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

Main orientations to the approach and practice of retailing, Explain the fo...

Explain the four major orientations to the approach and practice of retailing.

Explain organization predict the short and long- term future, How do organi...

How do organization predict the short and long- term future? Explain in detail how a downturn in the economy affects not-for- profit organizations, as opposed to for-profit ones.

Explain five common reasons that projects crash, Discuss two of the five co...

Discuss two of the five common reasons that projects crash. Relate your response to a project failure that you have experienced or witnessed

What are the factors to effect capacity levels, What are the factors to eff...

What are the factors to effect capacity levels? Factors effecting capacity levels are as follows: • Resources accessible for example, labour and skills, machine time and

Explain when conflicting medical opinions are presented, When conflicting m...

When conflicting medical opinions are presented, should the advice of a medical expert count more heavily than the opinion of a general physician? Explain your answer.

Explain a production manager at a contour manufacturing, A production manag...

A production manager at a Contour Manufacturing plant has inspected the number of defective plastic molds in five random samples of 30 observations each. Following are the number o

Courtesy - customer satisfaction and service quality, Courtesy - Customer S...

Courtesy - Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality Involves politeness, respect, consideration and friendliness of contact personnel (including receptionists, telephone oper

Cost leadership in fast-food chains, Within the food service industry, find...

Within the food service industry, find examples of firms that have sustained competitive advantage by competing on the basis of (1) Cost leadership, (2) Response, and (3) different

Define criteria that considered to perform the project, One of the most imp...

One of the most important aspects of managing risk for a project is to accurately define the size of the project. Determine the criteria that must be considered to perform the proj

Explain what is the resulting productivity ratio, The total output from a p...

The total output from a production system in one day is 900 units and the total labor necessary to produce the 900 units is 900 hours. Using the appropriate productivity measure, w

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