Materials, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Appropriate management techniques and processes for manufacturing; showing comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the underlying scientific principles, methodology and knowhow (
• Utilising the principles of quality assessment including Total Quality Management (TQM) and 6 Sigma approaches; working with information that may be incomplete or uncertain, quantifying the effect on design and where appropriate using theory or experimental data to mitigate deficiencies
• The identification of human and environmental aspects, also potential for time and cost savings through the reduction and elimination of non-value adding activities and materials; applying quantitative techniques and including any constraints including environmental and sustainability limitations; ethical, health, safety, security and risk issues; intellectual property; codes of practice and standards
• Structural choices in the design of production and operational systems; enabling appreciation of the scientific and engineering context, supporting their understanding of relevant historical, current and future developments and technologies

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Present technical and economic assessments of manufacturing options, accounting for uncertainty.
• Demonstrate the ability to persuade, convince and argue effectively; manage time and tasks effectively in the context of individual study and group work activities and take responsibility for carrying out agreed tasks;
• Communicate in writing or orally (ideas, knowledge, arguments or proposals) with clarity and impact.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Discuss the nature and management of production and operational systems; showing understanding of concepts from a range of areas, including some outside engineering, and the ability to evaluate them critically and apply them effectively in engineering projects, extracting and evaluating pertinent data and applying engineering analysis in the solution of unfamiliar problems
• Design appropriate procurement, quality, service and operational systems from an engineering perspective; with the ability to identify classify and describe their performance through the use of analytical methods and modelling techniques, applying an integrated approach to solving complex manufacturing problems
• Evaluate the role of materials, technology, production and supply chain processes in manufacturing design; showing awareness of developing technologies relevant to discipline, and carry out a critical analysis by applying these principles, using fundamental knowledge to investigate new/emerging technologies
• Evaluate the key roles of design for manufacture and quality improvement in all their aspects; taking into account business, customer and user needs, including the wider engineering context, public perception and aesthetics; plan and manage the design process, including cost drivers, and evaluate outcomes
• Understanding of the key drivers for business success, including innovation, calculated commercial risks and customer satisfaction
• Identify appropriate performance indicators to effect improvement and control of manufacturing operations, using a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of mathematical and computational models relevant to the engineering discipline, and an appreciation of their limitations
• Awareness of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health & safety, contracts, intellectual property rights, product safety and liability issues, and an awareness that these may differ internationally
• Critically engage in advanced problem solving techniques and supply chain design for different business criteria; using a range of mathematical and statistical models, tools and notations, establishing rigorous and creative solutions that are fit for purpose for all aspects of the problem including production, operation, maintenance and disposal

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• M1 The use of mathematics and statistics are applied to the principles of production engineering to solve complex supply chain and logistical requirements for modern commercial and industrial engineering companies. Students are required to use these principles to determine optimal inventory management practise for scenarios described within a timed examination context. M2 Building on M1, students are provided with examinable scenarios which may include missing or incomplete data for supply chain management and are required to suggest appropriate solutions and draw conclusions with critical evaluation of the shortcomings of the approach taken. M3 Students are required for coursework purposes to learn and deploy the advanced EcoAudit tool in Ansys Granta EduPack software in order to be able to generate basic life cycle assessment reports complient with ISO14040 within the context of a specific manufacturing scenario. M4 In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the ISO approach reporting for life cycle assessment within the assessed coursework, students must study technical literature on the subject from resources beyond those provided on the module webpage. M5 Students are examined on the ethical, social and business aspects of supply chain management including global supply chain management across international boundaries and how the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches need to be considered. M6 The module coursework requires the students to consider and range of environmental, sustainable, logistical, material and supply chain factors to propose a solution for introducing a new production line facility the replaces a criterial mineral used in a EV battery production line. M7 The use of Ansys Granta EduPack to generate ISO14040 complient life cycle assessment reports for a production engineering component scenario is a key aspect of the assessed coursework in the module. M9 Supply chain risk management is evaluated both in the coursework and final exam assessment as part of the taught component of this module delivered by the Southampton Business School. M10 Security of supply chains, data management and communication are all important tenents of the taught content assessed through examination of business scenarios presented in the final examination. M13 Students are required to make informed decisions on materials selection based on the computer laboratory coursework software outputs in respect to the manufacturing processess associated with the introduction of a new materials production line for EV battery material scenario. M14 The role of quality management systems are discussed in the context of ISO standard and quality assurance philosophies and assessed descriptively in response to examination questions on this topic. M15 Supply chains management within a commerical production engineering context is assessed by examination based on taught content of an integrated systems approach.

Materials and manufacturing:

Applying and evaluating the role that materials and production technology processes play in the design of manufacturing operations and plant. Case study material to be considered includes:

• Applied manufacturing processes;
• Design of production lines for flow & batch production, multi-component assembly, complex systems;
• Prototyping/piloting, optimising and preparing full production as applied to low and high value components;
• Design and selection of production equipment and processes;
• Facilities layout, logistics and materials handling;
• Engineering standards and quality control applied to materials and manufacturing improvement, including TQM, Lean, and 6 Sigma approaches;
• Human factors and environmental considerations in manufacturing.

Supply Chain Analysis:

An overview of the appropriate processes and components required in supply chain know-how including:

• Inventory and capacity management and control;
• Supply chain structures for different business drivers;
• Reverse supply chains;
• Advances in IT systems – ERP, Advanced Planning Systems (APS) and supply chain planning software, Enterprise Integration technology;
• Communication within supply chains;
• Greener logistics.

Teaching methods include

• Lectures including examples.
• Set example questions are supported by group problem solving sessions.
• Guest lectures to provide industrial context.

Learning activities include

• Directed reading.
• Group and individual work on examples.
• Coursework project: to produce a short report

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.