ABSTRACT: A STUDY OF THE VARIETY OF PAPER SIZES IN THE U.K.

This article presents an abstract of the paper A Study of the Variety of Paper Sizes in the U.K., by M. N. Pherwani and S. Eilon. Case studies in the consumption of stationery paper revealed a wide variety of products and a pricing policy which does not penalize customers for ordering non-standard or odd sizes. Cost analysis by use of break-even charts is not applicable, owing to the difficulty of allocating fixed costs to the various products. The amount of scrap caused by cutting paper rolls to predetermined stationery sizes is suggested as an alternative criterion, and application of linear programming to scheduling of paper sizes is demonstrated. An overall saving to the industry of about 2 percent of produced material is estimated to be the result if scientific scheduling is adopted.