When managing operations, there are many aspects to consider, which can determine the success of a business. For instance, is it best to make your product with hand tools, or do you want to mass produce with moulds, but face huge costs when a design changes and you must re-tool? Designing a company's resources is central to operations management and a key focus of this module.
 

A large component of this course is a problem-solving case study, for which you will receive a brief on a real company. Pretending to be a consultant, you will be challenged to consider this business' problems and work out what you would do to solve them. Putting the theory into practice, you will analyse business and manufacturing strategies and operations systems; looking at the company's priorities and shortfalls and deciding how you would approach these issues. Mirroring the role of a junior consultant or plant manager, this gives you a taste of how to do these jobs in industry, providing you with excellent preparation for an engineering management career.

This module explores the current approaches to running engineering operations facilities and strategies, as well as giving you an introduction to computer tools used for aspects like stock control and purchasing, such as MRP. On completing this module you willl be equipped with the analysis skills to judge how best to solve a management problem and how you would set up your operations as a manager. You'll also have an understanding of change management, how you design a solution, present a report and then implement it, and some knowledge of personnel issues.

This is a constituent module of one or more degree programmes (i.e., Bachelors/MEng) which are accredited by a professional engineering institution under licence from the Engineering Council. The learning outcomes for this module have been mapped to the output standards required for an accredited programme, as listed in the current version of the Engineering Council’s ‘Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes’ document (AHEP-V3).

This module contributes to learning outcomes: SM1p, SM1m, SM3p,SM3m, SM6m, EA1p, EA1m, EA2p, EA2m, EA4p, EA4m-EA6m, EP7p, EP7m, G1p, G1m, G2p, G2m

A full list of the referenced outcomes is provided online: http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/subjects/engineering/accreditation/

The AHEP document can be viewed in full on the Engineering Council’s website, at http://www.engc.org.uk/.

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge: SM1p, SM1m, SM2p, SM3m, SM6m, EP7p, EP7m

1. Demonstrate an understanding of issues and concepts in operations management.
2. Apply knowledge, concepts and ideas to any given situation to better understand the operations management task.
3. Demonstrate an awareness of the tools and techniques to improve an operations function.
4. Appreciate the central role of operations and its strategic importance in an organisation.

 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge: EA1p, EA1m, EA2p, EA2m, EA4p, EA4m-EA6m

5. Choose the right tools and techniques for improving an operations function.
6. Demonstrate an enhanced analytical approach to the understanding of an operations task.
7. Make an informed contribution to the corporate debate and the overall business performance.

 

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and Knowledge: G1p, G1m, G2p, G2m

8. Enhance teamwork spirit
9. Apply new knowledge to problem solving
9. Demonstrate critical analysis skills through the analysis of case studies.
10. Enhance report writing and presentation skills.

- Introduction to operations management;
- Operations performance and operations strategy
- Process design and product design
- Layout design and group technology
- Capacity management – production planning and control
- Inventory management
- Resource planning – Introduction to MRP and ERP
- Just In Time (JIT)
- Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Reassessment will be by a single written exam only worth 100% of the module. For deferred candidates, the mark will be uncapped. For referred candidates, the mark will be capped at 40%.

Basic reading:

ELE: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk

Web based and Electronic Resources:

Other Resources:

Reading list for this module: