Applying the principles of Optimized Production Technology in a small manufacturing company

Optimized Production Technology (OPT) is one of the most interesting manufacturing management philosophies to arise in recent years but there are only a small number of formal implementations, usually in large companies. This paper describes how the OPT ideas were used in a small company. This involved only the minimal use of computer software together with a simple manual planning board to provide an effective method of scheduling. The paper describes the dramatic improvements in the manufacturing performance of the company as a direct result of applying these ideas.