CPIM Practice Exam

What might occur next after adding equipment and workers to a constraint work center?

1. The next slowest work center may become the constraint.

2. The next fastest work center may become the constraint.

3. The system will no longer have a constraint.

4. The market cannot become the constraint.

The correct answer is: The next slowest work center may become the constraint.

After adding equipment and workers to a constraint work center, it is likely that the next slowest work center may become the constraint. This is because, when capacity is increased at the existing bottleneck, it can alleviate pressure at that specific point in the production process. However, if other work centers are not similarly optimized, they may struggle to keep up with the enhanced output of the now-strengthened work center. This shift can lead to a situation where the bottleneck moves to the next slowest work center in the process, as it may now be the limiting factor for the overall production workflow. The concept reflects the dynamics of constraints within a production system. While improving one area can bring immediate benefits, it often highlights inefficiencies elsewhere in the system. Addressing these newly identified constraints is essential to achieving a balanced and effective production flow.