Pass the CIPS Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply L4M7 Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

Explanation

Void filling is the general term giving to the challenge of filling the space left in a box after the products have been packed. This means that if there is no void filling material, the product inside can move around and could be damaged. Materials to fill voids to secure contents

• Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic aromatic hydrocarbon polymer made from the monomer known as styrene.[5] Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and rather brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a rather poor barrier to oxygen and water vapour and has a relatively low melting point.[6] Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year.[7] Polystyrene can be naturally transparent, but can be coloured with colourants. Uses include protective packaging (such as packing peanuts and CD and DVD cases), containers, lids, bottles, trays, tum-blers, disposable cutlery[6] and in the making of models. Polystyrene is generally considered to be non-biodegradable. However, certain organisms are able to degrade it, albeit very slowly.

• Chips made of bio-degradable materials

• Absorbent and fire-resistant material

• Shredded paper, cardboard or wood-Based material

• Paper or cardboard rolls

• Bubble wrap

• Air-filled cushions

• Self expanding foam

Straps are used to group items into unit load. Polypropylene or polyester are the materials most often used. The wider the strap, the stronger it will be. Using more than one strap and straps for length and width will create a strong place for stock.

Explanation

There are two main processes of recycling – open loop recycling and closed loop recycling.

Open Loop Recycling

Open loop recycling is a method that delays disposal by converting manufactured goods and spent materials into both new raw materials, which can be used for a manufacturing purpose, as a fuel source for a different manufacturing process and waste products.

Typically, materials recycled through open-loop recycling will be used for purposes different from their original purpose.

This means that the input into the recycling process is converted to a new raw material, which can be used as an input into another manufacturing process.

Materials in an open loop recycling process are treated using various forms of treatment including heat, chemical reactions, or physical crushing.

Closed Loop Recycling

Closed loop recycling is a process where waste is collected, recycled and then used again to make the same product it came from. This process is restorative and regenerative by design and aims to keep materials at their highest utility and value always.

Closed loop recycling is focused on resource sustainability, which means that recycling of a material can be done indefinitely without degradation of properties. In this case, conversion of the used product back to raw material allows repeated making of the same product, which helps hazardous waste generators reduce carbon footprint and achieve corporate sustainability initiatives.

Closed-loop recycling is common in specialized industries, such as the computer and battery industries, which use expensive or complex goods that cannot easily be broken down post-consumption into constituent materials.

A prime example of a closed-loop recycling process is the recycling of aluminum cans. Aluminum can be recycled to form new cans with little material degradation or waste creation.

Explanation

Costs of holding inventory include the following:

• Acquisition cost

• Inventory holding cost

• Costs of stock-outs

Acquisition costs follow the typical procure-to-pay model. Benefits of procure-to-Pay (P2P) software include:

- Vendor Management, which includes researching, selecting, engaging with, and evaluating the performance of suppliers who make up your supply chain.

- Purchase Requisition Workflows, or the formal process of creating and submitting a purchase requisition (PR) for approval to meet a specific business need.

- Purchase Order (PO) Workflows, covering the creation of a formal, detailed PO from the purchase requisition, including information on the quantity and quality of goods and services, as well as specific terms and conditions.

- Receiving, which includes the acceptance of physical goods (or review of quality and completion for services) and entering the accepted order into inventory, tracking, and accounting systems.

- Invoice Management, during which the invoice is compared to the original PO to verify pricing, quality, quantity, and terms have been met.

- Accounts Payable Workflows, wherein the accounts payable department processes the invoice for payment, submits the payment to the vendor, and reconciles any related financial entries in the accounting system.

The software is intended to help reduce the acquisition costs.

LO 2, AC 2.2

Explanation

The core idea of lean manufacturing is actually quite simple…relentlessly work on eliminating waste from the manufacturing process. Waste is defined as any activity that does not add value from the customer’s perspective. According to research conducted by the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC), fully 60% of production activities in a typical manufacturing operation are waste – they add no value at all for the customer.

On the other hand, agile manufacturing places an extremely strong focus on rapid response to the customer – turning speed and agility into a key competitive advantage.

With consignment stocking, the supplier retains ownership until the item is used by the customer. This approach minimizes the customer’s holding costs and improves cash flow, as payment is deferred until the item is consumed. It’s particularly beneficial in whole-life asset management for inventory flexibility and reduced capital commitment.

Explanation

ABC analysis is applied to stock and its management. It is based loosely on the Pareto principles, better known as 80/20 rule. Pareto principle is the theory that 80% of outcome results from 20% of inputs. For example, 80% of sales are to the top 20% of customers; 80% of spend on inventory is accounted for by the top 20% of stock items.

The ABC concept is based on Pareto's law. The following steps are carried out for the ABC analy-sis.

- Step 1: Compute the annual usage value for every item in the sample by multiplying the annual requirements by the cost per unit.

- Step 2: Arrange the items in descending order of the usage value calculated above.

- Step 3: Make a cumulative total of the number of items and the usage value.

- Step 4: Convert the cumulative total of the number of items and usage values into a percentage of their grand totals.

- Step 5: Draw a graph connecting cumulative % items and cumulative % usage value. The graph is divided approximately into three segments, where the curve sharply changes its shape. This indicates the three segments A, B and C.

LO 2, AC 2.1