Operations and IT Management - Essay Example

Running Head: THE CAMERON BALLOONS VIRTUAL FACTORY The Cameron Balloons Virtual Factory Insert Introduction Cameron virtual balloon factory is a company which specializes in the manufacture of hot air balloons. It was the brainchild of Mr. Don Cameron who as a leader of a small team way back in 1966 managed to build the first hot air balloon in Europe. Cameron virtual factory is the world largest producer of this kind of product and at one point was awarded the Queen’s Award for its outstanding export performance.

Describe what you did in the simulation. I decided to take a photographic tour of the various departments of the company so that I can gain insight of how it operates. I discovered that it is a well organized company with various departments each specializing in executing a function of importance to the overall objective of the company. My tour started with the reception, production department, design and planning section, marketing section, accounts and dispatch section (Young, 2009, p. 14).What activities did you engage in?

I also visited the workflow section to learn about the various processes which the balloons go through before it is packaged for sale. Here I learned the various stages in the workflow and how each contributes towards the manufacture of the balloon (Wah, 2004, p. 15).What did you learn about whats going on?The main lesson learnt was that Cameron virtual factory is one unique factory involved in the manufacture and export of high quality hot air balloons. This product is exported worldwide to various countries and is used to provide an alternative aircraft for use in the sky.

The company is divided into departments of which each handling its own task contributing to the final product which is a finished hot air balloon (Wah, 2004, p. 05). The main objective of all these tasked is to satisfy the customer and meet his or her specifications without compromising quality of the company products (Young, 2009, p. 27).Briefly describe the interdependence of Cameron Balloons operations with the other functional areas of the business?  The manufacture of the balloon commences with a specification being provided by the customer.

This idea with specifications is presented before the designers and sales team who analyses it (Wah, 2004, p. 08). The designers and sales team would work together to come up with a visual representation of how the balloon will look. This is a schematic diagram that is then analyzed further to achieve the final product before commencing the construction process which would take lesser duration comparatively (Young, 2009, p. 24). Product designThe drawing is presented to the customer who will approve or disapprove the same.

If the customer approves the drawing or rather artwork the sales department will generate a quotation for the work after which the customer will be requested to make initial deposit for the work. The sales department also generates a written contract stipulating the terms of agreement for the customer to read and sign before making any payment. The customer will prove his consent by signing the contract form and then making the initial payment which is collected by the sales team (Wah, 2004, p. 13).Fig. 1. Sample of the expected productIt is the work of the designers to foresee the produce requirements e.g. artwork, envelop, burners, baskets etc.

the designers check for availability of materials and order the same. This they do in collaboration with the planners. They ensure the right materials are bought for the work. They also ensure legal aspects are checked, construction methods are followed and last but not least the quality requirements are being met in the course of manufacturing the product (Young, 2009, p. 26).In the production department several teams grouped according to specific task work on different components. For instance while one team works on fabrics, the other will be doing artwork, next sewing and so on.

Engineering teams will also be working on each component separately for instance, those responsible for egg gas tank, burner, play their part to ensure smooth operations till the final product is produced. Other teams working on the basket components also will be specialize on a given component to work on e.g. upholstering, tailor making etc (Young, 2009, p. 34).Even the aircraft registration paperwork is done to comply with the legal requirements of the product under construction so that once its ready to be used no blame will be allotted.

This function is also allotted to a team to handle (Wah, 2004, p. 16). The testing of the product for functionality is another important function to execute by the team in order to affirm the fulfillment of the product requirements before dispatching the final product to the customers. The dispatch and delivery department is also supposed to deliver to deliver the finished product in accordance with customer perception. Once this is done the company would have achieved their milestone in production (Young, 2009, p . 36).Computer-based simulationsHowever, after going through the processes mentioned above, it is certain that computer simulation is an improvement as a learning mechanism to the theoretical aspects of learning as experienced in the past when office automating had not been established.

It is easier to carry out computer simulation being that all relevant materials are within your reach through online and digital information source lowering the risks involved in production process (Wah, 2004, p. 19). Appendix 1 Accessed from : http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&gs_upl=46957l46957l0l48488l1l1l0l0l0l0l338l338l3-1l1l0&q=hot+air+balloon&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7889735643300877161&sa=X&ei=Rt-tTv6sEJLC8QP11e2UCw&ved=0CK8BEPICMAw. On 31st Oct, 2011.ReferencesWah, C. E. (2004). 2nd Edi.

Blueprints Computer- based simulation review. New York- USA: Wiley- Blackwell.Young, M. D. (2009). Handbook of research on the education of school leaders . London- UK: Taylor & Francis,.