Q&A Report: Assessing the Value of Linear Programming in Manufacturing

This Q&A report assesses the value and application of linear programming (LP) within a manufacturing context. It addresses the notion that LP may lack merit, arguing instead that technology, including LP, is crucial for modern businesses. The report highlights LP's benefits in resource allocation, time-saving, and cost reduction, particularly in complex manufacturing environments. It acknowledges challenges such as initial implementation complexities, the need for workforce training, and potential instability in highly volatile economic conditions. However, it emphasizes that the long-term sustainability and cost-effectiveness afforded by LP make it a valuable tool for businesses seeking to optimize operations and maintain profitability, especially as they scale and operational costs increase. The report references studies on sustainable value stream mapping and linear programming extensions to support its arguments.

Running head: Q&A REPORT
Q&A Report
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1Q&A REPORT
Answers:
I do not believe that this statement has any merit as one common aspect every
business or the managers need to understand is that technology is rapidly developing.
Considering rapid growth of technology, almost all businesses irrespective of their size and
structure are adopting technology. Linear programming is a broadly used mathematical
technique which is developed and designed to guide operational manager to set plans and
make decisions essential to allocate resource. The incorporation of linear programming saves
times and it keeps a track of all categories of resources that are used in plant. Thus, the
chances of mismanagement of resources is also less. Particularly, in a manufacturing plant,
where workforce and use of resources is large, technology like linear programming makes it
easy for managers to manage the operation (Brown, Amundson & Badurdeen, 2014). In
addition to this, it is worth mentioning that in any aspect of business, uncertainty is supposed
to appear and increase but if the business is required to use Linear Programming (LP), it
would help them to speed up their operation. Thus, Linear programming remains
advantageous in almost every aspect of business with the exception of the fact is that if the
organization runs its operation in a highly unstable environment, where the economy
fluctuates and the price and availability of raw materials change on a frequent basis.
The manager has probably said that due to the fact that application of linear
programming is challenging. Linear Programming changes the ways of running
manufacturing operation. This means if the manager adopts LP to existing system, he has to
arrange and organize the workforce and ensure availability of resources in each aspect of
operation. In addition, the manager also needs to have adequate knowledge about use of LP
in manufacturing; likewise, the workers also need to gain knowledge about the system, which
could be cumbersome initially and can delay the operation. Furthermore, he substantiate his
point because it is certain that even though Linear Programming could be cumbersome at the

2Q&A REPORT
initial stage but for the long-term sustainability LP is an effective alternative .Moreover,
when the business develops, cost of operation also increases; thereby, to keep the business
profitable, the organization must need to think of cutting operational cost (Dantzig, 2016). To
minimize the operation’s cost of business, organization usually cuts out the expense of
workforce and resources; however, technology adoption is a wise choice, as it saves both
time and cost as well as increases sustainability of the process.

3Q&A REPORT
References
Brown, A., Amundson, J., & Badurdeen, F. (2014). Sustainable value stream mapping (Sus-
VSM) in different manufacturing system configurations: application case
studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 85, 164-179.
Dantzig, G. (2016). Linear programming and extensions. Princeton university press.