L4M7 Whole Life Asset Management Questions and Answers

When disposing of hazardous waste, it is essential to:

Identify the type of waste: Some waste requires special handling and disposal by certified organizations.

Comply with legislation: Proper disposal is mandated by local, national, or international waste management laws, ensuring public safety and environmental protection.

Whole-life asset management emphasizes responsible decommissioning practices to minimize environmental impact and adhere to regulatory compliance.

Explanation

The core idea of lean manufacturing is actually quite simple…relentlessly work on eliminating waste from the manufacturing process. Waste is defined as any activity that does not add value from the customer’s perspective. According to research conducted by the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC), fully 60% of production activities in a typical manufacturing operation are waste – they add no value at all for the customer.

On the other hand, agile manufacturing places an extremely strong focus on rapid response to the customer – turning speed and agility into a key competitive advantage.

Explanation

Dependent demand is the requirement for stock item which is directly related to and therefore de-pendent upon the rate of production (examples are: raw materials, components, energy).

Independent demand is the requirement for stock item which is not directly related to, and is therefore independent of rate of production.

'Number of independent demand items may be derived from the forecast': Although independent demand is called thus, it can still be influenced by economic factors external to the demand-supply model such as general consumer sentiment and consumers' available disposal income. However, businesses that need to predict the number of products with independent demand needed to sate their customers have it easier than businesses that must calculate the demand for products with dependent demand because there are fewer factors to consider.

'Dependent demand items are not directly correlated with production rate': As mentioned above, dependent demand items are directly correlated with production rate.

'All indirect supplies are independent demand items': Though most indirect supplier are inde-pendent demand, some are determined by the production rate, i.e. energy consumption of a major machinery.

'Car engine is an example of independent demand items in a car assembly plant': Car engine is a component in car which is the finished good of a car assembly plant, it is a dependent demand item.

LO 2, AC 2.1

Explanation

Direct and indirect costs of holding inventory include the following:

1. Acquisition costs

2. Holding costs (carrying costs) are the costs associated with the storage and handling of physical stock. There are two different types of holding costs:

a. Costs related to the value of the goods: financial costs (i.e. the interest on the working capital tied up in inventory, which may be the bank borrowing rate or the company's target for return on capital); cost of insurance; losses due to product deterioration; losses due to obsolescence and redundancy of inventory; losses due to theft, accidental damage etc.

b. Costs related to the physical characteristics of the inventory include the following: storage space; power, heat and lighting of the store; movement equipment; labour costs; administration costs.

3. Costs of stockouts

Explanation

The ISO 14000 family of standards are developed by ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 207 and its various subcommittees. For a full list of published standards in the series see their standards catalogue. ISO 14001 provides requirements with guidance for use that relate to environmental systems. Other standards in the family focus on specific approaches such as audits, communications, labelling and life cycle analysis, as well as environmental challenges such as climate change.

ISO 27000 family of standards concerns information technology, with the goal of improving security and protecting company assets. Started in 2005, the two most popular standards are ISO 27001:2013 and 27002:2013. 27001 is management-based system, whereas 27002 is a technical document, focused on the individual and putting a code of conduct in place. Organizations can choose either standard; ISO 27001 has over 22,000 certifications worldwide. It is a broad standard, and for this reason the certification can be customized to fit the needs of the organization, and is not mandatory.

ISO 22000 sets out the requirements for a food safety management system and can be certified to it. It maps out what an organization needs to do to demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards in order to ensure that food is safe. It can be used by any organization regardless of its size or position in the food chain.

ISO 9001 is a family of quality management standards, there are fourteen in total. Of these, ISO 9001:2015 is the only one that can be certified to. It was first published in 1987, and has since been updated about every 7 years. The standard details how to put a Quality Management System (QMS) in place to better prepare your organization to produce quality products and services. It is customer focused, and places an emphasis on continuous improvement and top management processes that extended throughout the organization.

Dependent demand items rely on the internal production requirements of an organization. These items:

Depend on user department production levels: Demand is driven by the needs of the production line.

Can be managed using JIT systems: Just-in-Time inventory helps optimize stock levels based on immediate production needs, reducing holding costs and minimizing waste.

Dependent demand items differ from independent demand items, where demand is customer-driven rather than production-driven, emphasizing demand predictability and timely procurement.

Explanation

Fixed assets may be sold anytime during their useful life. This gives rise to the need to derecognize the asset from balance sheet and recognize any resulting gain or loss in the income statement.

The accounting for disposal of fixed assets can be summarized as follows:

- Record cash receive or the receivable created from the sale:

Debit Cash/Receivable

- Remove the asset from the balance sheet

Credit Fixed Asset (Net Book Value)

- Recognize the resulting gain or loss

Debit/Credit Gain or Loss (Income Statement)

Example

ABC LTD purchased a machine for $2000 on 1st January 2001 which had a useful life of 5 years and an estimated residual value of $500. The machine was being depreciated on straight line basis. However, ABC LTD decided to sell the asset on1 January 2003 for $1500 in order to raise cash for the purchase of a new machine.

The disposal of the fixed asset will be recorded as follows:

Record cash received or the receivable arising from the sale:

Debit Cash $1,500

Remove the asset from the balance sheet

As a fixed asset is recognized in the balance sheet at the Net Book Value (i.e. Cost less Accumulated Depreciation), the machine will be removed from the accounts of ABC LTD in two parts:

First, the Machine Cost must be removed by crediting the ledger:

Credit Machine Cost $2,500

Second, the Accumulated Depreciation in respect of the machine must be removed by debiting the ledger:

Debit Accumalated Depreciation $600*

*Accumulated Depreciation: (2000 - 500)/5 x 2 Years

The combined effect of the above two transactions would be to remove the machine's net book value of $1400 (2000 - 600) from the balance sheet.

Recognize the resulting gain or loss on the sale of machine

ABC LTD received $1500 for an asset with a balance sheet worth of $1400. It therefore earned a gain of $100. The gain will be recorded as follows:

Credit Gain on Disposal $100

Obsolescent stock refers to items that are outdated but may still have some use. Redundant stock, on the other hand, is no longer useful or required by the organization. Effective whole-life asset management requires identifying and managing both types of stock to minimize waste and optimize storage.

Explanation

The main improvements from ERP to ERP II are the following:

- ERP II is web enabled as compared to Conventional ERP Which is not.

- ERP is restricted to provide selected exhaustive or rigorous or wide-spread coverage in its mod-ules. But as compared to ERP, ERP II provides the true and accurate blend of the macro and the micro and affords customers with curative actions/measures after identifying the slip-up/error or fault;

- ERP was embattled more headed for manufacturing or industrialization and the dilemma or difficulty is conquer in ERP II by endowing clarification for all kind of industries and sectors.

- ERP is not in the position or could not possibly integrate/incorporate diverse functions from di-verse departments/divisions but ERP II could possibly do so as well as from different industries as compared to conventional ERP.

- For WEB and WAP connectivity ERP II grip CRM and SCM Functionalities.

- ERP II be obliged the function and purpose to an external/outdoor one and smooth the progress of better networks than remaining as internal/interior application.

Subjective forecasting methods, like market research and expert opinion, rely on qualitative judgment rather than numerical data. These methods are valuable when historical data is limited, or when anticipating market changes. Whole-life asset management may use subjective forecasts for long-term planning and to account for factors not captured in quantitative data.

RFID technology offers higher security compared to barcodes, as tags are harder to replicate. RFID also enables wireless scanning, without line-of-sight, and can store more information than barcodes. This enhances asset tracking and security, essential in whole-life asset management for tracking valuable assets and reducing losses due to theft or misplacement.

Asset disposal decisions should consider:

Location and accessibility: Equipment located in hard-to-reach areas may have higher disposal costs.

Type of equipment and components: Some equipment has specific disposal requirements, especially if it contains hazardous materials or valuable components that can be recycled.

These assessments align with whole-life asset management by identifying factors that impact disposal costs and potential environmental effects, ensuring the responsible removal of assets.

Explanation

JIT, often referred to as the Toyota production system (TPS), originated in Toyota’s manufacturing plants in Japan in the early 1970s. It was first introduced by the organisation's owner, Taiichi Ohno. The prime goal of JIT is the achievement of zero inventories.

The just-in-time objectives of eliminating waste can be summarised in the 'five zeros: zero defects, zero set-up times, zero inventories, zero handling and zero lead times.

Explanation

The total cost of storage consists of two different costs:

- The cost of warehouses: each one has a different cost, and each has the cost of stock-holding and stock management included

- The transport costs: the total transport cost reduces as further warehouses mean shorter final delivery to the customers.

Depending on each situation, the optimal number of warehouses varies. Generally, more facilities will increase the cost of warehouses while reduce the transport costs and vice versa.

Explanation

There are several methods to reduce the acquisition costs in procurement. L4M7 study guide lists the following methods:

- Buyer discretionary spend

- 'User buying'

- Vendor managed inventory (VMI)

- Two-bin Kanban

- Product catalogue

- e-Procurement techniques, including some systems such as ERP, procure-to-pay (P2P), e-requisition, e-tendering, etc.

- Procurement cards

Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory management minimizes stock levels by synchronizing orders with production schedules, which:

Reduces holding costs: Less inventory means lower costs for storage and management.

Increases cash flow: Reduced stock levels free up working capital.

Whole-life asset management supports JIT as a cost-saving measure, focusing on maintaining lean inventories while meeting production needs.

Barcoding allows DPI to label each item uniquely, making it scannable and easy to track. This method increases efficiency, accuracy, and traceability, key aspects of whole-life asset management that improve inventory control and reduce errors in item identification.

Explanation

All risk management processes follow the same basic steps, although sometimes different jargon is used to describe these steps. Together these 5 risk management process steps combine to deliver a simple and effective risk management process.

Step 1: Identify the Risk. You and your team uncover, recognize and describe risks that might affect your project or its outcomes. There are a number of techniques you can use to find project risks. During this step you start to prepare your Project Risk Register.

Step 2: Analyze the risk. Once risks are identified you determine the likelihood and consequence of each risk. You develop an understanding of the nature of the risk and its potential to affect pro-ject goals and objectives. This information is also input to your Project Risk Register.

Step 3: Evaluate or Rank the Risk. You evaluate or rank the risk by determining the risk magni-tude, which is the combination of likelihood and consequence. You make decisions about whether the risk is acceptable or whether it is serious enough to warrant treatment. These risk rankings are also added to your Project Risk Register.

Step 4: Treat the Risk. This is also referred to as Risk Response Planning. During this step you assess your highest ranked risks and set out a plan to treat or modify these risks to achieve acceptable risk levels. How can you minimize the probability of the negative risks as well as enhancing the opportunities? You create risk mitigation strategies, preventive plans and contingency plans in this step. And you add the risk treatment measures for the highest ranking or most serious risks to your Project Risk Register.

Step 5: Monitor and Review the risk. This is the step where you take your Project Risk Register and use it to monitor, track and review risks.

Explanation

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. ISBN is standardised by ISO 2108:2017. ISBN is an example of industry standard code as it applies to commercial books around the world.

Check digits are additional numbers or characters added to codes that a computer uses to verify the number is valid. The intention is to reduce the likelihood of miskeying an item and hitting an alternative live item. More often, a system is devised which a computer can calculate using combination of numbers.

Own product code system: an organisation will use its own product code system. This has the ad-vantage that the organisation can construct a code that is effective and fits with its software and variety of items covered.

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, also known as the Harmonized System (HS) of tariff nomenclature is an internationally standardized system of names and numbers to classify traded products. It came into effect in 1988 and has since been developed and maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO) (formerly the Customs Co-operation Council), an independent intergovernmental organization based in Brussels, Belgium, with over 200 member countries.

Explanation

In the scenario, the buying organisation (investment bank) must conduct various types of testing before the deployment of the software system. These tests can be functional testing, factory ac-ceptance testing and/or user acceptance testing. The costs for all these types of testing are classified as acquisition costs with regards of total cost of ownership.

Explanation

Reorder point is the point either in time or in a process when the next order should be placed.

Explanation

ABC analysis is an approach for classifying inventory items based on the items’ consumption val-ues. Consumption value is the total value of an item consumed over a specified time period, for example a year. The approach is based on the Pareto principle to help manage what matters and is applied in this context:

- A items are goods where annual consumption value is the highest. Applying the Pareto principle (also referred to as the 80/20 rule where 80 percent of the output is determined by 20 percent of the input), they comprise a relatively small number of items but have a relatively high consumption value. So it’s logical that analysis and control of this class is relatively intense, since there is the greatest potential to reduce costs or losses.

- B items are interclass items. Their consumption values are lower than A items but higher than C items. A key point of having this interclass group is to watch items close to A item and C item classes that would alter their stock management policies if they drift closer to class A or class C. Stock management is itself a cost. So there needs to be a balance between controls to protect the asset class and the value at risk of loss, or the cost of analysis and the potential value returned by reducing class costs. So, the scope of this class and the inventory management policies are determined by the estimated cost-benefit of class cost reduction, and loss control systems and processes.

- C items have the lowest consumption value. This class has a relatively high proportion of the total number of lines but with relatively low consumption values. Logically, it’s not usually cost-effective to deploy tight inventory controls, as the value at risk of significant loss is relatively low and the cost of analysis would typically yield relatively low returns.

LO 2, AC 2.1

Explanation

Delphi method is a structured forecasting technique using a panel of experts and a number of rounds of questioning. Responses are shared after each round and the experts encouraged to recon-sider their own responses. It is intended to achieve a consensus view.

Explanation

Material requirement planning (MRP) is a production planning and material (inventory) control system used in manufacturing. Objectives of MRP are to ensure materials are available for production while minimising inventory and to plan production and procurement activities.

MRP software combines the master production schedule, the bill of materials and the inventory information to work out the net requirements (net MRP) of what to purchase or produce and when.

These net requirements are worked out using the following equation:

Net requirements = Total requirements - Available inventory

Where:

Total requirement = Gross requirements (gross MRP)

Available inventory = Inventory on hand + Units on order

In the other words, Gross MRP = Net MRP + Available inventory, so the answer should be "The gross MRP includes consideration of available inventory, whereas the net MRP does not"

LO 2, AC 2.3

Just-in-Time (JIT) aims to:

Improve quality by ensuring defect-free products that meet customer expectations.

Reduce inventory levels: The JIT approach minimizes holding costs by producing and delivering goods as needed.

Whole-life asset management values JIT for optimizing inventory control, reducing waste, and enhancing quality while keeping storage costs minimal.

Explanation

Subjective forecasting uses qualitative methods (surveys, opinions) which relay on perception and opinion. Objective forecasting uses quantitative methods (facts and figures). Both methods have to make assumption about how closely (or not) the future will resemble the present and the past. Forecasting is never exact.

Explanation

Work in progress is the stock part-way through a manufacturing process; in the service sectors the term is also used for anything between order and delivery.

Explanation

Tote box is the reusable storage box. These can be open or have lids or flaps to close them and come in a large variety of sizes and weight loadings.

A tote is ideal for holding and hauling items such as: tools, fasteners, bark dust, dry cement, cords, wires, smaller boxes,...

Pallets are the platform structures designed to support a load and be lifted using the forks (typically seen on forklift trucks and other equipment). These are in a variety of standard sizes and can be made of many materials including plastics, resin, board or timber. Pallets are not containers, but support platforms.

Bar racks are designed to store bars and pipes

Stock cages are available in many sizes and can hold single items or groups of items

Including end-of-life packaging costs is essential when dealing with hazardous materials, as they often require special packaging and labeling for safe disposal. Whole-life asset management considers disposal costs in the total lifecycle cost to ensure compliance with regulations and prevent environmental harm.

RFID technology, while advanced, has several limitations:

Cost: RFID can be expensive, particularly for smaller operations.

Reading limitations with certain materials: Liquids and metals can interfere with RFID signals, limiting their effectiveness.

Interference: Devices such as radios can disrupt RFID systems, reducing reliability.

In whole-life asset management, these disadvantages may affect the decision to implement RFID, especially in cost-sensitive or materials-sensitive applications.

Explanation

For JIT manufacturing to succeed, companies must have steady production, high-quality workmanship, glitch-free plant machinery, and reliable suppliers.

JIT production systems cut inventory costs because manufacturers do not have to pay storage costs. Manufacturers are also not left with unwanted inventory if an order is canceled or not fulfilled.

Whole-life costing includes all costs from acquisition to disposal, ensuring comprehensive financial planning. Essential components include:

Acquisition and purchase costs: Initial costs incurred to procure the equipment.

Usage costs: Operational expenses, including energy and consumables.

End-of-life costs: Disposal, recycling, or decommissioning expenses.

Whole-life asset management aims to minimize these costs over an asset's lifecycle, ensuring value and performance.

Explanation

For single items, an extra investment in inventory (higher levels of safety stock) will always in-crease customer service levels. Conversely, higher service levels imply larger quantities of safety stocks and an increased investment in inventory. (Procurement and Supply Chain Management - 9th Edition)

Socially responsible disposal practices prioritize:

Public safety: Protecting individuals and communities from any adverse effects related to waste disposal.

Environmental responsibility: Minimizing ecological damage through responsible disposal methods.

These practices are fundamental to whole-life asset management, which emphasizes sustainability and ethical considerations throughout the lifecycle of assets.

Explanation

Available inventory (or Inventory position - IP) is equal to inventory on-hand plus quantity on order minus backorder (if any)

Explanation

Materials that will not easily deteriorate, are generally stored in open or fairly covered areas (stockyard). The materials are usually in bulk, like steel plates or coils casting, timber coal, steel barrels, cable drums, piping, lampposts, lorries, etc.

Stockyards are open or semi-covered areas that are used for the following:

- Bulk loose or packaged materials

- Bulky or oversized items that may be difficult to move inside

- Materials that may require specialised handling, loading or unloading

Below image shows the example of a stockyard that stores loose coal and its handling system.

LO 1, AC 1.1

Explanation

Last in, first out (LIFO) is a method used to account for inventory that records the most recently produced items as sold first. Under LIFO, the cost of the most recent products purchased (or pro-duced) are the first to be expensed as cost of goods sold (COGS)—which means the lower cost of older products will be reported as inventory.

Moving average: a calculation to analyse data by creating series of averages of different subset of full data set. It is commonly used with time series data to smooth out short-term fluctuation and highlight long-term trends or cycle

ABC analysis is a method of analysis that divides the subject up into three categories: A, B and C.

There is no technique called time-weighted series.

LO 2, AC 2.3

The rate of stock turn (inventory turnover ratio) measures how often inventory is sold and replaced over a period. A lower turnover ratio indicates that inventory is sitting longer, tying up working capital. Calculating this rate helps procurement and finance assess inventory management efficiency, a key focus in whole-life asset management for optimizing working capital and reducing holding costs.

Returning redundant stock to the supplier (or selling it) is an effective approach, as it can recover some value and free up warehouse space. This option aligns with whole-life asset management’s emphasis on reducing costs associated with unused assets and managing inventory efficiently.

Explanation

Temporary warehousing (or 'Very short-term warehousing') is offered in the market where organ-isation makes their requirements for space open online to offers or bids for available space. This appears to be an emerging market and service providers in the UK and USA typically quote a price per pallet per week with some also requiring a 'transaction fee' for movements of each pallet in and out.

Consignment stocking is a facility offered by a supplier to a buyer to allow a delivery of stock to the buyer with payment only after it is used or sold to a customer.

Double-deep pallet racking and carousel-style storage are two tools that leverage space within a warehouse:

Double-deep pallet rack

Carousel style storage

Explanation

Implementing a full ERP system is not an easy option. They are complex systems and the disad-vantages include the following:

- The installation of the ERP system is costly. ERP consultants are very expensive take approxi-mately 60% of the budget.

- The success depends on the skills and experience of the workforce, including education and how to make the system work properly.

- Resistance in sharing internal information between departments can reduce the efficiency of the software.

- The systems can be difficult to use.

- Change of staff, companies can employ administrators who are not trained to manage the ERP system of the employing company, proposing changes in business practices that are not synchro-nized with the system.

- Having an ERP system has many advantages, but does not guarantee the total success of the company. Organizational culture, know how to involve staff and anticipate changes that will suffer the organization using this system of administration, are important elements for the completion of the implementation.

- The effectiveness of the ERP system may decrease if there is resistance to share information be-tween business units or departments. Due to strong changes that implementation of the ERP system brings in the culture of work, there may be poorly trained or disinterested in making use of the same staff...

- The benefits of having an ERP system are not presented immediately with the implementation of the software, they will be evident long after the system is running.

- The culmination of the implementation depends on the ability and skill of the workforce, also involves education and training, to make the system is correctly applied.

Explanation

ABC classifications are applied to stock and its management is based loosely on the Pareto princi-ple, better known as the 80/20 rule.

The likely outcome of analysis of inventory (value importance):

- Category A - about 20% of the stock items account for about 80% of the total inventory value. Items in category A have the highest value.

- Category B - about 30% of items account for about 15% of total inventory value

- Category C - the remaining 50% of items account for 5% of the total inventory value

Explanation

Economic order quantity (EOQ) was developed in 1913 by Ford W. Harris and has been refined over time. The formula assumes that demand, ordering, and holding costs all remain constant. The EOQ minimizes the total annual inventory cost.

EOQ formula is as follow:

LO 2, AC 2.3

Hiring offers the advantage that the repair and maintenance responsibility usually lies with the equipment owner (lessor). This helps the hiring organization avoid costs associated with unexpected repairs and maintenance, beneficial in managing operating expenses and ensuring equipment uptime.

Whole-life asset management encourages hiring for short-term or temporary use, where maintenance responsibilities can be deferred to the provider, thus lowering total ownership costs for the user.

Outsourcing involves contracting a third party to manage storage or logistics functions, which allows the company to concentrate on core business activities. In this case, outsourcing the warehousing needs aligns with whole-life asset management, as it optimizes resources and mitigates the challenges of limited storage capacity.

Explanation

Direct and indirect costs of holding inventory include the following:

- Acquisition costs: preparing the requisition, supplier selection and approvals, time and costs of the procurement process, etc.

- Holding costs

- Costs of stockouts

LO 2, AC 2.2

Explanation

Scheduled maintenance is any repair and upkeep work performed within a set timeframe. It details when given maintenance tasks are performed and by whom. Scheduled maintenance may occur at repeating intervals or in response to a work request.

"Overhauling of machine" means that the machine is regularly checked and corrupted parts are replaced if needed.

"Cleaning of tank" and "Oil changes" also occur at time intervals as scheduled

So the correct answer is "Repair signage damage from a recent storm"

Explanation

Decommissioning or disposal should start with the original specifications of the assets so that the organisation and supplier can make an appropriate plan. Some specifications also mention the is-sues regarding to end-of-life environmental factors.

In a Hire Purchase Agreement, ownership of the asset transfers only after all installments are fully paid. This financing option allows organizations to use an asset immediately while spreading out payments. In whole-life asset management, hire purchase is suitable for assets with long service lives, allowing organizations to use them without a large initial investment.

Explanation

An inventory write-off is a process of removing from the general ledger any inventory that has no value.

Using the direct write-off method, a business will record a credit to the inventory asset account and a debit to the expense account. For example, say a company with $100,000 worth of inventory decides to write off $10,000 in inventory at the end of the year. First, the firm will credit the inventory account with the value of the write-off to reduce the balance. The value of the gross inventory will be reduced as such: $100,000 - $10,000 = $90,000. Next, the inventory write-off expense account will be increased with a debit to reflect the loss.

The expense account is reflected in the income statement, reducing the firm’s net income and thus its retained earnings. A decrease in retained earnings translates into a corresponding decrease in the shareholders’ equity section of the balance sheet.

If the inventory write-off is immaterial, a business will often charge the inventory write-off to the cost of goods sold (COGS) account. The problem with charging the amount to the COGS account is that it distorts the gross margin of the business, as there is no corresponding revenue entered for the sale of the product. Most inventory write-offs are small, annual expenses. A large inventory write-off (such as one caused by a warehouse fire) may be categorized as a non-recurring loss.

Explanation

Void filling is the general term giving to the challenge of filling the space left in a box after the products have been packed. This means that if there is no void filling material, the product inside can move around and could be damaged. Materials to fill voids to secure contents

• Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic aromatic hydrocarbon polymer made from the monomer known as styrene.[5] Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and rather brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a rather poor barrier to oxygen and water vapour and has a relatively low melting point.[6] Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year.[7] Polystyrene can be naturally transparent, but can be coloured with colourants. Uses include protective packaging (such as packing peanuts and CD and DVD cases), containers, lids, bottles, trays, tum-blers, disposable cutlery[6] and in the making of models. Polystyrene is generally considered to be non-biodegradable. However, certain organisms are able to degrade it, albeit very slowly.

• Chips made of bio-degradable materials

• Absorbent and fire-resistant material

• Shredded paper, cardboard or wood-Based material

• Paper or cardboard rolls

• Bubble wrap

• Air-filled cushions

• Self expanding foam

Straps are used to group items into unit load. Polypropylene or polyester are the materials most often used. The wider the strap, the stronger it will be. Using more than one strap and straps for length and width will create a strong place for stock.

Significant coding with sequential numbering assigns codes that reflect specific product attributes (e.g., wattage, type) with an added sequential number for unique identification. This approach facilitates easy identification and tracking, an essential feature in whole-life asset management for maintaining organized inventory records.

Indirect supplies support operations but are not part of the finished product. For a bottling plant, items like lubricants for machine maintenance and office supplies are indirect supplies, as they aid in operation but do not enter the final product. Managing these supplies in whole-life asset management is critical for cost efficiency and operational support.

Explanation

Decisions regarding stores and warehouse locations involve a complex range of issues that are unique to each business. Most storage facilities and location decisions are based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Qualitative analysis uses subjective judgment to analyze a situation based on non-quantifiable in-formation, such as potential markets for new products, forecast on possible risks that may happen, etc.

Quantitative analysis (QA) is a technique that uses mathematical and statistical modeling, meas-urement, and research to understand behavior. Quantitative analysts represent a given reality in terms of a numerical value. This may include the following:

- Cost analysis for the current premises and future predictions based on current premises

- Cost analysis for routine operations

- Current inventory performance measures: lead times, service levels, rate of stock turn, stock-outs in a given period and stock cover

To get a big picture of current situation and future demands, organisation should combine both qualitative and quantitative methods so that useful information is achieved and well-informed decisions are made.

Explanation

Master production schedule (MPS) plans items that have “direct” demand, or “independent de-mand.” With independent demand, the demand comes from sales orders, service orders, or fore-casts, and the demand comes directly from customer—or forecasted—requirements. It is the list that provides the timing of the production schedule and shows how much each machine can produce, how many shifts are used, etc.

A bill of materials (BOM) is a comprehensive inventory of the raw materials, assemblies, subas-semblies, parts and components, as well as the quantities of each, needed to manufacture a product.

Explanation

The most common subjective forecasting techniques include the following:

- Market surveys

- Employee surveys

- Expert knowledge (Delphi method is a method using expert knowledge)

- Test marketing

Cycle counting is a periodic analysis of inventory in a storage location which is conducted through the counting of samples instead of physically counting the entire inventory available, so as to quickly have an accurate estimate of the inventory available without causing a stop to the day to day working as is the case with physically counting every unit.

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, or the principle of fac-tor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

Weighted moving averages assign a heavier weighting to more current data points since they are more relevant than data points in the distant past. The sum of the weighting should add up to 1 (or 100 percent).

Decommissioning is the process of safely retiring equipment from use. It involves steps such as cleaning, dismantling, and responsibly disposing of the asset, especially if it contains hazardous materials. Whole-life asset management includes decommissioning as a key phase, ensuring that assets are disposed of cost-effectively and in compliance with environmental standards.