ops management, Operation Management

Assignment Help:
Case study: Implementing Operations Management Tools in UK SMEs
The
intense competition in the current business environment has forced both the service and
manufacturing industries to re
-
examine their methods of doing business. In recent years,
even well
-
known names in manufacturing and service sectors have struggled with
growing
competition from emerging companies who use superior manufacturing practices and use of
quality initiatives in the form of
materials requirement planning
(MRP),
just
-
in
-
time
(
JIT
)
and
theory of constraints (
TOC
)
.
You have been appointed as a
production manager in a U.K. based company specialised in
manufacture of piston for internal combustion engine made from Aluminium (Al) and
Magnesium (Mg) alloys. The company has a production capacity of 500 pistons per day, in a
complete process from cast
ing to assembly and quality control. Four different types of
pistons are produced two of which have been launched within past two years.
The production process takes place in two separate areas of the factory. In one area, the Al
and Mg alloys are cast wh
ile the casings are machined and finished in another area. A total
of
5
0 people are at work in this plant. The main raw materials, Al and Mg alloys, are sourced
directly from two different suppliers from within the U.K. located about 150 miles away. Other
small parts required for the piston is sourced from a supplier from the US.
Parts are held in a large central store, however, difficulty is often found in obtaining
components in a specified time. The company very often faces part shortages at assembly
wh
ich leads to high “Work In Progress” (WIP).
The company is currently using the materials requirement planning (MRP) inventory
management system. For the last couple of years the top management of the company has
been considering to switch to just
-
in
-
time
(JIT) inventory management system which is a
complex decision, requiring careful examination of each system and its possible impact on a
variety of factors. Your immediate task is to undertake a comparative analysis of these two
popular inventory managemen
t practices and provide a report indicating a number of
benefits and critical
factors
so that upper management can make a decision on whether or
not to switch to JIT. Your report should include important factors such as:
1.
Critical
elements and
criteria for
judging level of success
of
the systems
;
2.
Critical
factors
for implementation;
3.
Implementation stages and cost;
4.
Limitations of the system
s

Related Discussions:- ops management

Impact of multinational enterprises to their firm boundaries, Multinational...

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) have an impact far beyond their firm boundaries. Assume you are working for a small firm that supplies a product or service to an MNE. How might yo

Explain any trend and cycles or random variations, Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1...

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Demand 7 9 5 9 13 8 12 13 9 11 7 a) Plot the above data on a graph. Do you observe any trend, cycles, or random variations? b) Starting in yea

Annual carrying costs per pot are estimated, Garden Variety Flower Shop use...

Garden Variety Flower Shop uses 740 clay pots a month. The pots are purchased at $2 each. Annual carrying costs per pot are estimated to be 30 percent of cost, and ordering costs a

Explain switching to a new system of billing, Suppose you are the manager o...

Suppose you are the manager of an accounts receivable unit in a large company. You are switching to a new system of billing and record-keeping and need to train your three supervis

Explain if a wireless signal collides with an object, If a wireless signal ...

If a wireless signal collides with an object whose dimensions are much larger than the signal's wavelength, what is the signal most likely to do? a. reflect b. refract c.

Explain how would you use six sigma in your work environment, How would you...

How would you use Six Sigma in your work environment?

Explain employee stock ownership plans, State the reasons why historically,...

State the reasons why historically, union leaders did not support Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)? Why has there been a notable growth since 1975 in these plans? Outline the

Compute what will be total bid price, Your firm designs PowerPoint slides f...

Your firm designs PowerPoint slides for computer training classes, and you have just received a request to bid on a contract to produce the slides for an 8 session class. From prev

Explain what is the present value of each investment, You must choose betwe...

You must choose between two passive investments. Investment A requires an initial investment of $50,000 but will return $71,000 in three years. Investment B requires an initial inv

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd