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

Explain case studies with ethnographic research, 1. What benefits can be ga...

1. What benefits can be gained from case studies? What dangers, if any, are there in using case studies? In what ways are they useful? Support your answers. 2. Provide some exam

Hill approach to manufacturing operations, Hill Approach to Manufacturing O...

Hill Approach to Manufacturing Operations - Operation Management  Hill's five step approach to developing manufacturing operations illustrated in table below (Hill, 1993). A

Internet often depicted as a cloud on network diagrams, Why is the internet...

Why is the internet often depicted as a cloud on network diagrams?

Explain inventory tracking systems, Bill of Materials are kept current with...

Bill of Materials are kept current with changes using: a) Inventory Tracking Systems b) Engineering Change Order Systems c) Master Scheduling Systems d) Capacity Planni

Explain opportunity of working, What are activities that are carried out at...

What are activities that are carried out at a national union convention, and why does this type of venue allow for the Democratic process to have an opportunity of working?

Line balancing, What do you understand by “line balancing”?

What do you understand by “line balancing”?

Explain major priorities associated with operations strategy, What are the ...

What are the major priorities associated with operations strategy? How has their relationship to each other changed over the years?

Ethical for organizational managers to try to get access, Do you belive it ...

Do you belive it is ethical for organizational managers to try to get access and scrutinize the Facebook pages of employees or job applicants?

Use of confidence interval calculator and the area gas, To complete this sc...

To complete this scenario, use the Confidence Interval Calculator and the Area Gas Prices %u2013 Random Sample documents, provided in the Resources. The Minneapolis Star Tribune

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

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