問31
頻出度★★☆
製造業のA社は, 製品開発のリードタイムを短縮するために, 工程間で設計情報を共有し, 前工程が完了しないうちに, 着手可能なものから後工程の作業を始めることにした。この考え方は何に基づくものか。
平成27年度 春期 ITパスポート試験 問31
This question's explanation and your answers so far.
解説
問 31
Incorrectア
FMS (Flexible Manufacturing System) is a production facility scheme in which NC machine tools, industrial robots, automated guided vehicles, and the like are integrated and controlled by computers so that high-mix, low-volume production can be handled flexibly. What it addresses is «flexibility of the manufacturing line», not an idea of shortening lead time by running product development processes in parallel.
Incorrectイ
MRP (Material Requirements Planning) is a materials management technique that calculates «what, when, and how much» to procure or produce, based on the production plan, the bill of materials (BOM), and inventory levels. Its subject is the calculation of material requirements, not sharing design information among processes so that development can proceed in parallel.
- ウ
正解 The correct answer is ウ, concurrent engineering. Concurrent means «at the same time, in parallel», and concurrent engineering is a product development approach in which processes such as design, prototyping, production engineering, and manufacturing are not connected in series; instead, design information is shared among the processes and the processes are deliberately carried out in parallel. The stem's wording «sharing design information among processes» and «starting the work of later processes from whatever can be started, even before the preceding processes are completed» describes exactly this way of overlapping processes instead of running them serially (waterfall-style), and it matches the stated aim of «shortening the lead time of product development». In addition, because the viewpoint of the later processes (ease of manufacturing, ease of maintenance, and so on) can be reflected in the design at an early stage, it also helps reduce rework and improve quality. Therefore, the idea behind company A's approach is concurrent engineering.
Incorrectエ
JIT (Just-In-Time), typified by the Toyota Production System, is a production method that produces and supplies only what is needed, when it is needed, in the amount needed, minimizing work-in-process inventory. Its aim is to reduce inventory and eliminate waste in production, and it is based on the idea of «withdrawal by the later process», in which the later process goes to the preceding process to pick up what it needs. That differs from the point of this question, which is starting later processes before the preceding ones finish in order to shorten the development period.
ここがポイント
- Concurrent engineering = a development approach in which multiple processes such as design and manufacturing are carried out in parallel while sharing information, so as to shorten the product development lead time, reduce rework, and improve quality. «Not waiting for the preceding process to finish» and «overlapping the processes» are the identifying keywords.
- Sorting out easily confused production management terms: FMS = a flexible manufacturing system that handles high-mix, low-volume production; MRP = a planning technique that calculates material requirements from the BOM and the production plan; JIT = a production method that makes only the needed amount when it is needed and holds no inventory. All of these are techniques on the «manufacturing» side, whereas «running development processes in parallel» is concurrent engineering.
用語