spreads anyway it can. To prevent it, it maybe | | | | multiple types of items, scheduled and known |
| necessary to think outside the box and quarantine an | | | | accounts and on the fly call in Absolutely, Positively |
| entire country like Africa until volunteer efforts can | | | | has to be washed overnight. Is this impossible? No it |
| go and stabilize the situation, which might take 10 | | | | is easy, but complex. Look at the 1-800 flower |
| years. We have to kill its supply chain. Each time a | | | | case-study, combine that with Fed Ex delivery, and |
| person gets on a plane and travels to another place | | | | Dominos Pizza computer system remembering the |
| it spreads, that is its supply chain. You could actually | | | | customers name and last order. Well do not stop |
| build a finite capacity-scheduling model to determine | | | | here, Mr Walton was no idiot either, he knew what |
| when a disease will be eradicated or how a terrorist | | | | would sell and how much of it to whom and when. A |
| might attack the water supply of the US to kill the | | | | life time of studying your market dynamics will |
| most number of people in the quickest time. Then by | | | | essentially drive any man to act like that, think like |
| doing a reversal of the FCS scheduling you could | | | | him and come to the same conclusions.With the |
| easily find a way to combat such an effort or | | | | whole World dirty and everything needing a wash |
| prevent its overall effect if not prevent its start. And | | | | and different elements being washed at different |
| knowing this why would you not use such a model | | | | times, why would it not be possible to have crews |
| on everything that is a system or process either to | | | | on top of crews who had scheduled work and then |
| roll it out or prevent it.Saddam continually knew that | | | | fill in the gaps of any extra space. Total Capacity |
| he had 90 minutes move surface to air sites and | | | | Management right? Yes in the service sector. Does |
| re-camouflage them, and to move aircraft while the | | | | anyone else do this? Yes a few companies one out |
| satellites could not see them. Of course we also | | | | of Austin Texas, which hauls dirt and does |
| playing the game to maximum efficiency | | | | construction, another out of Sacramento and Bay |
| recommissioned some SR-71s for random fly bys | | | | area CA who does this to do short deliveries. But |
| during the 90-minute lapse. Unknown to them we had | | | | they are doing it half way. Richoccet in the Bay area |
| the advantage of superior knowledge of our enemies | | | | has real time solutions for Palm PC users and it is |
| position. We effectively took the time out of his | | | | easily possible to use the C-Store methods for |
| model. Nowhere to run, no time to hide. Bingo.General | | | | keeping track of inventories to keep track of pizzas |
| Patton use to say an army moves on its stomach, | | | | delivered, Fed Ex packages taken in or Inventory |
| well then move them further faster and feed them | | | | realized and real-time ordering as in 7-11. By adding in |
| less between locations. The faster they move the | | | | a center half back as in a soccer game to take care |
| more distance they travel between meals and | | | | of the call in orders while the other crews handled |
| therefore less food per mile. Precisely the objective | | | | the normal accounts, until which times scheduled |
| of the FCS model. The book does point out that if | | | | crews reversed their positions and falled back on the |
| the whole team is not on the same page then the | | | | increased call ins on a day before a three day |
| FCS methods do not work. Look at the Battle of | | | | weekend. Thus taking all the work and increasing |
| Midway where the Japanese were caught with their | | | | cash flow and good will amongst customers by |
| pants down. Guessing rather than playing it safe, | | | | servicing everyones needs. |