Reference no: EM132227111

A local food bank is preparing to operate its new food kitchen for Thanksgiving. Serving hours will be 2:00PM through 7:00PM each day for the whole week of Thanksgiving. Food will be served from four stations that are setup as follows: Station A, offers a choice of either mashed potatoes or corn; Station B, offers a choice of either green beans or brussels sprouts; Station C, offers a choice of either turkey or lentil loaf; and Station D, offers a choice of either apple pie or pumpkin pie. Each Station will be rented for the week (see image below) and allows for food to be kept warm. These stations will be setup beside one another, in order (A, B, C, and D), and customers will move through each counter holding a large cafeteria tray that they will be given upon arrival at the food kitchen.

Each station will be manned by a single volunteer each day for the entire shift, who is responsible for asking the customer which option they want, and then serving it. It is expected that it will take servers an average of 50 seconds to serve a portion at each station. It will take customers an average of 10 seconds to move from one station to another, before leaving the serving area to find a seat at tables set up in the large next room.

a. Draw a process map that reflects the actual setup (e.g. configuration) of the food kitchen’s Thanksgiving operations and include expected process and wait times.

b. Assuming that every customer visits each station, and no customers can cut in line in front of one another, what is the: • Most appropriate flow unit?

• What is the flow rate for this process?

• What is the flow time for this process?

• What is the average number of customers standing in line between the start of Station A and the end of Station D?

c. Assuming the first customer gets served at exactly 2:00PM and the last customer is finished being served at exactly 7:00PM, what is the food kitchen’s “capacity for one day”?

d. The food kitchen expects that there will be at least 400 people showing up during operating hours on the first day to be served. Assuming that there is no shortage of food, and that everyone who arrives will wait in line until they receive food, will the food kitchen have to turn anyone away when they close their doors at night? How fast would each station need to process meals in order to feed all 400 people that show up (e.g. what would be the Takt Time for each Station?)

e. Is there any idea or quick solution that you would want to propose to the food kitchen to maximize how many people they are able to serve Thanksgiving meals to each day?