| How to use skilled labor effectively and efficiently in manufacturing is the main topic of this thesis. Skilled labor, an expensive resource, is used when machinery and unskilled labor are unable to perform the required manufacturing operations properly. Generally speaking, the aim of skilled labor-intensive manufacturing is to produce the required quantity of defect free product within a defined time at a reasonable cost.;This thesis creates a generic, fundamental and systematic approach for effective and efficient use of skilled labor in manufacturing. The approach answers the three questions: 1) Should skilled labor be used in production? 2) What are the most suitable specifications for using skilled labor? 3) How is the defined productivity attained and maintained over time?;This approach includes a "Procedure" and the corresponding "Tools, Methods and Knowledge", which is supported by a series of models. Of particular importance are: a procedure related to the assessment of the productivity level in the skilled labor manufacturing environment, which provides a qualitative guideline for the field users; Tools related to operational measurements and cost analysis, which provide quantitative methods for the users; Techniques to track waste to cause, and to solution; and Consideration of production problems as a necessary integral part of skilled labor production.;For a company that has an extensive skilled labor process such as Boeing that builds aircraft, how to use skilled labor most effectively and efficiently becomes a more and more critical issue. Unfortunately no comprehensive guidelines are available to tell the company how to effectively use skilled labor, and each company chooses its own way, using both good and bad techniques. |
