OPSCB574 Reflection 3
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OPSCB574
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Industrial Engineering
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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Reflection 3
Reflection 3
Theory of Constraints
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The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is about how a manager should focus their attention on where the bottleneck of production is to maximize the efficiency of the process (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2023). The Lean concept is a way of management for firms to eliminate waste by improving efficiency and effectiveness to processes (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2023). Firms have different reasons as to why the Lean concept is important to study. Lean concepts can provide better quality products, future sustainability, higher profits, and faster demand shift responses (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2023). The Lean concept can be applied to manufacturing and service processes in mostly the same capacity by using five main principles.
First, a firm will need to establish what the Value of their good or service is from perspective customers to eliminate waste and costs to obtain the best price for the consumer while maximizing profits (TWI, 2024). Then, the firm will need to create a flow chart of processes to identify any areas of wasteful activities that can be eliminated. Next, the firm will create a flow for manufacturing or providing services
by reducing bottleneck (TWI, 2024). Then, a pull system will need to be established to respond to the demand of the consumers which will trigger the firm to create the good or service. Finally, the firm will work towards continuous improvement of its goods and services (TWI, 2024). Work Center Scheduling is a way for a firm to optimize its resources and improve the flows within lean manufacturing (GoldFinch, 2024). A schedule is created for every step in the production process, so the firm knows which tasks to do and when do it. Work Center Scheduling is important to firms because it establishes a production plan and identifies the required resources (GoldFinch, 2024). Firms will be able to decrease lead time and meet due dates, increase utilizations of resources (labor and machinery), and decrease the time for set up and idleness of raw materials.
Supply Chain Strategies
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Supply Chains consist of multiple levels to get a finished good or service to consumers. It starts with the design and manufacturing of specialized parts, then it moves on to design and assembly of components before it gets to the design and assembly of the final product (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2023). This is when the final two stages of the supply chain, distribution, and retail, has the goods reaching the consumers The most common supply chain strategies focus on flexibility and variability. Supply chain flexibility allows companies to adjust its production levels, raw-material purchases, as well as its transportation capacities (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2023). Supply chain variability tends to focus on the demand of a product or the raw materials associated with manufacturing a final good.
L.L. Bean is a manufacturer and retailer of outdoor clothing and equipment that was founded in the USA. L.L. Bean utilizes many Supply Chain Strategies, but two notable ones are increasing flexibility and variability (Adams, 2021). While the company does manufacture their products in the US, they utilize flexibility by sourcing local and global product suppliers. This allows the company to account for disruptions within the supply chain from one producer and can easily switch to another (Adams, 2021). Then, to combat variability in consumer demand, L.L. Bean operates not just brick and mortar stores, but within e-commerce, as well. They offer promotional discounts, as needed to move inventory off their shelves and out of their warehouses (2021). References
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Adams, R. (2021). Forecasting and Planning at L.L. Bean. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/forecasting-planning-ll-bean-rebecca-adams/
Cachon, G., & Terwiesch, C. (2023). Operations management (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
GoldFinch. (2024). Work Center Scheduling and Resource Management with ERP. Retrieved from https://goldfinchcloudsolutions.com/work-center-scheduling-and-resource-management-with-erp/
#:~:text=What%20is%20Work%20Center%20Scheduling,and%20when%20to%20do%20them.
TWI. (2024). What is Lean Manufacturing and the 5 Principles Used? Retrieved from https://www.twi-
global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/faq-what-is-lean-manufacturing