Video Tech Ltd manufactures video game machines. Market saturation and technological innovations have caused pricing pressures that have resulted in declining profits. To stem the slide in profits until new products can be introduced, top management has started to focus on achieving cost savings in manufacturing and increases in sales volume. Sales can be increased only if production volume increases. Therefore, an incentive program has been developed to reward those production managers who contribute to an increase in the number of units produced and achieve cost reductions. In addition, a just-in-time purchasing program has been implemented, and raw materials are purchased on an as-needed basis. The production managers have responded to the pressure to improve manufacturing performance and this has resulted in an increase in the number of completed units over normal production levels. The video game machines are put together by the assembly group, which requires parts from both the printed circuit boards (PCB) and the reading heads (RH) groups. To increase production levels, the PCB and RH groups started to reject parts that previously would have been tested and modified to meet manufacturing standards. Preventative maintenance on machines used in the production of these parts has been postponed, with only emergency repair work being performed to keep production lines moving. The maintenance department is concerned that there will be serious breakdowns and unsafe operating conditions