Production Planning & Benha University

Control Shoubra Faculty of Engineering

Industrial Eng. Department
Code: IND 201
Credit Hours System

Answer of forecasting Prob.

1- Given the following data: prepare a forecast using each of these approaches:
a- The nave approach
b- A 3-period moving average
c- A weighted average using weights of 0.5, 0.3 and 0.2.
d- Exponential smoothing with a smoothing constant of 0.4.
Period 1 2 3 4 5
Number of
60 65 55 58 64
complaints
Solution:

a. The Most recent value of the series becomes the next forecast for period 6: 64.
55+ 58+ 64
b. A 3-period forecast for period 6: MA3= = 59.
3
c. A weighted average forecast for period 6:
F = 0.50(64) + 0.30(58) + 0.20(55) =60.4.
d. Exponential smoothing forecast

Number
Period of Forecast Calculations
complaints
1 60
2 65 60 [ Use previous value of series]
3 55 62 60 + 0.40 ( 64 60 ) = 62
4 58 59.2 62 + 0.40 ( 55 - 62 ) = 59.2
5 64 58.72 59.2 + 0.40 ( 58 59.2 ) = 58.72
6 60.83 59.72 + 0.40 ( 64 58.72 ) = 60.83

2- The number of bushels of apples sold at a roadside fruit stand over 12 day period were as follows:
Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Numbe
25 31 29 33 34 37 35 32 38 40 37 32
r sold
a. If a two moving average has been used to forecast sales, what were the daily forecasts starting with the
forecast for day 3.
b. If a four period moving average has been used, what were the forecasts for each day starting with day5
c. Plot the original data and each set of forecasts on the same graph. Which forecast has the greater tendency
to smooth? Which forecast has the better ability to respond quickly to changes?
Solution:
)(a )(B
Two period Four period moving
Day Number
moving average average
..
1 25 .

2 31 ..
.

25+31
3 29 ..
= 28
2
29+31
4 33 ..
= 30
2
33+29 25+31+29+33
5 34 = 29.5
= 28
2 4
34+33 31+29+33+34
6 37 = 31.75
= 33.5
2 4
37+34 29+33+34+37
7 35 = 33.5
= 35.5
2 4
35+37 33+34+37+35
8 32 = 37.75
= 36
2 4
32+35 34+37+35+32
9 38 = 34.5
= 33.5
2 4
38+32 37+35+32+38
10 40 = 35.5
= 35
2 4
40+38 35+32+38+40
11 37 = 36.25
= 39
2 4
37+40 32+38+40+37
= 38.5 = 36.75
12 32 4
2
 50

Four -period moving average

40

Actual data

30

Two-period moving average

20

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Four period moving average has the greater tendency to smooth

Two period moving average model has the ability to respond quickly to changes

3- If the exponential smoothing with = 0.4 has been used to forecast daily sales for apples in problem 2,
determine what the daily forecasts would have been. Then plot the original data, the exponential
forecasts, and a set of nave forecasts on the same graph. Based on the visual comparison, is the nave
more accurate or less accurate than the exponential smoothing method, or are they about the same?
Solution: The exponential smoothing with = 0.4 Ft =F t1 + (A t1F t 1 )
Exponential smoothing = 0.4 Nave method
Perio Forecaste Forecaste
Actual demand Error Error
d d d
1 25 --- --- --- ----
2 31 25.00 6.00 25 6
3 29 27.40 1.60 37 -8
4 33 28.04 4.96 21 12
5 34 30.02 3.98 45 -11
6 37 31.61 5.39 23 14
7 35 33.77 1.23 51 -16
8 32 34.26 -2.26 19 13
9 38 33.36 4.64 45 -7
10 40 35.21 4.79 31 9
11 37 37.13 -0.13 49 -12
12 32 37.08 -5.08 25 7
 60

50
Nave approach

40

30

Exponential
smoothing forecasting
20
Actual demand

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

From the graph we can see that the exponential forecasting is more accurate than the nave
approach

4- Apples Citrus fruit farm ships boxed fruit anywhere in the continental United States. Using the
following information forecast shipments for the first four mouths. The monthly forecast equation
being used is: y= 402+3t where: t 0 January of last year and y is the number of shipments. Determine
the amounts of shipments for the first four months of the next year: January t=24; February t=25 etc.

Month Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov Dec
. .
Seasonal
1.2 1.3 1.3 1.1 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.7 1.0 1.1 1.4
relative

Solution:

- Determine trend amounts for the first four months of next year: January, t = 24;
February t = 25; etc. Thus,
First forecast the monthly demand by the given trend equation
Then multiply the gotten value by the month seasonal index
y jan = 402 + 3(24) = 474 SI of Jan = 1.2 474(1.2) = 568.8
y feb = 402 + 3(25) = 477 SI of Feb = 1.3 477(1.3) = 620.1
y Mar = 402 + 3(26) = 480 SI of Mar = 1.3 480(1.3) = 624.0
y Apr = 402 + 3(27) = 483 SI of Apr = 1.1 483(1.1) = 531.3
5- Develop a linear trend line for the following data. Plot the line and the data on a graph, and verify
visually that a linear trend line is appropriate. Then use the equation to predict the next two values of
the series.
Period 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Deman 44 52 50 54 55 55 60 56 62
d

Solution:
Period Demand
t*y t2
(t) (Y)
1 44 44 1
2 52 104 4
3 50 150 9
4 54 216 16
5 55 275 25
6 55 330 36
7 60 420 49
8 56 448 64
9 62 558 81
Sum 45 488 2545 285

n=9
t = 45
t *y= 2545
(t^2) = 285

254545( 488)
n ty t y
b= =
2
2
n t ( t ) 9

a= n =
yb t 4881.75 (45)
=45.47
9
Thus, the linear trend equation is yt =45.47 + 1.75t. The next two forecasts are:
y 10 = 45.47 + 1.75(10) = 62.97
y 11 = 45.47 + 1.75(11) = 64.72
A plot of the data indicates that a linear trend line is appropriate:
 6- The owner of a small hardware store has noted a sales pattern for window locks that seems to parallel
the number of break-ins reported each week in the newspaper. The data are:
sales 46 18 20 22 27 34 14 37 30
Break-ins 9 3 3 5 4 7 2 6 4
a. Plot the data to determine which type of equation is appropriate
b. Obtain a regression equation for the data
c. Estimate sales when the number of break-ins is five
Solution:
a. Plot the data to determine which type of equation is appropriate:

From the scatter plot of the data the linear relation is clear between sales and the number of break-ins thus
the linear regression is appropriate model

b. the computations for a straight line are :

Break-ins Sales 2
xy x
x y
9 46 414 81
3 18 54 9
3 20 60 9
5 22 110 25
4 27 108 16
7 34 238 49
2 14 28 4
6 37 222 36
4 30 120 16
43 248 1354 245

n xy x y 9(1345)43 (248)
b= 2 = 9 (245 )( 43)2
=4.275
n x ( x)
2

a= n =
yb x 2484.275(43)
=7.129
9

Thus, the equation is yx = 7.129 + 4.275x.

c. x = 5, y = 7.129 + 4.275(5) = 28.50.
x

7- National mixer, Inc., sells can openers. Monthly sales for a seven-month period were as follows:
Month Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug.
Sales (1000 units) 19 18 15 20 18 22 20
a- Plot the monthly data on a sheet of graph paper
b- Forecast September sales volume using each of the following:
1. A linear regression
2. A five-month moving average
3. Exponential smoothing with a smoothing constant equal to 0.2, assuming a March forecast of 19000
units
4. The naive approach
5. Aweighted average using 0.6, 0.3, and 0.1 wieghts
c- Which method seems least appropariate? Why?

Solution :
a- Plot the monthly data
25

20

15

10

0
Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug.

b- Forcasting the septamper value using :

1. linear regrission :
Month ( t ) t2 Sales ( Y ) Ty
---- --- ---- 0
Feb. (2) 4 19 38
Mar. (3) 9 18 54
Apr. (4) 16 15 60
May (5) 25 20 100
Jun. (6) 36 18 108
Jul (7) 49 22 154
Aug (8) 64 20 160
35 203 132 674
2 2
( t) = 1225 t = 203

Yt = a + bt n xy x y
where b= 2
n x 2( x)
t = specified number of time periods from t=0 yb x
Yt = forecast for period t a= n
a=value of Yt at t=0
 b=slope of the line n=number of periods = 7
y=value of time series

7 674 35132
b 0.5
7( 203) 1225

132 (0.5)35
a 16.36
7

y (9) 16.36 0.5(9) 20.86

2. a five month moving average :

n

MAn =
A i where
t =1
n
i="Age" of the data (i=1,2,3,)
n=Number of periods in the moving average
Ai = Actual value with age i
MA= forecast

20 22 18 20 15

MA = 5 19

3. exponential forcasting :

= 0.2
Sales
Period Ft =F t1 + ( A t1F t 1 )
Unit (1000)
Forecasted Error
---- ---- --- ---
Feb. (2) 19 --- ---
Mar. (3) 18 19 -1
Apr. (4) 15 18.8 - 4.2
May (5) 20 18.36 - 0.04
Jun. (6) 18 20.032 - 2.048
Jul (7) 22 19.6384 1.5424
Aug (8) 20 20.76608 0.14912
Sep (9) 20.119296

4. Nave approach :

Sales Forecasted
Period Error
Unit (1000) ( Nave)
Feb. (2) 19 --- ---
Mar. (3) 18 19 -1
Apr. (4) 15 17 -2
May (5) 20 13 7
Jun. (6) 18 27 -9
Jul (7) 22 9 11
 Aug (8) 20 33 -13
Sep (9) 7

5- A weighted average :
F =0.60(20) + 0.30(22) + 0.10(18) =20.4.

c- Which method seems least appropariate? Why?

The least appropiate method is the naive one

8- Mark Cotteleer owns a company that manufactures sailboats. Actual demand for Marks sailboats
during each season in 2006 through 2009 was as follows:
Year
Season 2006 2007 2008 2009
Winter 1400 1200 1000 900
Spring 1500 1400 1600 1500
Summer 1000 2100 2000 1900
Fall 600 750 650 500
Mark has forecasted that the annual demand for his sailboats in 2011 will equal 5600 sailboats. Based on
this data determine the forecasted value for the spring 2011.

Soltuion:

Average
Average
seasona Seasona
year 2006-2009
Season l l index
Demand
demand
2006 2007 2008 2009
Winter 1400 1200 1000 900 1125 1250 0.9
Spring 1500 1400 1600 1500 1500 1250 1.2
Summer 1000 2100 2000 1900 1750 1250 1.4
Fall 600 750 650 500 625 1250 0.5
Total Average Seasonally demand = 5000/4 = 1250 5000
Seasonal index = (Average 2006-2009 demand) / (Average seasonal demand )

Forecasted value for the spring 2011 is

5600
spring 2011 (1.2) 1680
4
9- The manager of a large manufacturer of industerial pumps must choose between two alternative
forecasting techniques. Both techniques have been used to prepare forecasts for a six-months period.
Compute the MAD and MSE. Relying on MAD which technique has the beter performance.
Month 1 2 3 4 5 6
Demand 492 470 485 493 498 492
Forecast Tech-1 488 484 480 490 497 493
Tech-2 495 482 478 488 492 493
Soltuion:

Month Demand Tech-1 e |e| e2 Tech-2 e |e| e2

 1 492 488 4 4 16 495 -3 3 9
2 470 484 -14 14 196 482 -12 12 144
7 7 49
3 485 480 5 5 25 478
5 5 25
4 493 490 3 3 9 488 6 6 36
5 498 497 1 1 1 492 -1 1 1
6 492 493 -1 1 1 493
+2 34 264
-2 28 248

MAD1
actual forcast

28
4.67
n 6

.MAD 2
actual forcast

34
5.67
6 6
actual forcast
2
248
MSE1 49.6
n 1 6 1

actual forcast
2
264
MSE 2 52.8
n 1 6 1

Technique 1 is better than technique 2 in this comparison where both MAD and MSE of
technique 1 are less than that of technique 2.