Development of Aircraft Maintenance Programme

Development of Aircraft Maintenance Programme 1.0 Introduction. The aircraft maintenance scheduling process is very detailed and encompasses the inputs of various departments of an airline. The maintenance programme needs to be efficient and cost effective. To establish a good maintenance programme there needs to be a liaison with the marketing, flight operations, engineering and finance departments so that the regulatory requirements of the airworthiness of the aircraft can be maintained. The objective of this paper is to produce a cost effective and efficient maintenance programme for KalAir. This will be based on one aircraft type operating on the domestic route and another aircraft type operating on the regional/international routes. The study will cover A 10 year maintenance plan. A suitable type of maintenance programme. In-house or outsourcing decisions. Type of skills required and the number of staff The aircraft chosen to operate the domestic route will be the ATR 72-500. The aircraft has the capability to use a propeller brake hence there is no need for an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) when the aircraft is on ground. This will save weight on the aircraft and there will be less component maintenance costs and less spares will be required. The ATR 72 powered by the PW127F engines provides outstanding short field performance even on difficult hot and high airfields and this will be very useful for KalAir as most of its domestic destinations have short fields which are both hot and high. The A318 aircraft is chosen for the regional/international routes because fewer aircraft is required in the first 5 years compared to the E190 and this would save KalAir some money with its upfront capital outlay. Also similar type of aircraft in the A320 family is used in the region, hence more maintenance options and expertise will be available and higher spares availability can be achieved through spares pooling. 2.0 Purpose of Maintenance Maintenance is defined as ‘the action necessary to sustain or restore the integrity and performance of the airplane (Hessburg 2001). This will be achieved by carrying out the necessary inspections, repair, overhaul and the replacement of parts. Maintenance processes can be divided into three different categories namely hard time, on condition and condition monitoring. The hard time process requires the item to be removed and overhauled or discarded before exceeding a set time interval. This time interval can be based on calendar time, flight hours, flight cycles or at check intervals. The on condition process is where the item will be checked and tested periodically to see whether it meets the test standards and deterioration limits before deciding to replace the item. The condition monitoring process can either be a failure based or a predictive maintenance process if there is a trend analysis of the failure rates recorded. Generally condition monitoring components are usually operated until failure occurs and replaced as an unscheduled maintenance item until enough operator and industry experience is built. Maintenance is carried out on aircraft to ensure the aircraft can operate safely at all times. Maintenance is in place to ensure there is aircraft availability at all times to keep the fleet in service. If an aircraft is taken out of service the whole flight schedule will be disrupted and passengers need to be put on alternate carriers or be provided with accommodation to cope with the delay. The airline has to maximise the value of the aircraft by keeping the airframe, engine and components in good working condition by carrying out effective maintenance. Provision has to be made for chance failures like tyre bursts, hard landings and also for deterioration due to the environment and age which might cause corrosion problems, fatigue failure and wear and tear. 2.1 Types of maintenance checks Pre-flight checks are usually done before the first flight of the day and transit checks are carried out when the aircraft is on ground at its destination before the next take-off. These are cursory inspections of the aircraft to look for obvious damage, fluid leaks, and loose panels and to also ensure that oil levels are correct. The letter checks start of with the A check where it involves the opening of some access panels to conduct checks and servicing. Some special equipment will be required to carry out some of the checks like engine boroscope inspections. The C check is a detailed inspection of individual systems and components for functionality and serviceability like flight controls and engine inspections. In this phase of check extensive inspections will be carried out to check for fatigue failure and corrosion. As this check requires a hangar visit for about five to fifteen days this opportunity will be used to clear deferred defects and carry out the embodiment of service bulletins and airworthiness directives. The D check is an extensive structural check of the aircraft where both visual and non destructive test inspections are carried out to check for deformation, corrosion and cracking. As structural checks require a lot of disassembly to gain access for inspection it is very labour intensive and takes about twenty to thirty days on average. Table 1 is an example of the block maintenance and intervals for the different checks that will be used for the A318 aircraft in KalAirs fleet. Type Interval Downtime Main Purpose Daily 36h 2 to 3h General visual inspection (GVI) A Check 600 FH Overnight Servicing, Engine boroscope, GVI C Check 18 Mths 3 to 5 days Operational Check 1C/3C 2 days 2C 3 days 4C Check 5/6 Yrs 14 to 21 days Structural Inspection (Corrosion) 4C 5Y HMV 21 days 5Y only 14 days 8C Check 10/12 Yrs 24 to 51 days Structural Inspection (Corrosion+ fatigue) Table 1: A318 Block Maintenance Source: ATE Lecture notes 2008 Table 2 is an example of the block maintenance and intervals for the different checks that will be used for the ATR 72 aircraft in KalAirs fleet. Type Interval Downtime Main Purpose Daily 24h 2 to 3h Checks and zonal visual inspections A Check 500 FH Overnight Zonal visual inspections, lubrication, servicing and operational checks C Check 4000 FH 3 to 5 days Operational and functional checks on aircraft and powerplant systems Propeller Inspection 8000 FH 3 to 5 days (part of C check) Based on, on wing engine monitoring Structural Inspections 4C Check *2/4/8 Yrs 13 to 27 days Structural Inspection (Corrosion+ fatigue) * based on estimated 5.5FH daily utilisation Table 2: ATR 72 Block Maintenance Source: Adapted from ATE Lecture notes 2008 2.2 Maintenance Systems To carry out the maintenance on the KalAir fleet of aircraft there are two kinds of maintenance systems available. One is the pyramidal system where a set of jobs is planned for a particular interval and another set of jobs is added at the next multiple of this basic interval. The benefits of this system are that a fixed set of tasks are allocated and it can be completed within the time frame without much variation. However in this system the aircraft will be out of service for a long period of time and the workload for the maintenance staff will be subjected to cyclical variations leaving them idle at times till the next aircraft comes for maintenance. The other option available is a progressive or equalised maintenance system where large checks are broken down into smaller checks of equal size and carried out more frequently. The checks can be small enough to be carried out overnight and this will allow the workload for the maintenance personnel to be more constant. Therefore to me et KalAirs tight flight schedule and to maximise the workforce an equalised maintenance programme will be adopted. 3.0 In-house or outsourcing decisions The decision to conduct the maintenance in-house or to outsource the maintenance for KalAir that operates a fleet of three A318 aircraft in the first five years and four A318 aircraft in the next five years together with four ATR 72 aircraft for the whole ten year period is not an easy one. KalAir has not previous experience of operating either of these aircraft types and neither have they operated aircraft that were produced by these aircraft manufacturers. Moreover it would not make economic sense to acquire all the necessary tooling and equipment to maintain three A318 aircraft for the first five years. The capital investment to carry out heavy maintenance cannot be justified but, KalAir needs to ensure that it has adequate capability to handle line maintenance. As KalAir is operating in a region that is in close proximity to the Gulf and Indian sub-continent outsourcing the maintenance for the A318 aircraft would be the best solution. The heavy maintenance, engine overhaul and co mponent repair can be out sourced to maintenance organisations in India as there are about five airlines operating a total of about hundred A320 family aircraft (ATI). An alternative option of sending the A318 aircraft for maintenance in the Gulf is also available but the maintenance costs might not be as competitive as in India and the number of spares available in the Gulf region might be lower considering that less A320 family aircraft operate in that region. KalAir has some experience operating turboprop aircraft like the Antonov An 24 and Fokker F-27 and this experience can be credited towards carrying out maintenance on the ATR 72 aircraft. The systems architecture on turboprop aircraft that are western built and Russian built do not vary very much because of the use of more mechanical systems. Unlike western built modern jet aircraft which have a large amount of avionics introduced. Hence consideration can be made to carry out a larger portion of maintenance of the ATR 72 aircraft in-house. Also the hangar space required would not be very much and the equipment acquired to maintain the ATR 72 would not be a high investment compared to acquiring maintenance equipment for the A318 aircraft. Also the availability of the ATR 72 aircraft is very important as the airfields in the domestic sector are not very well developed and do not have navigation aids. Hence having in-house maintenance capability is quite important. KalAir can establish an in-house maintenance program together with a packaged deal where provisions for engine off wing maintenance, component and line replaceable units can be outsourced to the maintenance organisation in exchange for replacement parts thereby ensuring that the ATR 72 aircraft can carry on with its normal flying schedule as soon as possible with minimal down time. 4.0 Maintenance Engineering Organisation Structure The maintenance and engineering organisation structure of KalAir will be established according to the following areas covering these job responsibilities. The assumption here is based on the previous operating experience of KalAir and that there is already some maintenance capability with adequate hangar space. Technical Services Engineering, publications, planning and training (for both A318 ATR 72 fleet) Aircraft Maintenance Hangar Line (for both A318 ATR 72 fleet) Maintenance Control Centre (for both A318 ATR 72 fleet) Shop Maintenance Structures, mechanical and instrument (for ATR 72 fleet) Material Purchasing and receiving Stores and inventory Quality Quality Assurance Quality control Safety reliability The organisation has to be structured this way so as to ensure that it has maximum capability of handling the ATR 72 maintenance and the ability to handle an adequate amount of maintenance on the A318 so that it would not jeopardise the flight schedule. To ensure this KalAir will need to hold a large inventory of spares. This list of spares to be held will be based on the Minimum Equipment List of both the A318 and ATR 72 aircraft and also ‘AOG spares so that it would not render these aircraft on ground (AOG). Spare engines for both aircraft need to be kept by KalAir so that a Quick Engine Change (QEC) can be carried out and the aircraft replaced with a new engine. The engine that is removed can then be sent to the engine repair facility for repairs to be carried out. The materials planning needs to be done well in advance and the availability of spares and tooling needs to be ensured before the aircraft goes into the hangar for maintenance. 4.1 Manpower management As two aircraft types are operated by KalAir engineers will be type rated on both aircraft. Provisions will have to be made such that maintenance staff are trained to Part 66 standards with certification for Category A, B1, B2 and C for both the ATR 72 and A318 aircraft. KalAir needs to ensure that there is at least one staff with a Category C rating for the A318 and ATR 72 aircraft so that he can sign the certificate of release to service for these aircraft after the necessary maintenance. Though heavy maintenance of the A318 will not be carried out in-house the certification of staff at Category C level might be required for two purposes. One reason is if an AOG team is dispatched to recover an aircraft for a collapsed landing gear for example and the other is for ensuring the continuing airworthiness management of the aircraft during the airworthiness review. The line maintenance team will comprise of two groups of staff on duty one the ATR 72 team and the other the A318 team during the day. Each team will have three to four staff and one of whom will act as the team leader. KalAir will operate a three shift pattern operating twenty four hours. Table 3 shows the shift pattern and the manpower allocation. There is an overlap in the shifts so as to allow a proper handing and taking over between each shift. Shift Time A318 staff ATR staff Manpower 1 0630-1530 4 8 12 2 1500-2330 4 6 10 3 2300-0700 6 6 12 Table 3: Shift pattern and manpower Though maintenance staff will be cross trained on both aircraft types to meet manpower requirements for unexpected incidents a clear distinction between the two teams will be maintained during the normal operations. A higher provision for ATR staff is made for shift 1 because of the increased activity of aircraft at 1000hras and 1400hrs. A consistent number of staff will be maintained for the night shift as the work packages will not vary considerably, if it does the staff strength can be increased or overtime can be introduced. At the maintenance control centre two staff will be present during shift 1 and 2 as that is when all the flying activity takes place and the flight schedule needs to be maintained and the unexpected maintenance will be scheduled for the night shift. The line stations will be manned by Part 66 certified Category A staff to certify the aircraft after transit checks. 5.0 KalAir Maintenance Programme The KalAir flight schedule for an A318 and ATR 72 aircraft combination for year 1 and year 5 onwards is attached in Appendix 1. Based on this flight schedule the flight hours and the flight cycles can be calculated for both the fleets and is shown in Table 4. Year 1 to 4 Year 5 to 10 Aircraft Daily FH Daily Cycles Daily FH Daily Cycles A318 1 15 3 15 3 A318 2 15 3 15 3 A318 3 11.5 2 11.5 2 [A318 4] NA NA 8 2 A318 Average 14 3 12.5 3 ATR7 1 14.3 4 14.3 4 ATR7 2 14 5 14 5 ATR7 3 9.5 3 9.5 3 ATR7 4 3 1 10 3 ATR7 Average 10.5 4 12 4 Table 4: Aircraft cycles and flight hours The scheduling of the aircraft will be planned according to the average flight hours and cycles. Since the flight hours and cycles over time have been obtained, the calendar based and usage based inspections can be scheduled. The hard time maintenance intervals will be designed to be incorporated in the scheduled checks to allow for less down time. The aircraft that has the highest daily flight hours in each fleet will be the first in the sequence when the maintenance is planned. The maintenance schedule for the A318 aircraft will be based on the data available in Table 1 and the maintenance schedule for the ATR 72 will be based on the data in Table 2. The calculations for the A318 aircraft give about 7 A checks in a year. This can be scheduled such that an A check together with a split C check is done at a one and a half month interval carried out throughout the night over six days. Hence the C checks will be similar to a single task oriented maintenance concept except that it would be carried out over a longer time period with less aircraft visits. The 4C check and the 8C check come together with structural checks and heavy maintenance. For year 5 when the new A318 aircraft arrives it can be used as a replacement aircraft over the period of time when the existing A318 aircraft go through their heavy maintenance. A request for an earlier delivery for the A318 aircraft can be made so that the heavy maintenance can be carried out earlier. This will cause a delay in implementing the new flight schedule but it will definitely save KalAir the costs of leasing an aircraft in the interim and it will not disrupt the existing flight schedu le. The 8C check can be scheduled anytime after 10 years but as this will be a heavy maintenance combined with a C check it will take about 21 days. This will leave no alternative for KalAir but to schedule this heavy maintenance back to back for all the three older A318 aircraft after the newest A318 aircraft that came in year 5 completes its 4C check and heavy maintenance. For example A318 1 will undergo maintenance first because it has the highest utilisation, followed by A318 2 and so on from March to May during the period of heavy maintenance. The 4C checks will commence after receiving the fourth A318 aircraft if possible. The other aircraft will then be sent to a third party maintenance organisation for heavy maintenance. This 4C checks for the A318 will be scheduled from March to May of Year 5. This is to allow for stability of the flight schedule and the balance of work load for the maintenance staff as the ATR 72 fleet will return from their heavy maintenance beginning in October in Year 4 till January in Year 5. This is to give an allowance because it has been seen from past experience that when aircraft return from heavy maintenance there is an increased occurrence of maintenance snags. In Year 10 the 8C checks require restoration of main gear and can commence from March to May of Year 10 to synchronise all A318 heavy maintenance during this period. As this can be planned ahead provisions for a leased A318 can be made without being affected by the peak summer periods. If an A318 is unavailable KalAir can wet lease another type of aircraft that has similar capacity and operating capabilities. For the ATR 72 as the maintenance is planned to be carried out in-house. Based on a 500FH interval for an A check it works out to about one check in one and a half months. A C check will be at about a 15 month interval based on the flight hours of the flying schedule. It would not be productive for the ATR maintenance staff to remain idle between the inspection intervals hence the C1 and C3 checks in the first five years will be equalised before the first heavy maintenance in Year 4 which will allow it to be carried out in a shorter time. The C check intervals will be shortened such that each ATR 72 aircraft will undergo a check in a year. The maintenance will be scheduled such that the ATR7 1 has the highest utilisation will undergo maintenance first followed by ATR7 2 and so on. The heavy C checks for the ATR 72s will commence every year in October and last till January the following year. In the first five years it is possible to make a minor change to the flight schedule to free one aircraft so that the other aircraft can spend some time in the hangar for the heavy checks. Moreover this will last during the October to January time frame which is long enough for passengers not to be affected by the minor change in the flight schedule. With reference to the flight schedule in Appendix 1 the third ATR72, AT7 3 can operate to SUZ instead of TOZ at 1400hrs and operate another flight to TOZ departing for TOZ at 1800hrs as TOZ has capability to handle aircraft at night. This amendment to the flight schedule can be done during the October to January time period. From Year 6 onwards it would not be possible to use a block concept for the ATR 72 C checks because it would not be possible to take an aircraft out of the flight schedule. It would be possible to use a single task oriented maintenance concept for the C checks but the aircraft will still have to be out of service during the periods of heavy maintenance where structural inspections need to be carried out. For example the 8C check comprises structural inspections, landing gear replacements and propeller inspections which are huge job packages to be completed over a period of night stops. Hence it would be better to ground the aircraft to carry out this heavy maintenance and the necessary modifications and embodiment of Airworthiness Directives. During this period from October to January another ATR 72 aircraft can be leased to operate the schedule. It is also possible to operate an ATR 42 aircraft if an ATR 72 is unavailable because of the spare parts commonality and cross crew qualifi cation. The assumptions made in creating the maintenance schedule for the A318 and ATR 72 fleet of aircraft are. Aircraft maintenance is performed during the night at KKV The C checks for the ATR 72 from Year 1 to 4 will be performed during the day and night. The maintenance base is located within the vicinity of KKV airport. The heavy maintenance for the A318 is outsourced. The experienced gained on the first aircraft for the checks will allow maintenance staff to complete the same type of work on the other aircraft in a shorter time frame. The scheduled overhaul of engines and components with will be planned to synchronise with the scheduled checks. 5.1 Maintenance Costs The maintenance costs for the A318 and ATR 72 aircrafts are calculated and attached in Appendix 2A to 2D. The average flight hours and cycles from Table 3 are used to calculate the maintenance costs based on these utilisation rates. The assumptions made here are that the average distance travelled by the A318 aircraft is 1000nm and 200nm for the ATR 72, both the aircraft will depreciate to 30% of its original value after 12years and the cost of investment will include spares which amount to about 19% of the aircraft price. The annual maintenance costs for the A318 aircraft is about two million a year. From Year 5 the maintenance costs per aircraft is slightly less because an extra A318 has been acquired and the flight hours per aircraft are slightly lower giving rise to a lower cost per aircraft trip. The maintenance costs for the ATR 72 aircraft is about one million a year and it works out to about one thousand dollars per aircraft trip. The maintenance costs from Year 5 onwards has shown an increase because more flights are undertaken with the existing fleet of ATR 72 aircraft giving rise to a fifty cents increase per aircraft mile. 6.0 Issues to overcome There is a strong need to lease an aircraft for both the A318 and ATR 72 fleet when these aircraft undergo heavy maintenance. This is due to the high utilisation of the aircrafts in the normal flight schedule. There is a need to have an ‘AOG team and necessary spares inventory stationed at KKV in the event that an aircraft becomes stranded at one of the overseas stations. Supplementary work force can be employed from within the region or the Indian sub continent when the ATR 72s undergo heavy maintenance or the situation warrants it. If difficulties arise in carrying out the work in-house KalAir should establish strong relationships with maintenance organisations in India to outsource work as both the aircraft types operate in India and manpower will not be an issue. 7.0 Conclusion Due to its unique location and surroundings KalAir has to build up substantial maintenance capability. It can outsource maintenance work but has to hold sufficient inventory of spares to keep its fleet flying. KalAir cannot afford to have an ‘AOG and keep the aircraft on ground due to the unavailability of spares because of the very tight flight schedule it is operating. As all domestic traffic needs to be carried it also cannot afford to cancel flights and cannot remove aircraft from service to carry out maintenance. As the lessor requires that all aircraft return to base and no night flights can be conducted it gives a good opportunity to schedule all maintenance at night and clear all faults before the first flight the next day. Due to the constraints that KalAir faces it would be more prudent to lease aircrafts in the short term period when the A318 and ATR 72 aircraft undergo heavy maintenance to meet the flight schedule. References Clark, Paul. Buying the big jets: fleet planning for airlines. Ashgate Pub., 2007 Air Transport Intelligence Fleet Search http://www.rati.com/frameset/frameset_f.asp?target=../news/news.asp (accessed 3rd June 2008) Alfares, Hesham. K. Aircraft maintenance workforce scheduling. Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering 5(2), 1999 ATR aircraft website. http://www.atraircraft.com/public/atr/html/products/products.php?aid=506pid=28710 (accessed 3rd June 2008) Hessburg, Jack. Air carrier MRO handbook. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2001. Kinnison, Harry A. Aviation maintenance management. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. S.Yan et al. Airline short-term maintenance manpower supply planning. Transportation Research Part A (38), 2004 1.0 Introduction This paper will look into the regulatory requirements laid down by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisations and then the procedures that need to be taken for a commercial airline based in the EU to meet these requirements. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was created on 28th September 2003 and endowed with the regulatory and executive tasks in civil aviation safety. EASA has jurisdiction over new aircraft type certificates, design related airworthiness approvals for aircraft, engines and parts. EASA has also developed regulations for air operations, flight crew licensing and has also established common technical requirements and administrative procedures for ensuring the continuing airworthiness of aircraft. European Commission Regulation 1702/2003 of 24th September 2003 is on the airworthiness and environmental certification of aircraft and related products, parts and appliances, as well as for the certification of design and production organisations. European Commission Regulation 2042/2003 of 20th November 2003 is on the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and aeronautical products, parts and appliances, and on the approval of organisations and personnel involved in these tasks. Annex I of EC 2042/2003 is on Part M Continuing Airworthiness, which lays down the measures to be taken to ensure that maintenance and airworthiness is maintained. It also specifies the conditions to be met by the persons and organisations involved in continuing airworthiness management (De Florio 2006). Annex II of EC 2042/2003 is on Part 145 Maintenance Organisation Approval, this establishes the requirements to be met by a maintenance organisation to qualify for the issue or continuation of an approval for the maintenance of aircraft and components (De Florio 2006). Annex III of EC 2042/2003 is on Part 66 Certifying Staff, this establ

Parenting in Haydn Middletons The Lie of The Land :: Haydn Middleton The Lie of The Land

Parenting in Haydn Middleton's The Lie of The Land There are many different ways to read The Lie of The Land, by Haydn Middleton. The subjects that can be approached in LOL are many, as is the different ways in which these subjects can be approached. We will look at this novel from a parental standpoint and look into the book and see the different aspects of parenting that Middleton incorporated into this novel. There are two main parental figures in this novel, David Nennius's wife, Melissa, and his mother, Mary. There were many themes that kept showing up with these two mothers. Middleton created two mother figures that landed in the same position, being a single parent, though through very different circumstances. Both mothers also had to move from a situation to protect their children. Neither of the boys knew their father, and both fathers were of questionable morals, one father being a rapist while the other father was a murderer. The themes mentioned above all flow together into one after reading The Lie of The Land. It is difficult to separate them because of how well Middleton sewed this story together, even though it is a story within a story. Therefore, the first two points of the women being single mothers and then moving to protect their children must go together. It is fascinating that Middleton chose to make both of these women single mothers. He created conflicts that forced both women to move their children to a safe place. Mary of course was almost forced into being a single parent because she chose to submit to the intruder rather than fight him, but it was her choice to submit. Mary could have fought him, but then there would have been no Nennius and therefore no story. Mary knew she had to move to protect her child as well as herself Being put into the time period of 20730 years ago, a child out of wedlock would have ostracized her and her son, so she did move out of necessity. Melissa made her choice to be a single mother by not seeing Nennius's side of what happened in the restroom (p. 192-194). As a person, let alone a parent, I feel most people could understand and even appreciate the reaction that Nennius had. I was applauding his reaction. Melissa was not so pleased, so chose to make herself a single parent for some time.

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt Essay

In a situation like Alex Rogo’s, the Plant Manager for the Bearington Division of UniCo Corporation, who has been given three months by his boss to either show a profit or face shutdown, one can be tempted to consider an easy option – quit now and look for another job while your reputation is still intact. The temptations for Alex to consider this option are many – his plant has not shown any profit for quite some time, orders are often shipped months late, the inventory position is so bad that the aisles of the plant floor are crammed with in-process parts, almost all jobs are designated as â€Å"rush† and upon all this his marriage is on the precipe because he has been spending all his time in the plant. However, Alex decides to take the problems head on. In this quest, he is helped by his old Physics professor, Jonah. Rather than giving him ready made answers like a consultant, Jonah forces Alex to think by confronting him with pointed questions designed to help him bring out his intuitive skills. When Alex tells Jonah how he was able to increase productivity by thirty-six percent in one department alone with the use of robots, Jonah points it out to Alex how the robots could not possibly have contributed to the company’s goal – and that in fact in terms of its overall goal, Alex must actually be running a very unproductive plant. Prodded on by Jonah, Alex comes to the conclusion that as a first step, he first and foremost has to ensure that his plant makes money. With a continuous barrage of questions from his teacher, Alex and his team learn how to define measurements so that they better reflect the money making goal of a manufacturing organization. Proceeding systematically, they discover the facts which point to how the bottleneck machine in their plant, or in any plant for that matter, determines the throughput and that the capacity of the entire plant is actually equal to the capacity of the bottleneck. They then devise a system whereby the bottleneck (a machine called NCX-10, in this case ) is kept busy for the maximum amount of time possible – this they do by first ensuring that the NCX-10 is kept running even during lunch breaks and later on by ensuring an adequate buffer in front of the bottleneck so that it would not be idle for want of parts. In the meantime they also save time on another suspected bottleneck, the heat treatment, by relocating ... ...e omni-presence of two phenomena, dependency and variability, in manufacturing environments, it is vital that the system’s actual constraint be identified – which may or may not be physical. All other policies have to be built so that they work within the constraint. That is to say that the non-constrained resources have to be used to maximize the performance of the constrained resource. The next step is to try and improve the constraint itself, if possible. Alex Rogo is successful in turning around his plant because he unwittingly, or by design, follows this same ordered thinking process wherein he goes from first defining his fundamental measures and then exploring the effects of different parts of his plant on these measures. He is then able to identify his constraints and effect changes that allow him to maximize his plants performance within the constraint. Later when he finds that his constraint is no longer physical but has become something intangible beyond his plant, he identifies it correctly as a market constraint and tries to improve it by encouraging his sales staff to come up with new orders. And if all this wasn’t enough, Alex has also managed to save his marriage!

Does Sex Sell

Whether they are on TV, radio, or in a magazine, there is no way that you can escape advertisements. They all have their target audience who they have specifically designed the ad for. This is a multi billion dollar industry and advertisers study many ways that they can attract people's attention. One way that is used the most and is in some ways very controversial is use of sex to sell products. Evan Williams, a company who sells whiskey, released a print ad of a young woman dressed in her Sunday best on one side of the advertisement saying â€Å"the longer you wait†. On the other side they have a picture of the same woman as an adult dressed in a sexual manner saying â€Å"the better it gets†. In the middle of the ad is a bottle of their whiskey and next to that it says â€Å"aged seven years†. An analysis of the Evan Williams advertisement will include the appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos. The target audience is both males and females in their late teens to mid twenties. This company gets the male side of the equation by getting their attention and interest drawn to the attractive woman on the right with bright colors, drawing your attention there, as well as the bottle of whiskey which is right in the middle of the page. One way to try and get the females to look at the advertisement and read it is by showing a very plain girl who seems to be very typical of girls during their younger years. On the side of that picture they show the same girl who now has become a woman, and is very attractive and just seems so much more powerful and sure of herself. One way that you can achieve that is to drink Evan Williams Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. I feel that this advertisement is not very ethical at all. They send the message that if you do not wear sexy clothes and try and act sexy then you are not good enough. The logic behind the advertisement is almost in all essence, sexual. They are using a woman who is very attractive with bright colors standing next to a bottle of whiskey. As well, they try and use their slogan that goes with their product and apply it to a completely different situation with a woman. They show how much â€Å"better it gets† when it is aged seven years. This is very degrading to the woman because they portray her as being ugly in the first photo, but after seven years, less clothing, and makeup she is much better. There is nothing wrong with the girl on the left who is just plain and simple. When you have to wear something sexual to get noticed it just continues to drain away from the collective respectability of our society. They try to play sexual emotions in this advertisement. They show an attractive woman and a bottle of whiskey. They try and make it seem that if you drink their product that you can get this woman. Also they try and use the emotions of the females talking about how a decent looking woman can become very attractive. The newer picture also is more vibrant plus she is wearing a lot more sexually provocative clothing than her old self, who is covered up and not showing any skin. It also seems to draw onto girls that have a lower self esteem. Showing that you will become a much happier person if you are good looking and dressed very sexually, than if you are not better looking. Personally I think that this is an unethical dilemma that we face in society today. Using sex to sell products is something that companies should stay away from. Depicting images of people for personal gain is not right in my opinion. Unfortunately in our society this form of advertisement is accepted. This ad is although one that does appeal to its targets by using clever wording.

What do you find particularly memorable in the language the poet uses in Caged Bird?

In the poem, Caged Bird, by Maya Angelou, the language has been employed effectively. She has defined her own structure, so as to find the sound, tempo and rhythm that are most suitable for this poem. The imagery, as well as the sounds, with which the poet uses to aid in the conveyance of her message and ideals, has been executed effectively. Furthermore, the use of contrast and comparison is central to the poem and is presented in a powerful, albeit straightforward manner. Angelou has chosen to shape the structure of a poem to benefit her own ideals, and has achieved this remarkably. This is apparent as, even though each line has a different number of beats, the first line only having four, the second, having six and the fourth having five, the poem in its entirety is still lyrical and musical, and this lyrical style ties in with the poem's image, that of a caged bird, which â€Å"sings with a fearful trill†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By opting not to constrain her poem through the use of rigid meters, rhythm and general structure, each stanza, or rather, each line contributes to the poem's overall idea. Whilst the structure is integral to the poem, so is the use of enjambment. In the first stanza, the structure is smooth and the words flow continuously. The poet has employed enjambment to help make the verse sound more free and boundless, in accordance with the image of a free bird, which â€Å"leaps on the back of the wind†. The structure of the stanzas do not inhibit the meaning of them, but instead, helps to develop them, and it is this skill with which Angelou writes that makes the poem as a whole, effective and memorable. Moreover, Angelou has employed imagery to her advantage in this poem. By using strong, connotative words, she has created a stronger image for the reader to imagine. Her use of effective and clear adjectives, as well as strong, effective metaphors, create a compelling picture which helps the reader to visualize the â€Å"dawn-bright lawn† and â€Å"sighing trees†, thereby enabling the reader to clearly understand the image. The metaphors allow the reader to comprehend the poet's vision, and this is used again when she writes â€Å"the caged bird stands on the grave of dreams† as well as the lines, â€Å"dips his wing in the orange sun's rays†. This use of strong adjectives and stronger metaphors help to clearly impress upon the reader the image which the poet has intended for us to envision. Additionally, Angelou has utilized sound to its greatest effect in each of the poem's stanzas. This has been done to help set the overall tone of the verse and the entire poem. The reader can see this in the first stanza, where Angelou has used softer, longer vowel and consonant sounds to help add to the soft, carefree atmosphere of the stanza. This can be seen with words like â€Å"free†, â€Å"leaps†, and â€Å"floats†. This is again seen in the fourth stanza, through the use of sounds that accentuate the softness of the ambience, which is apparent in the words, â€Å"breeze†, â€Å"soft†, and â€Å"sighing†. In contrast to this, harder, shorter vowel and consonant sounds help to illustrate the bleak, wretched atmosphere of the cage in stanzas two and five. These sounds are used in â€Å"stalks†, â€Å"clipped†, and â€Å"scream†. This use of sound throughout the poem helps the reader to understand the contrasting atmos pheres and the overall tone of the poem. Angelou has centred her poem on the contrast and comparison of the free bird and the caged bird. This contrast portrays the differences between the lives of these two birds. In the first stanza, the free bird â€Å"floats downstream† and â€Å"dips his wings in the orange sun's rays†. This helps the reader to understand the carefree nature of the free bird. In contrast, in the second stanza, the caged bird â€Å"stalks down his narrow cage† and his â€Å"wings are clipped and his feet are tied†. This contrast between the free bird and the caged bird is an effective method, which Angelou enlists, to convey her beliefs and to ensure that the reader can understand her intentions, as well as making the poem memorable and appealing. Angelou has effectively written her poem, and in the process has made it memorable. Her choice not to follow a standard structure has proven fulfilling, as her structure has successfully expressed her message. In addition, the imagery with which she portrays her visualization has helped to impress an image upon the reader, which is helped by the use of different sounds through the poem that enables the reader to fully grasp the mood of the stanzas. This, in turn, helps the contrast and comparisons in the poem to be made more prominent, which ultimately allows Angelou to successfully convey her message, that of the luxuries of freedom, and, in comparison, the bonds of an oppressive society.

Assessing The Occupational Competence in the Work Enviroment Essay

C. In carrying out assessment of occupational competence, I would ask myself: How effective was my assessment and feedback? Was there anything I didn’t anticipate? How did I deal with it? What went well? What could I improve? If I had to change anything what would I do differently? I would ask the learner what they intend to do and how they are going to achieve it, get them to tell me what tools they are going to use to get the desired look and why they will be using them, also what products are going to be used (if any). Once they have finished the assessment I will ask them how they think it went and then give them my feedback. My feedback will start with a positive e.g. well done for keeping within the time scale. And then tell them if the assessment was achieved or not and if not how they  could work towards achieving it. I will finish with another positive and setting a new target with a new date. By keeping a reflective journal on my experiences and thoughts it would help me with my future development and give me useful practice in self-evaluation. D. To maintain the currency of own expertise and competence relevant to own role in assessing occupational competence, I will need to keep my knowledge and skills up to date in order for me to be an effective and credible assessor. I will need to maintain continuing professional development and I will have to keep up to date with relevant government legislations, awarding organisation regulations, policies and organisation procedures related to assessment and quality assurance. I will also need to keep up to date with new developments in vocational training and teaching. I will attend further training courses to keep my cpd up to date and keep a log of it. I will attend standardisation meetings to show that I am keeping my assessors qualification up to standard required by the governing bodies. OUTCOME 4 Be able to plan the assessment of occupational competence. B. To plan assessment of occupational competence based on the following methods: Observation of performance in the work environment – I would observe the learner by their performance making sure the criteria is covered. This would be done through one to one with the learner. I would make sure start and finish times were set and make sure the service provided is going to meet the standards requirements. Any documentation would have to be filled in, signed and dated and new targets would be set. Examining products of work – I would check that the work of the learner has been carried out in the correct and professional way and the end result has the desired look and finish. Questioning the learner – I would initially ask the learner what their plan of action is and how they are going to achieve it, if more criteria needed to be met I would ask more questions to give them the opportunity to try and meet the level required. Discussing with the learner – I would make sure the discussions were relevant to the outcomes and assessment criteria, I would discuss the units that need to be covered and how we could use one visit to cover more than one unit (holistic approach). I would also discuss the amount of time needed for the process and dates and times of visits. I would make it clear to the learner what I would expect from them for a competent assessment. Use of others (witness testimony) – As an assessor you would need to be a professional in hairdressing with x number of year’s experience. You would need to be familiar with the national standards and carrying out observations, you would document all that has been observed but could not enter into the candidates log book. Looking at learner statements – The learner would have documented extra evidence. This would be a write up on underpinning questions when a range has not quite been met. This could also be a write up on a hair style that was achieved, explaining how they went about getting the achieved look. Insufficient evidence – If a learner hands back their assignment but has not met the criteria covered, they would be told there was insufficient evidence to complete the assignment. They would be asked to add the required evidence making the assignment achievable. Recognising prior learning – This would be when a learner has completed a unit in another qualification within the set time of the national standards. I would check their certification for proof of this and get the learner to take the test of under pinning knowledge so they would not have to do the same unit again. I would be able to document this in the learners log book with a RPL form, the form would need to be signed and dated from the achieved date on the certificate. C. To plan the assessment of occupational competence to address learner needs and current achievements. In my assessment plan I would identify any specific need that the learner may have e.g. Dyslexia (I would check with the relevant department within the training establishment to see what help could be offered to the learner i.e. extra time given for assignments and written tests). I would then agree the level and extent of their current knowledge and skills. D. In assessment planning meetings wherever possible I will always try to take a holistic approach. If one unit is being taken I would identify how many outcomes and criteria might be met, I would do this by using the assessment methods of: Observation, Examination of products of work and questioning. As an assessor, work to holistic assessment principles will maximise opportunity and save time and cost. If I have arranged to be observed assessing competence, examining products of work and questioning, I could discuss with my assessor whether I could be observed carrying out an assessment planning meeting during the same visit. This could be a follow on planning meeting with a learner who is ready to go on to the next stage of their assessment. Bilingualism Dealing with Bilingualism would first have been established at the initial assessment; the learner’s first language is not English so as an assessor I would have to find the best way of communication. This could be in using an translator (electronically or a dictionary) There would have to be a certain amount of English vocabulary on the learner’s behalf to have been able to pass the testing that is initially done before acceptance of the course. Skills testing A skill testing is a practical observation of a set skill task that has been set by the assessor. The assessor will tell the learner what is required and give the learner a set time to get the task achieved. This can be used to check the learner’s capabilities. MAINTAIN LEGAL AND GOOD PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS WHEN ASSESSING VOCATIONAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING UV30566 TRACEY HEARNE OUTCOME 4 To evaluate my own work in carrying out assessment of vocational skills, knowledge and understanding I would ask myself: Did the learner understand what needed to be done to meet the criteria? Was the feedback clear enough for the learner to understand? Were assessments marked and returned within the timescale? By asking myself these questions I can evaluate my own work with the evidence that I have recorded. D. Take part in continuing professional development to ensure current expertise and competence in assessing vocational skill, knowledge and understanding. In taking part of ‘cpd’ this is to keep my knowledge up to date, and to maintain new skills whilst assessing. I need to be able to prove how I have been doing this. I need to show certificates I have gained in courses I have attended. Keep a record of hours worked/shadowed. Made regular visits to relevant websites. (www.habia.org) Reading relevant publications (Hairdressers Journal (HJi). Keeping a log of all my attendance and participation in events and activities will be my record of ‘cpd’.

Contrast in Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”

Conrad uses contrast in his novel â€Å"Heart of Darkness†. Conrad would use contrast to convey meaning in his writing. Not only did contrast help convey meaning, but he also used it to show feelings. Of the many contrast in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† the difference of light and dark and the difference between the Thames River and the Congo River are the most obvious. The biggest contrast in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† is the difference between light and dark. London represents the light. London is in civilization, and if London represents the light, then civilization also has a big thing to do with light.The light represents everything that everyone has learned in their life, whether it was through experiences or through other peoples mistakes. On the other side there is the darkness. Africa is the main representation of darkness. Africa was uncivilized territory that everyone wanted to explore, but the darkness frightened people. Everything that happened in the dark ness, â€Å"cannibals† and â€Å"savages† prowled the darkness, awaiting travelers. Africa is the â€Å"heart of darkness†. The contrast of the Thames River and the Congo River is also big in the story.The Thames is characterized as calm. Like the light the Thames represents good. The light from London makes sure the river is seen and nothing is cryptic about the river. On the other hand, the Congo is a dark, cryptic river. It is a place of evil. The contrast of these two rivers is the difference between the good and the evil, and light and dark. The Thames is peaceful and tranquil; it symbolizes light and civilization. The Congo is wild and barbaric; it symbolizes the dark and everything uncivilized and frightening.