SCM Question Set+ Solutions
SCM Question Set+ Solutions
1. Observations of the demand for a certain part stocked at a warehouse during year 1985
were:
Compute the one-step-ahead three-month and six-month moving-average forecasts for July
through December. What effect does increasing N from 3 to 6 have on the forecasts?
2. For the data in Q1, use the arithmetic average of the first six months of data as a baseline
to initialize the exponential smoothing.
a) Determine the one-step-ahead exponential smoothing forecasts for August through
December, assuming α = 0.20.
b) Compare the accuracy of the forecasts obtained in part (a) with the one-step-ahead six-
month moving-average forecasts
3. Two forecasting methods have been used to evaluate the same economic time series. The
results are:
Forecast from Method 1 Forecast from Method 2 Realized Value of the Series
223 210 256
289 320 340
430 390 375
134 112 110
190 150 225
550 490 525
Compare the effectiveness of these methods by computing the MSE, MAD, and the MAPE.
Does each of the measures of forecasting accuracy indicate that the same forecasting
technique is best? If not, why?
4. A large automobile repair shop installs about 1250 mufflers (a device that absorbs noise,
especially one used with an internal-combustion engine) per year, 18 percent of which are for
imported cars. All of the imported-car mufflers are purchased from a single local supplier at a
cost of $18.50 each. The shop uses a holding cost based on a 25 percent annual interest rate.
The setup cost for placing an order is estimated to be $28.
a) Determine the optimal number of imported-car mufflers the shop should purchase each
time an order is placed, and the time between placement of orders.
b) If the replenishment lead time is six weeks, what is the reorder point based on the level of
on-hand inventory?
c) The current reorder policy is to buy imported-car mufflers only once a year. What is the
additional holding and setup cost incurred by this policy?
5. A national park, has kept close tabs on the number of guide tours using the park since its
opening in January 1993. For the first six months of operation, the following figures were
recorded:
Q2) The arithmetic average of the first six months is 968 / 6 = 161.33. We will use this as a
baseline to initialize the exponential smoothing. We assume that 161.33 is the forecast for
July.
(a & b )
New forecast = α (Current observation of demand) + (1 – α) (Last forecast)
or
Ft =α Dt−1 +(1−α ) Ft−1
⇒ F 2 =(0 . 2) (223 )+(0 . 8) (161 .33 )=173 . 664
⇒ F 3 =(0 . 2) (286 )+(0 . 8) (173 .664 )=196 . 131
And so on;
Deman
Month ES(0.2) Error MA(6) Error
d
August 286 173.664 -112.34 183.67 -102.33
September 212 196.131 -15.87 221.83 9.83
October 275 199.305 -75.70 233.17 -41.83
November 188 214.444 26.44 242.17 54.17
December 312 209.155 -102.84 244 -68.00
n 6
1 1 223
MAD 1 = ∑ |ei|= ∑ |ei|= =37 .167
n i =1 6 i =1 6
n 6
1 1 9141
MSE1 = ∑ e2i = ∑ e2i = =1523 .5
n i=1 6 i=1 6
[ ] [ ]
n 6
1 ei 1 ei 0. 8469
MAPE1 = ∑ | | ×100= ∑ | | ×100= ×100=14 . 115
n i=1 Di 6 i=1 D i 6
n 6
1 1 193
MAD2 = ∑ |e i|= ∑ |e i|= =32. 167
n i=1 6 i =1 6
n 6
1 1 9595
MSE 2 = ∑ e 2i = ∑ e 2i = =1599. 167
n i=1 6 i=1 6
[ ] [ ]
n 6
1 ei 1 e 0 . 6966928
MAPE 2 = ∑ | | ×100= ∑ | i | ×100= ×100=11 . 612
n i=1 Di 6 i=1 Di 6
The measures of MAD, MSE, and MAPE does not show that the same forecasting technique
is best. The reason for this may be that the sensitiveness of the measures for the forecast
accuracy techniques are not same for errors.
Q4) D = (1250) (0.18) = 225
c = $18.50; I = 0.25; A = $28; h = Ic = (0.25) ($18.50) = $4.625
a)
EOQ=Q ¿=
¿
√ 2 AD
h
=
√2(28 )(225)
( 4 . 625)
=52
Q 52
T= = =0 .2311 years
D 225 =12.0172 weeks
b) Reorder point = (lead time) (demand) = (6 weeks) (225 / 52) = 25.96 26 units
2500
2000
Demand
1500 Demand
1000
500
0
January February March April May June
Month
c)
D^ t =−807 .4+(500 .54) t
t Month Forecas
t
7 July 2696.38
8 August 3196.92
9 Septembe 3697.46
r
10 October 4198
11 Novembe 4698.54
r
12 Decembe 5199.08
r
d) There may be peak usage in some months. Moreover, the increasing trend will possibly not
continue indefinitely.