Operations Management

BOTTLENECK OPERATIONS/FACTORS AFFECTING

PRODUCTION (AGRICULTURAL)

Definition of Bottleneck

1. Finance

Process that holds up others an activity within an organization which has a lower capacity
than preceding or subsequent activities, thereby limiting throughput. Bottlenecks are often
the cause of a buildup of work in progress and of idle time.

2. Operations & Production

Somebody or something that slows down process a limiting factor on the rate of an
operation. A workstation operating at its maximum capacity becomes a bottleneck if the
rate of production elsewhere in the plant increases but throughput at that workstation
cannot be increased to meet demand. An understanding of bottlenecks is important
if the efficiency and capacity of an assembly line are to be increased.
The techniques of Fishbone Charts, Pareto Charts, and Flow Charts can be used to
identify where and why bottlenecks occur.

Agricultural production, including food and other crops and livestock husbandry, is
determined by the interaction of farmers with:

• Natural Resources - biophysical framework of soils, water, temperature, flora and fauna
• Traditional Practices
• Government Policies (e.g. land tenure, marketing, animal welfare, labor relations);
• International Trade Agreements;
• Public Opinion And Concerns;
• Environmental Fluctuations.

The above interactions result in farming systems. A farming system may be defined as a
combination of elements in recognizable proportions, which, over a predetermined period,
produces an identifiable agricultural product/s of an anticipated standard in anticipated quantities.

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Operations Management

Checklist

To explain the level of food production in any one year you need to identify and, to the
best of your ability, quantify the following:

Fixed Factors

• Access to land
• Household labor availability
• Season’s rainfall both quantity and quality
• Irrigation possibilities

Variable Factors

• Credit, access and cost

• Mechanical power, spare parts access, fuel availability.
• Draught animal health and availability
• Seed availability and quality; actual planting times.
• Fertilizer use, availability and cost
• Migratory pest challenges and responses
- army worm
- locusts
- quelea quelea
- Non-migratory pest attack
- movement from norm
- control, both traditional and pesticide use
• Fungal disease challenges- seed dressing
• Weed challenges- weeding regimes and herbicide use.
• Natural disasters: floods, landslides, hail
• Civil disturbances: wars, threats of wars, raiding/theft
• Population disturbance
- settlements, resettlements
- political pressures to move
• Market control measures
- local taxes
- restrictions on movement of grain or traders.

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Operations Management

Eliminating Bottlenecks

Written by Andrew Goldman for Gaebler Ventures

Our operation is only as fast as our slowest process. To be successful, we need to target and
eliminate bottlenecks.

In general, a bottleneck is a process in an operation where the capacity is less than demand placed
upon that operation.

We are all somewhat familiar with the term, and in many cases, we know exactly where the
bottlenecks are in our own operation. It is important to understand bottlenecks and the concept of
'throughput' if we are to maximize our efficiency and reduce the negative effects that bottlenecks can
place on our operation.

First and foremost, understand that you entire process is only as fast as your bottlenecked operation.
For example, if you produce bottled water, the bottling, labeling and boxing of the product could all be
done at 100 bottles/minute, but if your capping machine can only do 10 bottles/minute, your entire
production operation will only produce 10 bottles/minute. Clearly, if you can increase the throughput
of the bottleneck, your entire throughput will increase. This simple example stresses the importance
of zeroing in our bottlenecks and trying to improve these processes.

Bottlenecks can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes they are unavoidable, and restricted by the
performance of a particular demand or geographical setting. Despite this, there are still ways to help
out the bottleneck and improve your operation. You want to make sure that your bottlenecked
operation is running as much as possible. This may mean staggering lunch breaks so an employee
keeps your bottlenecked operation operating. Your bottlenecked operation should never stop, keep it
running during coffee breaks and lunch breaks.

Since your total throughput can never exceed your bottleneck's pace, try and balance your operations
with the bottleneck. Although this won't increase your throughput, it will reduce work-in-process and
long queues before the bottleneck. These queues can create problems of their own and tend to
clutter our workspace. By balancing your operations you can better manage your production due to
the elimination of unneeded product.

When you have a bottleneck in your operation, it's crucial that the overloaded operation never stops
or breaks down. If it is a piece of equipment, make sure that you have solid preventative maintenance
program in place. You definitely don't want your bottlenecked machines breaking down and causing
further chaos. It is important to have preventative maintenance for all of your machines, but keep a
real close eye on your overloaded equipment.

If your bottleneck is not a piece of equipment, you may have an opportunity to eliminate or improve
the overloaded area. Get creative in increasing the throughput, an additional employee or a new tool
may increase the throughput of the operation. If you've identified a bottleneck in your operation, an
improvement will lead to an improvement in the throughput of your entire process, so it's definitely
worth the effort. You should feel comfortable cross-training and juggling employees around to balance
your operation.

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