No industry has faced more competitive markets in the U.S. than textiles. The im
ID: 352327 • Letter: N
Question
No industry has faced more competitive markets in the U.S. than textiles. The import of foreign textiles made using cheap labor has decreased profit margins for U.S. companies for years, and many have left the industry. In this discussion you will get the opportunity to “run” production operations of a textile company in a simulation scenario. Don’t be afraid of this opportunity, rather you should embrace it.
This scenario illustrates the complexities typically associated with decision-making in a production department. The problems you will be faced with are complex, requiring the active involvement from multiple functional areas to fully understand the nature and scope of the problem, explore viable alternatives, commit to a solution, and then implement, monitor, and make necessary changes to achieve desired outcomes. As an operations professional, you’re responsible for executing due diligence when determining whether or not to support or put forward proposals and new ideas. These proposals can be as simple as modifying existing processes or as complex as expanding the company through “organic” or “inorganic” growth strategies. You need to be able to weigh decisions against existing realities while taking into consideration future uncertainties.
The student is to consider him or herself to be the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Kibby and Strand, the company in the scenario.
The CEO has noticed fluctuations in production under the different shift production managers during the past 6 months. She wants you, the COO, to document the key factors a production manager needs to consider when scheduling production in the organization and to develop a training plan for production managers that emphasizes oversight of these factors.
Students are to create their plan based on knowledge learned in the Scenario
Explanation / Answer
Key factors a production manager needs to consider when scheduling production in the organization:
1. Budgeting: Production must always be done keeping the budget in mind. A production manager must be aware of overall budget of the plant and always try to cut down cost of production so as to ensure that the budget is not exceeded. This is an optimum strategy of production.
2. Resources: Production manager must always be aware of the resources available with him/her to schedule production, be it raw materials, labour, machinery etc. He/she must make sure that requisite amount of resources are always available prior to schedulling production so as to avoid delays in production.
3. Schedule: Proper scheduling of production is required and the timeline must not be exceeded to ensure smooth operation and distribution of finished products. The master production schedule must be made keeping in mind realistic targets to be acheived by the production plant and working accordingly to achieve those targets.
Training plan for production managers:
1. Training assessment needs must be clearly identified beforehand and training must be imparted in the areas where the production managers lack skills.
2. Develop learning objectives: Key learning objectives must be developed which focus on the specific areas to be covered under the training and a focussed approach must be followed.
3. Training material: It must be designed keeping in mind the specific training requirements as identified in the training assessment need. The training material must cover all the basics and advanced level of training required to impart knowledge to the managers.
4. Training implementation: After designing the training material, a subject matter expert must be arranged who is aware of the training requirements of the production managers. The trainer must be capable of resolving the queries of the managers as well.
5. Training evaluation: Next step is to evaluate the training by receiving feedback from the attendees and improving the shortfalls in the training based on their feedback. This is extremely important step to ensure the quality of training is maintained.
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