Question 1:
Strategic
- Meeting external equipment supplier
- Final daily check on the productivity performance at the plant
- Meetings with all managers, supervisors, and department supervisors
- Discussion with production operatives
Design
- Request and meeting with the marketing director for discussion on product trials
- Tour of the factory with plant engineers
- Meeting with technical representative of F-robot
Planning and control
- Checking productivity report from previous day
- Checking quality report for the past week
- Checking deliveries done
- Checking the finished product for variations
- Writing monthly reports for the board meeting
Improvement
- Check break downs in machinery
- Discussion with procurement manage on stock outs
- Discussion with the production lines supervisors, department supervisors, and planning and control managers
- Dealing with clients who had late deliveries at Hypera
Question 2:
Question 3:
Frederic is highly involved in the technology acquisition decision. He is involved in all meetings conducted with regard to the technological acquisition. Furthermore, it is clear from the case that he has a wealth of information on the acquisition.
His main concern when evaluating the capability of new equipment is the speed and capacity of the machines.
Question 4:
The main human resource issue that is an important part of Frederic’s activities is ensuring that all employees carry out their duties as expected. For example, the procurement manager should ensure that the company does not experience a stock out.
Question 5:
Frederic’s operations are important when it comes to the competitive advantage of the company. This is mainly because he must ensure that the factory runs smoothly and at full capacity at all times. This will help in ensuring that customer deliveries are on time and the factory experiences less frequent break downs.
Question 1:
The external performance objectives for the M&S are a short lead-time between the placing of the order and the delivery of the finished product. M&S also required the company to deliver 600,000 sheets of cards delivered over a number of weeks. M&S also required cards done in a smaller size sheet paper as well as five design variants.
These performance objectives differ from other customers since other customers provided the factory with longer lead times. Other customers also have lower order quantities and only require a single deliver. Furthermore, other customers request the cards to be done on a larger size sheet paper.
Question 2:
Risks:
The main risk of taking the order is that it has a short lead-time. This implies that the factory must ensure that it is able to deliver to the customer in good time
M&S has high quality specifications that the factory must adhere to in order to ensure that they are satisfied.
The company will have to stretch its production capacity and employees in order to meet the needs of the order.
Benefits:
The order will help the company increase its revenue streams in turn increasing its profit, which is critical to the company
The company stands to gain a new customer as well as creating customer loyalty. This implies that the company will gain more work from the customer
Question 3:
Yes, the company should accept the order if they get it. From the information provided it is evident that it has the required machinery and employees to ensure that it can deliver the order as needed.
Question 4:
Yes, the management could introduce special or different practices in the factory in order to handle the M&S order. For example, the company can introduce new employee shifts during the weekend as well as overtimes in order to deliver on the order. The factory can also hire part time employees to help with the order.
Question 1:
The concept design services strategies have been successful since the decision to exit the industrial product market. The company has been able to achieve great success since the industrial products market was highly volatile and demand for the company’s product shifted greatly. On the other hand, the home ware market has opened the organization to new markets through the products that the company is producing. The company has achieved this through effective marketing and this has helped it attract and maintain customer hence leading to success.
Question 2:
The marketing strategies affected the activities of the manufacturing operation and supply services department. This is mainly because the marketing strategies adopted by the company meant that the manufacturing operation and supply services departments would develop new products and processes in order to keep up with customer demand. Furthermore, the departments became busier since the new of customer orders and the number of products increased because of marketing.
Question 3:
In the 1990s, the company mainly concentrated on the production of industrial products. The main feature adopted by the manufacturing and supply services is that the department was autonomous in order to ensure that the entire internal supply chain was optimized and planned effectively. This meant that the department was independent to make its own decisions.
This strategy has been effective in creating competitive advantage since they are effective at planning production as well as delivering orders on time. This ensured that the company could be able to meet the needs of the market.
These strategies were clearly developed at the organization since it is evident that they were part of the company when it started.
Question 4:
The development of the design house and major retailer services will help in streamlining the manufacturing operation and supply services department. This is attributable to the fact that the design house will provide the department with excellent product designs for a new line of products. On the other hand, the major retailer service will ensure that the department can effectively plan the supply and delivery of products to a major retailer.
Question 5:
In order for the business to continue its growth and profit, it needs to continue investing in marketing and advertising. It is evident that marketing position has been instrumental in ensuring that the factory is successful.
Question 1:
The autograph product range mainly serves the high-end market since it incorporates products from top designers. The product range also serves both women and men since it contains items of clothing for both genders. Furthermore, the product serves the high-end market segment since the products in this line have high prices.
The perfect and classic collection are products that serve the mature, stylish, and busy customers. The products offered in this line are reasonably priced for its market segment. The collection also targets the conservative customer since it mainly consists of plain white shirts, black roll sweaters, jeans
The per una collection serves the younger women market segment. This segment is mainly made up of young women aged between 25 and 35. The collection is mainly composed of stylish clothes offered at affordable prices.
Question 2:
The order winner and qualifiers for these different ranges are the age of the customer, the customer’s style, the price of the product and the quality of the product.
Question 3:
Question 1:
In order for the company to be successful startup, it had experienced losses for a period of 8 moths. During this period, the company had lost its customers as well as its revenue streams. This led to the management at the company examining and evaluating the problem that they faced in order to ensure that it would become profitable. This led to the conceptualization of the monster concept that led to the company aiming to increased its productivity while reducing its cost. The development of a new site also played an important role in the success of the company.
Question 2:
The monster concept was important to the company since it led to the development of processes for the development of new sites. The company utilized the concept to overhaul its entire operation in an effort to increase its competitive advantage as well as increasing its profits. This mainly involved changing the technology used by the company, and restructuring its internal work processes. This in turn helped the company to increase its capacity, lower costs and increase its market share. The concept was important since the company was able to address its losses.
Question 3:
Despite these risks, it was wise since it led to specialization of the product production process. This led to the production of high quality goods that satisfied customers.
Question 4:
Yes, the approach was in line with the other decisions made by the team. This is mainly because it complimented them by offering employees flexibility in the work place. Furthermore, it also helped to increase the satisfaction of employees working at the company in turn leading to increase loyalty. All these factors greatly contribute towards increasing the productivity of employees. This helped the company increase its output.
Reference
Johnston, R. (2003). Cases in operations management. Harlow, England: FT Prentice Hall.
