ANALYSIS OF TOOLING PROBLEMS IN DISCRETE MANUFACTURING-INDUSTRY

Presents the results of a survey into the nature and scale of tool man agement problems within the UK manufacturing industry and outlines str ategies to improve the management and control of tooling. Discusses th e qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques used to coll ate data. Describes the characteristics of the sample to provide a bet ter understanding of their operations. Identifies most common tool man agement problems and reports their impact on the efficiency of manufac turing systems. Claims that more than 65 per cent of the sample acknow ledge that the management of control of tooling is a significant opera tional problem. Provides an insight into the major causes of lack of i nterest in tool management. Identifies computerized tool management sy stems as a potential solution. Stresses that systematic analysis of to oling problems and identification of root causes are essential prior t o implementation of computerized systems.