Operational decision making in the U.K. furniture industry.

Abstract

Motivated to a large extent by the necessity to make a profit, the Furniture Sector of the U.K. economy provides an extensive variety of goods in an attempt to satisfy consumer demand. In the course of producing these goods, the Furniture Manufacturer faces numerous decision problems across the many differing aspects of the business activity. Two major decision problems which each Furniture Manufacturer faces are related to the purchasing and sub-division of chipboard; the major raw material cost element, namely: The Assortment Problem and the Two-Dimensional Cutting Problem. This research is therefore directed towards operational decision making in the U.K. Furniture Industry with specific emphasis towards the primary conversion operation carried out by the flat panel furniture manufacturer; ie. the well known Two Dimensional Cutting Problem. In addition, given that the type of sawing machine which is available can have a significant effect on the outcome of the cutting problem, the decision relating to the purchase of the sawing machine is also detailed.

Date of Award	1984
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath