Case Study : Five Star Tools

As we continue to move toward the end our quarterly objectives. I wanted to take the time to explain some of our costs. In our particular field of designing and manufacturing products, we are always engaging in ways that we can mitigate loss and improve our processes. Performing such changes will give a stronger presence in the market by allowing us to remain competitive.

In order to meet customer demands for higher product quality, to comply with federally-mandated environmental regulations, and to reduce production costs, HCC must spend $2,000,000 within the next three years to upgrade equipment. The upgrade is expected to result in production efficiencies that will lower material and labor costs by reducing defective products, process waste, in-process inventory, and production man-hours through simplified work processes. It has been over a decade since significant modifications were made to the production facilities. Those changes were mostly technical in nature and did not substantially alter work processes or reduce overall employment. The average productivity gain in the industry for the past five years has been 3% per year. Financing for the loan to purchase the equipment

Elevate the constraint by investing in additional resources which would be necessary if this step involves a true “bottleneck.”

The Theory of Constraints indicates that excess capacity from ‘subordinate’ departments should be utilized to lessen the strain on the bottlenecked department. Until the constraint on production has been removed management should subordinate everything else to the constraint. The proposed action of outsourcing inspection from the coating and sharpening department will free-up more valuable direct labor hours in the area of constraint. A separate inspection station before the final stage of production should be added to the production process. An employee from the chemical bathing stage will be cross-trained to inspect products as needed for the brief periods of inspection required. Because the second process has been deemed subordinate to the area experiencing constraint its excess capacity can be utilized in a more valuable capacity. Each additional hour in the coating and sharpening process will result in a firm benefit of $1250, or the contribution margin per unit of constraint for the Model C210. The addition of an inspection

As Coral reviews the master schedule and the pending orders, she can see that given the current plan, they will not process enough subassemblies to cover the upcoming orders. The master schedule is a statement of exactly what will be produced. It must simultaneously satisfy the needs of sales and marketing and be feasible in terms of operations. Developing a master schedule that is close to the aggregate plan, yet still satisfies marketing and operations, is not an easy task. The aggregate plan was developed based on a strategy that maintained acceptable inventory and workforce

If Parkland wants to achieve the aggressive growth that the board desires his ability to improve the capabilities and the operations of the company will be one of his greatest barriers. Due to the affluent nature of the customers and the possible variety in the product Parkland should focus on improving the company’s organizational capabilities. A new plant will eventually be needed but that decision can be delayed if Charles can streamline its operations. Parkland needs to institute policies that will measure productivity and develop an accurate method of forecasting sales. This will result in lower inventory carrying costs, fewer out of stock issues, and fewer backorders that need to be filled. If Charles can reduce the number of back orders and out-of-stock products it can focus on a single product line at a time which will reduce the frequency of expensive switching costs.

Victoria Heavy Equipment’s most recent organization has been lacking effective communication practices amongst all of its divisions. The company has been suffering from lack of clear goals in measurable terms, for its divisions. The idea of each division functioning as an independent unit, whether it being cost or profit center, is a remarkable beginning. However, clear goals and key measurable need to be set for each center, which in our case have been overlooked. As a result, many of these centers have over spent, resulting in over expenditures, something we can definitely not afford with anticipated slower market.

The first object Bob Lazier undertook as the new CEO of Lazier Industries, was to implement a strategic plan that focused on introducing several new products which could be cross-sold to LI’s existing customer base. As a strong believer in the company and it’s potential to broaden its offerings Bob was looking to leverage the strong relationships built with its clients to sell additional lines of components. However, since being placed as the new CEO, a lot of organizational

In 1999 the U.S. paint industry sales were projected to be more than $13 billion. The industry has slow sales growth and is constantly changing due to government regulations. In 1999, Jones∙Blair had sales volume of $12 million with an annual growth rate of 4%. Jones∙Blair produces and sells architectural coatings, OEM coatings and paint sundries. However, the President, Alexander Barrett and the senior management executives know that there are some areas that they need to improve on.

Wriston’s Detroit plant is no longer a viable operation due to long-term capital underinvestment and product-process mismatch. It is recommended that the plant be phased out of operations over a five-year period with production and staff gradually shifted to a new plant to be built in the Detroit area. Further, it is also recommended that division accounting procedures and evaluation mechanisms be modified to allocate revenues/costs allowing for the synergistic benefits of Detroit’s products, and to recognize inherent manufacturing complexities, respectively. Issues Detroit’s production is unique when compared to other Wriston plants. Runs are typically lowvolume, involve significant set-up time, and vary significantly due to the sheer

Being able to increase productivity and revenues has always been the greatest challenge of any manager, and the manager of RL Wolfe, a plastic pipe manufacturer, was not an exception. Because of the low-efficiency percentage RL Wolfe had in comparison to their its competitors, John Amasi, director of Production and Engineering , had no other choice then came up with a new way of improving RL Wolfe production methods.

Worthington Industries Inc. is a “global, diversified, metals manufacturing company” (Worthington Industries, Inc., 2016). The business plans to continue growth by implementing more manufacturing plants in different geographic locations. To do this, the business must strategically plan the implementation of the new plants in order to maintain quality while offering affordability to existing and new customers. As part of the implementation plan the objectives, functional tactics, action items, milestones, task ownership, and resource allocation will be discussed. There will be a need in changing management strategies to enhance successful outcome of the new communities. Some key success factors to ensure success is budget and forecasted financials. If indeed the environment factors such as economic hardships arise a contingency plan will be in place.

The winds of change brings about new and while fading the old away. This is true with life and it was also true for Tom Lippert, a sale representative for Dupont Engineering Polymers (DEP). DEP is faced with change as their long time GARD contact, Mike O’Leary turns over his responsibilities with his predecessor, Richard Binish. Richard trust the relationship that Mike has developed with DEP over the years however, he plans to verify DEP’s performance to his own standard.

The Rose Company is building a new plant to reduce cost, improve the quality of products, and maintain competitive leadership by gaining a slight production advantage. The main obstacles to be overcome are the commissioning of a new plant, new methods and process, and administrative reporting issues. As the newly hired General Plant Manager, I plan to resolve these issues by insisting that all plant communications flow through me, instituting training for plant personnel and setting operational expectations.

Given three months to turn the plant around, Alex turns to Jonah, his old college physics professor who has become a manufacturing consultant, and enlists his help. Jonah has a unique and potentially risky approach to addressing the problems at the plant. First, he takes what can be a complicated