OPERATION MANAGEMENT

Operation Management

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Overall Input, Transformation and Output Operations2

Problem Statement5

Major Operation Areas6

Performance of Each Identified Area13

Recommendations As Solution15

Implementation of Just In Time (JIT) Manufacturing Philosophy16

Implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) Manufacturing Philosophy17

Conclusion18

References19

Appendix22

Profile of Company Administrators Participating In the Case Study Research22

Structure of Interviews and the Typical Questions Inquired in Collating Data and Information for the Case Study Research23

Operation Management

Introduction

In today competitive business environment, there are many manufacturing philosophies and best practices that organizations can make the most of, as a platform to achieve its overall business goals and objectives. This case study dissertation is thus an attempt to analyze fundamentals of operations managements and strategy, and the significance of the management tools from the perspective of a small manufacturing enterprise(Cagliano 2009: 469 - 482) . It is with the proposition that with appropriate adoption and implementation of operations management philosophies and tools, the company under study will be able to enhance its manufacturing performances, i.e. improved delivery lead time, work-in-progress (WIP), inventory, cost of production and manufacturing quality (scrap and rework), and productivity level, and consequently achieved its strategic business objectives of further company expansion, in a more efficient and effective manner. The case study highlights importance of the management tools as a source of not only a competitive edge, but also as prerequisite to sustain in the rapid dynamic business environment. Based on the information acquired from the literature review and data from the field study, a conceptual framework consisting of the proposed manufacturing philosophies that will assist the company concerned achieved its business strategic goals in a more efficient and effective manner was developed for the company's considerations. Among others, operations management philosophies such as, Lean Manufacturing (LM), Just-in-Time (JIT) and Total Quality Management (TQM) are discussed in particular relevance to a small enterprise set-up, coupled with recommendations to tackle the change management issues so as to ensure higher level of success. (Husband 2010: 699-713)

Overall Input, Transformation and Output Operations

The case study dissertation is an analysis of the operations managements of a small manufacturing enterprise and with the author's propositions that with the implementation of appropriate operations management philosophies and tools, the company concerned will be able improve its manufacturing performances, i.e. improved delivery lead time, work-inprogress, inventory, cost of production and manufacturing quality (scrap and rework), and productivity level, and consequently achieved its strategic business objectives in a more efficient and effective manner. (Bartezzaghi 2010: 229-250) The company concerned is a manufacturing company based in Singapore with sales offices in Beijing and Shanghai, China and having staff strength of 20. The company has been operating in the manufacturing sector, i.e. production and conversion of labels and tags since 2009. Since its inception, the company has an annual sales turnover of SGD2.5 million. Presently, its product is being supplied to countries across Asia, Australasia and North-east Asia. The core capabilities lies in providing a one-stop source for all label and printing needs, i.e. label format designing and label customization to cater to the different needs of its ...