Auto-Sector Interview Preparation

Plans, optimises and oversees manufacturing processes to produce goods efficiently.

A sequence of workstations where a product is built up progressively.

The time taken to complete one unit at a process.

Available production time divided by customer demand, the pace required to meet demand.

The total time from order to delivery of the product.

The number of units produced in a given period.

The slowest process step that limits the overall output.

Work In Progress, the partially completed units in the system.

A philosophy of eliminating waste to maximise customer value.

Overproduction, waiting, transport, over-processing, inventory, motion, defects and unused talent.

Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain, a workplace organisation method.

Continuous incremental improvement involving everyone.

Producing or supplying only what is needed, when it is needed, in the quantity needed.

Bill of Materials, the list of parts and components needed to make a product.

A plan of what to produce, how much and when.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness, equal to Availability times Performance times Quality.

A jig guides the cutting tool; a fixture holds the workpiece in position.

A bar chart that shows tasks against time for scheduling.

Batch makes groups of items; continuous runs an uninterrupted flow.

High-volume manufacture of standardised products.

A documented step-by-step instruction for performing a task consistently.

Scheduled maintenance carried out to prevent breakdowns.

Time during which a machine or line is not producing due to a stoppage.

A signal or card system that controls material flow and replenishment.

Mistake-proofing, designing a process to prevent errors.

To move material or products between workstations.

Moving, storing and controlling materials within production.

The maximum output a process or plant can produce.

The ratio of actual output to the maximum capacity.

Material that is rejected and cannot be reworked.

Correcting a defective product to make it acceptable.

Production is the output quantity; productivity is output per unit of input.

Enterprise Resource Planning software that integrates business and manufacturing processes.

An instruction that authorises production of a specific job or quantity.

Distributing work evenly across stations to minimise idle time.

Process, product, fixed-position and cellular layouts.

A Computer Numerical Control machine that produces parts from programmed instructions.

Using machines and controls to perform tasks with minimal human intervention.

To deliver the right quantity and quality at the right time and at minimum cost.

A small-scale run to validate the process, tooling and quality before full production.

Multiply Availability by Performance by Quality; for example 90% x 95% x 98% is about 83.8%.

Measure cycle times to find the slowest constrained step, then add capacity, balance the load or reduce its workload.

Push produces to a forecast; pull produces to actual downstream demand using Kanban.

By minimising idle time and matching station times to takt, which improves utilisation and throughput.

A visual map of material and information flow used to expose waste and improve flow.

Plan, Do, Check and Act, an iterative method for continuous improvement.

Single-Minute Exchange of Dies, reducing changeover time to enable smaller batches.

Convert internal setup to external, standardise tooling and use quick-clamp fixtures.

It reduces movement and WIP and improves flow and operator flexibility.

Available time divided by demand; for example 27,000 seconds for 450 units gives 60 seconds per unit.

Manage the system around its single biggest constraint to maximise throughput.

A tool used to level production by volume and product mix.

Less stock cuts carrying cost but leaves little buffer against supplier delays.

It defines the process controls, checks and reactions that keep quality in specification.

Track and eliminate micro-stops through autonomous maintenance, root-cause fixes and TPM.

A measure of how well a process fits within tolerance; a higher value means a more capable and centred process.

Re-balance lines to the new takt, add shifts or overtime, debottleneck and coordinate with supply chain.

MRP plans material requirements; ERP is broader, integrating finance, HR, sales and production.

Apply pull and Kanban, balance the stations, reduce batch sizes and improve flow.

To visualise and reduce excessive movement of people and material.

Availability loss is downtime and stops; performance loss is running slower than the ideal cycle.

Compare volume, cost, quality consistency, flexibility and payback or ROI.

Total task time divided by stations times cycle time; a higher value means less idle time.

Prioritise by demand and margin, run the constraint efficiently, outsource overflow and schedule maintenance off-peak.

A documented best-known method that ensures consistency and provides a baseline for improvement.

Use root-cause analysis, poka-yoke, operator training and in-process checks.

Optimise the trade-offs to the customer priority while improving processes to lift all three.

Operators perform basic cleaning, inspection and minor upkeep of their own equipment.

Estimate demand, takt, process times and machine and manpower needs, and allow for ramp-up.

Cycle time is how fast you produce; takt is how fast you must produce to meet demand.

Improve the Kanban and replenishment system and supplier reliability, and buffer critical items.

A small inventory before the constraint to keep it from being starved.

Track output per labour hour and improve it through method study, balancing and training.

Designing the product and process together shortens launch time and reduces rework.

The percentage of units that pass through without rework or scrap on the first attempt.

Break the work into tasks, balance them to 40 seconds or less per station, size the buffers and plan tooling and manpower with capacity margin.

Measure the six big losses, attack the largest which is often availability, apply TPM, SMED and quality fixes, then sustain with standards.

Identify the constraint, exploit it, subordinate everything to it, elevate it, then repeat without letting inertia set in.

Balance setup cost against inventory holding cost using EOQ logic while honouring flow and quality goals.

Use a dynamic constraint approach, scheduling by mix, balancing loads and adding flexible capacity.

Quantify labour, quality, throughput and scrap savings against the cost, then compute payback and ROI or NPV.

Observe and break the task into elements, time them, rate the operator, then add allowances to set the standard time.

Sequence the models to level the workload using Heijunka and balance stations for the combined task content.

Form a team, contain it, find the root cause with an Ishikawa diagram and 5-Why, fix it permanently, verify and standardise.

Build the pillars such as autonomous and planned maintenance, focused improvement and education, and track OEE.

Stabilise process parameters, train operators, mistake-proof the process, run SPC and tackle the top defects first.

Map the current state, cut waiting and WIP, apply flow and pull, and design a future state with FIFO lanes and supermarkets.

Compare cost, capacity, quality, intellectual property, lead time and strategic risk.

Sample periodically, plot X-bar and R charts, react to out-of-control signals and keep the capability index acceptable.

Debottleneck, balance the lines, add shifts, reduce changeover with SMED and outsource the peaks.

Place a buffer before the constraint to protect it and a shipping buffer to protect the due dates.

Capture machine data for real-time OEE, predictive maintenance and bottleneck and quality analytics.

Improve supplier capability, use milk-runs and Kanban, dual-source critical parts and right-size the buffers.

Multiply each stage yield together, then improve the weakest stages first through root-cause analysis and poka-yoke.

Overlap the capacity, run a pilot, transfer demand gradually and validate quality before the full switch.

Audit consumption, eliminate idle running, optimise compressed air and HVAC, and recover or reuse where possible.

Use lean to remove waste rather than value, keep the controls and standards, and never compromise safety.

Use supermarkets where flow cannot be continuous and FIFO lanes to sequence between disconnected processes.

Find the sources of variation across method, machine, operator and material, standardise them, and remove special causes.

Identify the loss, quantify the baseline, run DMAIC or PDCA, validate the savings, then standardise and control to sustain them.