CPIM Practice Exam

Load leveling typically involves which of the following strategies?

1. Increasing the production line speed

2. Rescheduling operations for a more even workload

3. Reducing the number of products produced each hour

4. Utilizing all machines at full capacity

The correct answer is: Rescheduling operations for a more even workload

Load leveling is a production strategy aimed at minimizing fluctuations in demand and ensuring a consistent workload across the production process. By rescheduling operations for a more even workload, businesses can effectively spread out the production rate, so resources are utilized more efficiently. This approach helps to balance the workload on machinery and staff, reducing bottlenecks and potential downtime, while also improving overall process efficiency and stability. Rescheduling operations allows a company to align its output with demand more closely, mitigating the risk of overproduction or underproduction, which can lead to excess inventory or missed sales opportunities. This tactic is fundamental to lean manufacturing principles, which strive to create flow and eliminate waste. The other strategies tend to focus on maximizing output or capacity rather than creating a balanced production schedule. For example, increasing production line speed could potentially lead to overproduction or quality issues, while fully utilizing all machines might not address workload imbalances, which is crucial for operational efficiency. Reducing the number of products produced each hour could lead to lost sales and is more of a reactive strategy rather than a proactive approach to load leveling. Thus, rescheduling operations is the most effective strategy for achieving load leveling and addressing variability in demand.