Program Overview

MANAGEMENT OF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Course Description

The course provides the student with the notions and economic-managerial methodologies for the management and measurement of the performance of production systems.

Aims and Learning Outcomes

Attendance and active participation in the proposed training activities (lectures and group exercises) and individual study will allow the student at the end of the course to:

• distinguish different decision-making regimes
• distinguish the main types of costs in production systems
• calculate the break-even point of a production system and interpret its meaning
• distinguish the main times in the production systems and know the main strategies for reducing non-value-added time
• distinguish the different types of production and know the main production layouts
• know and calculate the main evaluation criteria for investment assessment
• know the problems of material management and inventory management

In addition to these learning objectives, the active and interactive teaching methods will allow the attending student who will actively participate in the lessons to acquire the following transversal skills and soft skills:

• Personal competence basic level: identify one's skills, concentrate, manage complexity, reflect critically, make decisions, work independently
• Ability to learn to learn at basic level: participation in the intermediate tests will allow the student to acquire skills in organizing their study and evaluating their learning.

Teaching Methods

The topics will be developed approximately on 12 weeks of frontal lessons divided into two days of lessons per week. The course will include examples and exercises to be carried out independently or in groups that will require the use of simple automatic calculation tools (typically calculator) in order to allow the student to be able to use the economic and engineering knowledge acquired in simple decision-making cases concerning the evaluation of the production system and the optimal use of resources.

Syllabus/Content

Introduction

• The company as a system
• Decision-making regimes

Break-Even Point

• Linear variable costs, non-linear variable costs and fixed costs
• Break-even point under certainty
• Break-even point under uncertainty

Classification of Production Time and Resource Utilization Coefficients

• Production times and plant utilization coefficient
• SMED
• Lead Time, Flow Value, TaktTime
• Work in process, Little's law

Design and Analysis of Production Processes

• PUSH and PULL production and reference models
• Process assessment (volumes and varieties)
• Production layout

Evaluation Criteria for Industrial Investments

• Payback period
• Net Present Value (NPV)
• Internal rate of return (IRR)
• Profitability Index (PI)

Inventory Management

• ABC classification of materials
• Management Models for Class A and C Materials
• Applying Management Models to Case Studies

Recommended Reading/Bibliography

All the slides used during the lessons and other teaching material will be available on the teaching Teams channel. The notes taken during the lessons and the material on Teams are sufficient for the preparation of the exam.

Teachers and Exam Board

• LUCIA CASSETTARI
• Exam Board:
  • LUCIA CASSETTARI (President)
  • MARIO BAGGETTA
  • GIOVANNI BERSELLI (President Substitute)
  • ROBERTO RAZZOLI (President Substitute)

Lessons

• The period of lesson delivery follows the academic calendar in accordance with the provisions of the School.
• The timetable for this course is available on the Portale EasyAcademy.

Exams

Exam Description

The exam includes a written test and an optional oral interview. The written exam is passed if the student obtains a grade greater than or equal to 18 in the test. The written test includes some exercises aimed at assessing the ability to apply the concepts and methodologies illustrated during the course and some open questions to evaluate the acquisition and understanding of the theoretical topics covered.

Assessment Methods

• Written exam in the classroom: The written exam will assess the level of knowledge of the main concepts and the ability to solve simple exercises.
• Oral exam in presence: The oral exam will allow you to check your reasoning skills and connect different concepts with each other. The quality of the exposition, the correct use of the specialist vocabulary, the ability of critical reasoning will also be assessed.

Exam Schedule

• Data appello: 09/01/2026, Orario: 14:00, Luogo: SAVONA, Degree type: Scritto
• Data appello: 27/01/2026, Orario: 09:30, Luogo: SAVONA, Degree type: Scritto
• Data appello: 13/02/2026, Orario: 09:30, Luogo: SAVONA, Degree type: Scritto
• Data appello: 10/06/2026, Orario: 09:30, Luogo: SAVONA, Degree type: Scritto
• Data appello: 24/07/2026, Orario: 10:00, Luogo: SAVONA, Degree type: Scritto

Further Information

Ask the professor for other information not included in the teaching schedule.

Agenda 2030 - Sustainable Development Goals

• Decent work and economic growth
• Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Responsible consumption and production