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 support of senior management, Project failure can result from all o...

Project failure can result from all of the following causes EXCEPT- A. Support of senior management B. Changes in scope are not agreed upon by all parties involved C. Too

Explain what is the horizon value, Current and projected cash flows for Ran...

Current and projected cash flows for Randell Global Operatons are shown below. Growth is expected to be constant after 2012, and the weighted average cost of capital is 11%. What i

Explain what is the hourly production rate, An assembly line currently has ...

An assembly line currently has five workstations and the time required for each is shown below. 1: 48 seconds, 2: 38 seconds, 3: 44 seconds, 4: 56 seconds, 5: 42 seconds what is th

Explain null and alternative hypotheses to be tested, TRUE or FALSE. The Se...

TRUE or FALSE. The Sergio Lumber Company manufacturers plywood. One step in the process is the one where the veneer is dried by passing through a huge dryer (similar to an oven) wh

Explain gather information outside a case analysis, When should you gather ...

When should you gather information outside a case analysis by going to the library or using the Internet and, what should you look for?

Explain what would be the increase in the safety, A local bar serves a prem...

A local bar serves a premium draft beer to its customers. The daily demand for beer is assumed to follow a normal distribution with a mean of 80 litres and a standard deviation of

Describe the actual demand for the patients, The actual demand for the pati...

The actual demand for the patients at Omaha Emergency Medical Clinic for the first six weeks of this year are as follows: Week Actual # of Patients 1 65 2 62 3 70 4 48 5 63 6 52

Systems approach - operations function, Systems Approach - Operations Funct...

Systems Approach - Operations Function In parallel with the development of management science, and also largely stemming from the wartime inter-disciplinary teams, an interest

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