STRATEGIC OPERATIONS REPORT

Strategic Operations Report

Strategic Operations Report

Introduction

“Saxon Leather Upholstery Ltd.” is the name of one of the best furniture companies for homes in the U.K. It is situated in Bolton, Manchester. Established back in 1982, the ideals of the company are quality product delivery according to the specifications of the customers, using the best abilities of highly skilled craftsmen and delivering the finished product right on the customer's doorstep.

Its' supply chain is broken down in a variety of steps for instance placement of orders that are attached to CAD systems; these systems cater to the orders placed online. These placed orders, along with their specifications arrive in the production department and the work begins on it to be delivered on specified delivery date. The finished products are delivered by the company's delivery department on the doorstep of the customers.

This firm is family based and conforms to the belief of creating quality products that are solely created in their factory. They feel secure with the quality of the work delivered and the raw materials used, enough to guarantee up to ten years. They also offer a money back policy if the products are returned within 28 days of delivery along with the proof of purchase i.e. the receipt (Robert J, Managing Director).

Discussion

Business and Operation Strategies

Operation strategy can also be thought of as the long term plan for the utilization of the chief company assets in order to find a strategic match as well as the way these operation can be tweaked to be more compatible with corporate and business strategies. These strategies are usually linked with the core objective of the organizations and help give them a competitive advantage.

Saxons need to worry the level of facilities offered to its' customers, the procedures for the manufacture, supply chain level from order placement to finished products and from there to delivery, environment of the workplace and evaluation and delivery of high quality goods. A definite answer to all these questions is imperative prior to working on the operation strategy and its implementation according to the business level corporate strategy (T. Hill, 2000).

The operation strategy is responsible for giving comprehensive outlines with regards to the dos and don'ts of the company. It dictates the prioritization as well as the utilization of resources to secure the best competitive advantage in its market. Since Saxon is at the first of the pack, it needs to come with ideas and strategies that are out of the box. There is another fact which needs consideration; the implementation of the strategies in regards to the objective and the core capabilities of the organization. It is a very difficult task to accomplish because the smallest of external factors can affect the whole strategy's performance, regardless if it is the rising globalization, technological advancement and market competition. So for this reason the contingency plans need to be created by the operation managers in order to lower the labor cost, material cost, high quality focused, reduction of lead time and product variety ...