CPIM Practice Exam

At which operation is the drum located in a production scenario?

1. Before operation A.

2. At operation A.

3. Before operation B.

4. At operation B.

The correct answer is: At operation B.

In a production scenario following the Theory of Constraints, the drum represents the schedule or pacing of production set by the constraint or bottleneck operation. The purpose of the drum is to synchronize the pace of production to the capacity of the bottleneck, ensuring that the workflow is organized in a way that maximizes throughput without overwhelming the constraint. When the drum is located at operation B, it implies that operation B is either the bottleneck of the process or a key operation with limited capacity compared to the other operations. This configuration allows for the entire production line to be aligned with the capacity and timing of that operation, preventing overproduction at earlier stages and maintaining a smooth flow of materials through to completion. If the drum were positioned at operation A or before either operation, it would not effectively manage the pacing of the overall production because it would not be in synchrony with the operation that has the most significant limiting impact on the system's throughput. Therefore, having the drum at operation B aligns the production process with the capacity constraints, optimizing flow and ensuring that resources are utilized efficiently.