Operation Management Consulting Free Essay Example

A lean production approach can be introduced to CDS operations. This aims to reduce the quantity of resources used up in production. Lean producers use less of everything, from factory materials, stocks’ and time. As a result, it raises productivity and reduces costs. The number of defective products is reduced, lead times are cut and reliability improves. CDS will be able to design more products faster and give their customers a wider variety of products to choose. The main concept of lead production is Kaizen, which means continuous improvement.

(Operations Management, Slack, N, 4th edition pg652) By being able to change moulds faster, CDS can reduce change overtimes Both CDS and its employees would benefit from teamwork. Effective team working requires co-operation between workers and management or even management them selves. It can be noticed that the managers have different opinions to one another, we can see that the planning manager Linda Fleet, who feels that the manufacturing of designs has no limitation and that any type of product could be produced.

Whereas, Grant Williams who believes that designers ‘don’t seem to understand the consequences or the implications of their design decisions’. By developing, a team spirit the company will improve motivation and productivity; teams will plan their own work schedules, share out put tasks, choose methods of work and solve their own problems. This will lead to quicker decision making and create more ideas. As team-working results in improvements of communication and labour relations.

Cell production can also be introduced into CDS’s manufacturing; this will divide the shop floor into cells, which occupy an area, and focuses on the operations production of a product family.

This is a group of products which require a sequence of similar operations for example a cell can be creating tests out on new moulds for new product ranges. This will eliminate CDS’s delays in manufacturing processes that currently occur when they have to pre arranged new mould tests. Specific cells can be created to be responsible for specific tasks such as designing, planning and maintenance.

If CDS decide to introduce cell production the advantages it will give them is it encourages team working, cuts lead-time, improves product flexibility and more floor space is freed up because cells use less space than a leaner production line. By being able to free up more floor space CDS can allocate this to producing the Focus brand products in house again, this will then leave them safe in the knowledge that the quality and lead times to delivering them to the customer are met.

This will save them the cost of outsourcing the production and the fear of losing a large client. Good communication is also important, this can only happen if information is sent, received and understood. There seems to be a lack of communication between the companies departments, this could be why they have problems with forecasting its sales and production levels and the differences in understanding the limitations of manufacturing new designs.

Horizontal channels of communication then help CDS to plan and forecast more effectively. For example, the marketing department can co-operate with the planning department to accurately predict sales forecasts and allow the manufacturing department time to meet production targets and meet stock levels. Forecasting is an issue with CDS when planning for sales in its products. The company can use two approaches to this forecasting problem; CDS can use qualitative methods, as well as qualitative techniques, which is used to mould data.

A panel approach can be introduced to CDS when forecasting and CDS can allocate a day for all the managers in each department to act as a panel so that they can discuss and give their opinions. In the meetings they can use time series analysis, which will examine past patterns in sales as it gathers information overtime, which then the managers use to predict future behaviours. However, by using these methods to forecast sale of products it still does not mean they will be accurate in their predictions, as information will sometimes be in accurate as it is down to human judgement and no one can foretell the future events.

Demand may not be high as expected or a machine can breakdown and make manufacturing difficult to meet sales targets. (Operations Management, Slack, N, 4th edition pg652 pg196) Conclusion In conclusion, if CDS introduce lean production it will lessen their use of resources and cutting their cost down but their productivity will be high and they will be producing more in the short term. The company needs to make sure that their managers are on the same path and each voices their opinions and then come to an amicable decision.

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