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.QUESTION
Benchmark - Value Chain and Process Improvement
Operations are composed of many different processes to fulfill customer needs and requirements. The value chain is a higher-level view of those processes from a customer view. In order to meet customer requirements like quality and cycle time, organizations need to identify the value chain, subprocesses and measures needed to meet the customer needs.
Consider a process from an organization you are familiar with. In 500-750 words, complete the following:
Identify the steps in the high-level value chain required to fulfill the customer requirements from beginning to end.
From the high-level value chain steps, identify the operational subprocesses.
Identify those metrics that the organization should monitor at both the value chain level and subprocess level.
Based upon the process you described above, if an organization needs to improve a process within the value chain, how would you analyze the process and metrics to know that the process is not working
Explain what steps the organization could take based upon your analysis for value chain improvement.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required
| Subject | Business | Pages | 4 | Style | APA |
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Answer
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Value Chain and Process Improvement
Simatupang (2017) explains that value chain thinking is crucial for distinguishing the high-level and low-level processes in any organization. For this study, the value chain and process improvement will be on a book manufacturing company.
High-level Value Chain Steps for the Book Manufacturing Company
Step 1: Ordering of paper reels and wrapper boards.
Step 2: Ordering of other raw materials for the manufacturing process.
Step 3: Paper ruling.
Step 4: Printing the cover design of the book on the wrapper.
Step 5: Laminating the wrappers.
Step 6: The binding process.
Step 7: Cutting and finishing the books into the required sizes.
Step 8: Packaging the books and distributing them to various destinations.
Operational Sub-Processes from High-level value Chain Steps
Step 1: The inspection of the reel sizes, specifications, and quantity.
The size, quantity, and specification of the board are also inspected.
Step 2: The organization should note the inventory and place orders for other raw materials like threads, glue, ink, and oil, among others.
Step 3: The paper ruling machine is set up according to required and desired specifications. The papers are then printed as per the order. After that, the ruled papers are cut and stacked depending on the binding order initially placed.
Step 4: This work order is different for printing the wrappers. The machine is set up to print the desired and required design on the wrapper board. During this process, quality inspection is done to ensure quality products. The printed wrappers are then stacked in bundles.
Step 5: The stacked wrapper bundles are further cut according to the specifications and sizes of the lamination rolls. These rolls are mounted on the machine, which is then set up for the sub-process. Inspecting the quality of laminated wrappers is also part of this sub-process.
Step 6: This sub-process entails the preparation of the binding work. The printed wrappers and ruled papers are cut depending on the binding specifications. The books are then set aside to cool at room temperature. This process allows the glue used during the process to stick.
Step 7: The books are further cut according to the order sizes and the total number of books noted at this level.
Step 8: Finished books are wrapped and packaged into boxes for shipping to different locations according to the placed orders. Shipping is done mostly using trucks.
Metrics For each level and sub-level in the High-value Chain Level
Step 1: The organization should monitor the board inventory, paper reel inventory, and the lead time for placing orders.
Step 2: Monitoring of available raw materials inventory, buffer levels, and lead time for placement of orders.
Step 3: It is crucial to monitor the ruling's configuration, the ruling rate per hour, set up time for machine, and the ink levels in the machine.
Step 4: Checking of the set-up time for the printing machine and the rate of printing per hour.
Step 5: Checking of the number of boards after each hour of lamination and the set-up time for the lamination.
Step 6: Monitoring the number of books bound after an hour, the glue level, wrapper alignment, and milling level.
Step 7: Taking note of the book sizes and number of books cut within an hour.
Step 8: Checking the number of available trucks, truck capacity, books in each carton box, and the travel time.
Improvements Based on the Above Processes
For this manufacturing company, the cutting process can be enhanced by regularly checking the final book size (Sehnem, 2017). Despite an automatic machine cutting the book sizes, there might be fluctuation in the cutting sizes due to electric or other mechanical instabilities. Therefore, random samples should be measured in each bundle to recognize if there are any necessary adjustments.
References
Sehnem, S., Jabbour, C. J. C., Pereira, S. C. F., & de Sousa Jabbour, A. B. L. (2019). Improving sustainable supply chains performance through operational excellence: circular economy approach. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 149, 236-248.
Simatupang, T. M., Piboonrungroj, P., & Williams, S. J. (2017). The emergence of value chain thinking. International Journal of value chain management, 8(1), 40-57.
Related Samples
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QUESTION
Week 4 Discusssion
This is a discussion question that I need answered. I need the second portion of the questioned answered thoroughly, both bullet points. I have highlighted it in yellow to show that it is what I need answered. I need this r returned to me completed without any grammatical or punctual errors. The company that I want this question written about is Nissan Motor Corporation.
Choose ONE of the following discussion question options to respond to:
Using Adverse Conditions to a Company's Advantage
- Chakravorti (2010) discusses four methods that corporate innovators use to turn adverse conditions to their advantage. Examine an organization of your choice and briefly discuss how the organization might use one of these methods.
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Assessing Risk and Reward
- Using the company of your choice, identify an important and difficult decision that they faced. What were the most important risks and the most important rewards of the decision?
- What data, analysis or perspective would you have used to help Sr. Management decide if the rewards outweighed the risks?
| Subject | Business | Pages | 4 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Assessing Risk and Reward
The Nissan Motor Company is one of the leading automobile makers in the world. The Japanese carmaker has primarily enjoyed a successful run, allowing it to enter various regional and international markets such as the United States. However, the changing business environment was not favorable to the company in 2019. Notably, the cooperation recorded losses amounting to 7.8%. The experience pushed the management into making tough decisions, requiring almost all of its North American workforce to go for unpaid leaves.
In late 2019, the company announced that the decline in sales necessitated a two-day unpaid leave for the North American workers. The stated days for the vacation were January 2 and 3rd (Chicago Tribune, 2019). Notably, this move was a crucial decision for the company because of its conflicting impacts. Whereas on the positive side, it could help the firm minimize expenses, it threatened to affect the public perception of the company regarding employee welfare.
The rewards for the decision involved cutting expenses by not paying the workers on leave, which eventually would translate into reduced expenses. Another reward was that the decision could allow the company to optimize performance by evaluating employee performances then developing new milestones. However, on the low side, the company risked affecting its public image and brand name, especially in the North American market. As per Chakravorti (2010), the way an organization treats its employees influences the firm's public perception. Thus, Nissan risked eliciting a negative public perception. With a distorted public image, the company could fail to revive its declining sales.
I would have advised the management of Nissan to utilize the Predictive Analytic perspective in determining the right decision to take. Ideally, the approach tries to predict what might happen in the future if particular decisions or actions are undertaken at the moment (Traymbak & Aggarwal, 2019). Looking at the situation at Nissan, the company needed to develop a goal such as increasing sales. After that, they would have made decisions aimed at realizing the set goal. In this regard, the predicted outcome could give the management an overview of whether more risks existed or significant rewards could be realized.
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References
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Corey, G. (2017). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Zhang, X., Shi, X., Xu, S., Qiu, J., Turel, O., & He, Q. (2020). The Effect of Solution-Focused Group Counseling Intervention on College Students' Internet Addiction: A Pilot Study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(7), 2519. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072519.