GQ Baggage manufactures elite handcrafted briefcases. Since a high-quality product is expected by consumers, each case is produced by master craftsmen with the utmost care and attention to detail. The production process is extremely labor intensive and consists of the 6 primary steps shown below. Each step is a separate workstation in the process. Note that the Mold Hinge and Fixtures step occurs separately from and simultaneously with the Tan Leather, Dye Leather, and Shape Case processes.   Answer the following questions based on the information provided. a) Which step in this process is the bottleneck?  b) How many briefcases are processed at the bottleneck workstation per hour?  c) What is the throughput time of the overall process?

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GQ Baggage manufactures elite handcrafted briefcases. Since a high-quality product is expected by
consumers, each case is produced by master craftsmen with the utmost care and attention to detail. The
production process is extremely labor intensive and consists of the 6 primary steps shown below. Each
step is a separate workstation in the process. Note that the Mold Hinge and Fixtures step occurs
separately from and simultaneously with the Tan Leather, Dye Leather, and Shape Case processes.

 


Answer the following questions based on the information provided.
a) Which step in this process is the bottleneck? 
b) How many briefcases are processed at the bottleneck workstation per hour? 
c) What is the throughput time of the overall process? 
d) If the manufacturing facility operates 8 hours per day, 250 days a year, what is the annual
capacity of this manufacturing process? 
e) Assume the company decides to hire additional workers in order to duplicate the bottleneck
step identified in part a so that there are 3 of these workstations instead of 1. Redraw the
diagram showing the flow of the revised process. 
f) Answer parts a through d again based on the new process created in part e? 

 

The image is a flow diagram illustrating the process of manufacturing a leather case. It consists of a series of steps, each represented by a rectangular box with descriptive text and the time required for each step.

1. **Tan Leather (30 min):** The process begins with tanning the leather, taking approximately 30 minutes.

2. **Dye Leather (15 min):** Next, the leather is dyed, which takes an additional 15 minutes.

3. **Shape Case (10 min):** After dyeing, the leather is shaped into a case, requiring 10 minutes.

4. **Install Hinges and Fixtures (10 min):** This step involves installing hinges and fixtures into the shaped case, taking 10 minutes. The input for this step includes both shaped leather and molded hinges.

5. **Assemble Case (10 min):** Finally, the case is assembled, which takes 10 minutes to complete.

Additionally, there is a secondary process:

- **Mold Hinges and Fixtures (5 min):** Independently of the leather preparation, the hinges and fixtures are molded in a process that takes 5 minutes. This step feeds into the "Install Hinges and Fixtures" stage.
Transcribed Image Text:The image is a flow diagram illustrating the process of manufacturing a leather case. It consists of a series of steps, each represented by a rectangular box with descriptive text and the time required for each step. 1. **Tan Leather (30 min):** The process begins with tanning the leather, taking approximately 30 minutes. 2. **Dye Leather (15 min):** Next, the leather is dyed, which takes an additional 15 minutes. 3. **Shape Case (10 min):** After dyeing, the leather is shaped into a case, requiring 10 minutes. 4. **Install Hinges and Fixtures (10 min):** This step involves installing hinges and fixtures into the shaped case, taking 10 minutes. The input for this step includes both shaped leather and molded hinges. 5. **Assemble Case (10 min):** Finally, the case is assembled, which takes 10 minutes to complete. Additionally, there is a secondary process: - **Mold Hinges and Fixtures (5 min):** Independently of the leather preparation, the hinges and fixtures are molded in a process that takes 5 minutes. This step feeds into the "Install Hinges and Fixtures" stage.
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