Factory Physics: A Science of Operations for Manufacturing Management
Factory Physics: A Science of Operations for Manufacturing Management
Factory Physics is a book written by Wallace Hopp and Mark Spearman, which introduces a science of operations for manufacturing management. According to the book's preface, Factory Physics is "a systematic description of the underlying behavior of manufacturing systems. Understanding it enables managers and engineers to work with the natural tendencies of manufacturing systems to: Identify opportunities for improving existing systems Design effective new systems Make the trade-offs needed to coordinate policies from disparate areas" [^4^].
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The book is used both in industry and in academia for reference and teaching on operations management. It describes a new approach to manufacturing management based on the laws of Factory Physics science. The fundamental Factory Physics framework states that the essential components of all value streams or production processes or service processes are demand and transformation which are described by structural elements of flows and stocks. There are very specific practical, mathematical relationships that enable one to describe and control the performance of flows and stocks. The book states that, in the presence of variability, there are only three buffers available to synchronize demand and transformation with lowest cost and highest service level : Capacity Inventory Response time The book states that its approach enables practical, predictive understanding of flows and stocks and how to best use the three levers to optimally synchronize demand and transformation.
The book is divided into three parts: basics, intuition, and synthesis. Part I reviews traditional operations management techniques and identifies the necessary components of the science of manufacturing. Part II presents the core concepts of the book, beginning with the structure of the science of manufacturing and a discussion of the systems approach to problem solving. Other topics include behavioral tendencies of manufacturing plants, push and pull production systems, the human element in operations management, and the relationship between quality and operations. Chapter conclusions include main points and observations framed as manufacturing laws. In Part III, the lessons of Part I and the laws of Part II are applied to address specific manufacturing management issues in detail. The authors compare and contrast common problems, including shop floor control, long-range aggregate planning, workforce planning and capacity management. A main focus in Part III is to help readers visualize how general concepts in Part II can be applied to specific problems.
The book has been published in three editions: first edition in 1996 [^1^], second edition in 2000 [^2^], and third edition in 2008 [^3^]. The third edition has 720 pages and includes new chapters on supply chain management, capacity management, and synthesis. The book also provides online access to solutions for selected exercises [^5^] [^6^]. e0e6b7cb5c