Operations Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations Management - Assignment Example These two early industrial revolutions have made people extremely rich and able to embrace urbanization. Now, the third revolution is underway, and this is represented by the digitalization of manufacturing. It is a fact that this digitalization of manufacturing is likely to transform business and much more. Several outstanding technologies are converging: novel materials, new processes such as 3D printing, clever software, as well as wide range of internet-based services (Markillie 2012). Factories that operated in the past majored in making identical products. For instance, Ford asserted that all those individuals who were interested in purchasing cars had the option of having any color they preferred, so long as it was closely related to black. It is also imperative to understand the fact that the production cost of small batches of varied products that are tailored to customer’s demands, is falling. This implies that the future factories will emphasize on mass customizatio n, and may appear similar to the weavers’ cottages of the 18th century and not Ford’s assembly line. The old fashioned way of making things entailed welding or screwing of several parts of a machine together. However, in the recent times, a product can be designed easily on a computer and the printed with the help of a three-dimensional printer. The three-dimensional printer helps in the creation of solid objects by building up sequential layers of material. This digital design can also be tweaked in order to make it better just by a few mouse-clicks (Stevenson 2011). Since the 3D printer is electronic, it can run on its own without a worker attending to it. Additionally, it can make several complex things which cannot be handled by a traditional factory. With time, it is argued that these 3D printers will be able to make anything from anywhere. For instance, you can give it a command from any part of the world and let it do the printing work. This digitalization is bo und to promote mechanization to unmeasured heights. The three-dimensional printing applications are extremely mind-boggling. High technology parts of military jets and hearing aids are already in customized shapes. Therefore, with the continued improvement of the technology, there is likely to be a change in the geographic supply chain. For instance, an engineer conducting his work in a deserted area, who lacks any engineering tool does not necessarily have to make arrangements for the tool to be delivered to him from the nearest town. What he can do is to download the tool’s design and print. From this development, it is correct to say that days when projects used to be halted since some parts of the construction kit were unavailable, or customers raising complaints for not finding spare parts for items bought are soon becoming quaint. Other transformations are also momentous. For instance, the novel materials used in the factories are light, strong and durable compared to t he old ones. Aluminium and steel products are being replaced by carbon fibre in products such as mountain bikes and airplanes. New technologies have enabled engineers to shape objects and make tiny adjustments. On the other hand, nanotechnology is promoting products by giving them enhanced features. For instance, it promotes the creation of crockery that facilitate easy cleaning, bandages that are capable of healing cuts, engines that efficiently run, just to mention but a