Operation Management - Case Study Analysis
Author: Diana Nagy, MBA FT 11, Grenoble Graduate School of Business
Course: Operation Management
Prof.: Alexander Fidanza
Assignment: Custom Molds Inc. - case study analysis
Submitted: November 2010
Custom Molds Inc. – Case Study Analysis 1. What are the major issues Tom and Mason Miller are facing?
Looking at the workflow of Custom Molds raises several questions. First, customers’ complaints about delivery delays have increased. The voice of the customer always signals a problem. Tom and Mason Miller now have to identify where that problem lies and how it can be solved. Following the 6 step analysis presented by the authors of Operation Management Strategy and Operations [Krajewski J. Lee, 2001], the first step is to identify where there is a gap between what the customer expects and what the company can deliver. Clearly, Custom Molds has a too long lead time and is not respecting its deadlines. The company’s managers might start by looking at the relationship with the suppliers and analyzing the complaints from customers.
Next step is to define scope. This implies looking at the process and discover where the bottlenecks are, from where to where a process reaches and then, using flowcharts and diagrams to map out and document the process. In the case of Custom Molds, the management of the supply chain is faulty. Metrics, the following step, helps quantify problems and usually Histograms, Pareto charts, Cause-and-effect charts, are useful tools in identifying which are the 20% of the elements that cause 80% of the problems. Only after completing these steps is an analyst to shift to creative thinking and brainstorm ideas that could improve the process. The last step is, of course, implementing the changes, a task that proves most difficult, since it often clashes with people’s resistance to new methodology. These steps are to be repeated in order to test implemented changes and discover new opportunities to improve the process.
In the case of Custom Molds, a
Course: Operation Management
Prof.: Alexander Fidanza
Assignment: Custom Molds Inc. - case study analysis
Submitted: November 2010
Custom Molds Inc. – Case Study Analysis 1. What are the major issues Tom and Mason Miller are facing?
Looking at the workflow of Custom Molds raises several questions. First, customers’ complaints about delivery delays have increased. The voice of the customer always signals a problem. Tom and Mason Miller now have to identify where that problem lies and how it can be solved. Following the 6 step analysis presented by the authors of Operation Management Strategy and Operations [Krajewski J. Lee, 2001], the first step is to identify where there is a gap between what the customer expects and what the company can deliver. Clearly, Custom Molds has a too long lead time and is not respecting its deadlines. The company’s managers might start by looking at the relationship with the suppliers and analyzing the complaints from customers.
Next step is to define scope. This implies looking at the process and discover where the bottlenecks are, from where to where a process reaches and then, using flowcharts and diagrams to map out and document the process. In the case of Custom Molds, the management of the supply chain is faulty. Metrics, the following step, helps quantify problems and usually Histograms, Pareto charts, Cause-and-effect charts, are useful tools in identifying which are the 20% of the elements that cause 80% of the problems. Only after completing these steps is an analyst to shift to creative thinking and brainstorm ideas that could improve the process. The last step is, of course, implementing the changes, a task that proves most difficult, since it often clashes with people’s resistance to new methodology. These steps are to be repeated in order to test implemented changes and discover new opportunities to improve the process.
In the case of Custom Molds, a
Bibliography: Krajewski J. Lee, R. P. (2001). Operations Management Strategy and Analysis (6th Edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.