Capacity Management Strategies - Assignment Example

PORTFOLIO Name University Course Tutor Date Section A: Reflection The global environment has paved way to a case in which scholars have increased focus on sustainability. Ideally, sustainability has the meaning of achieving the present needs in the absence of compromise of the ability of future needs to meet their needs. Therefore, human beings have to make use of their resources in a manner that will ensure that they will not be depleted for the future generations. Ideally, sustainability has the core philosophy of going green; ideally, in all activities, human beings ought to have primary emphasis on the conservation of the natural environment and the resources in it. A critical review of production industries indicate that managers ought to have a careful plan for product development in their organizations in order to ensure optimization with respect to the use of resources that are available. In their planning, contemporary managers ought to employ the concepts of circular economy and value creation. The article on luxury fashion was authored by Angela Finn in the year 2011. The article has primary focus on the role of fashion in developing sustainable fashion design and luxury fashion goods. The author of the article defines luxury as something which is a consumer’s want rather than a need. It is worth noting that there has been a significant growth in luxury brands as a result of global markets. There has also been a change in consumers’ perception of luxury services and goods as a result of the growth in global markets. According to the article “The anatomy of a Luxury Brand” such conditions as design and product attributes of craftsmanship and innovative, quality, and unique products are essential in discussing fashion design. There is often interchanged use of the terns “innovative” and ”creative”; the two terms demonstrate connection with most design process descriptions thus, in most cases, giving the definition of design. According to Fredrik Hacklin and Christian Marxt, design communities ought to have adequate knowledge of the difference between ‘innovative’ and ‘creative’. With respect to theory building in the field designing there could be significant problems arising from the call for awareness of the difference between “innovative” and “creative”. According Angela Finn (2011), there has been particular interest from contemporary researchers in the exploration of ways leading to the realization of a more sustainable industry of fashion; however, these researchers are faced by a significant challenge, which is consumer behavior. It is worth noting that textile tones have been dumped on markets of developing countries or buried in land fill as a result the need for people to keep on replacing fashion clothing. The author of the article notes that these people have been changing their clothing even before it is worn out in order to match the most current fashion. These practices are somehow unsustainable with respect to the discipline of research and design. The author of the article observes that researchers, academics, politicians, publicists, brand managers, and marketing managers have developed keen concern in the concept sustainability and its meaning. This explains why there are at least 100 known definitions of the phrase sustainable development. Sustainable development is subject to significant creativity and innovation. Several scholars have also related fashion with sustainable development; this has the implication that in order to achieve sustainable fashion, there individuals ought to demonstrate an immense deal of creativity and innovation. Individuals my get substantial information on lean production from journal articles, Google searches, and conferences; however, technologies, processes, and strategies associated with this mode of production could be quite complex. It is worth noting that performance tools and strategies, inclusive of SCOR, are of much essence to lean production. Ideally, lean production refers to a systemic method that has the objective of eliminating waste in the course of manufacturing. In the course of reviewing lean production, one has to take into consideration the creation of waste via overburden and via unevenness in work loads. Ideally, operations via the client perspective refer to any process or action that a product consumer would show the will to pay for. In reality, it is observed that organizations are characteristic of several ‘supply chains’ which run via them a 3-D configuration. There is a trend which sees companies operate with parties upstream and downstream via putting together their respective logistics. A review of existing literature and personal reflection reveals a number of types of supply chains. In this case, fully flexible, lean, continuous replenishment, and agile have been identified as the common types of supply chains (Silverman, 2007). These dour different types of supply chains are distinguished on grounds of unique features reflected in heir main emphasis. In spite of particular chains’ specific nature, there is need for organizations to come up with a formulation of appropriate strategies alongside effective service delivery processes in order to achieve success (Sturken & Cartwright, 2001). This has the implication that managers ought to possess robust technologies and analytical tools in order to come up with decisions on operations of their supply chains in the midst of competitive market places. The article “Linking long term capacity management for manufacturing and service operations” authored by Olhager & Johansson, 2012, examines different capacity planning strategies that are significance in manufacturing and service operations. This is because firms combining manufacturing and service operations encounter a range of challenges. In order to develop a unified framework in manufacturing and service operations, there are different models and concepts that are based on capacity planning strategies (Olhager & Johansson, 2012). The other article “Sewing up lower costs from failing commodity prices” authored by McKinsey, discusses the possible consequences on the capacity of the existing infrastructure that is owned by textile firms that have declined in commodity prices of cotton and oil. Furthermore, McKinsey suggests different strategies that textile firms need to adopt to manage their business (Traldi, Gill & Braithwaite, 2009). Reflectively, the success of both manufacturers and managers of supply chains depend on a common set of factors. A critical analysis of a number of articles (authored by various scholars) reveals that these factors can be illustrated by such real life industries as the design and fashion industry. Ideally, this is one of the industries in which sustainability (as a factor affecting success of manufacturers and suppliers) plays a crucial role. This is because the various business leaders in these fields ought to make use of the available resources in a manner which will not deplete resources for future use. Technology also has significant effect on the success of production companies and supply chains. Ideally, there is a close relationship between modern technology and efficiency in service and product delivery. Notably, customers tend to exhibit loyalty to companies that present them with the latest economic experience. In addition, technology also contributes to appropriate management decisions thus great opportunity of success of manufacturing companies and supply chains. Section B: Tutorial Activities TOPIC 3 Activity 1: How Processes should change as a result of circular economy The application of CE principles can significantly change processes of Icebreaker supply chain. The supply chain ought to employ processes that have the ability to accommodate nutrients circulation at high quality with no entrance to the biosphere, and biological nutrients that enter the biosphere (Finn, 2008). Supply chain managers will be required to make initiate management decisions that support restorative flow of products. Via the application of circular economy principles, the supply chain will have to significantly change its purchasing processes; ideally, as a result of the restorative nature of the economy the supply chain will have to avoid acquiring, from the manufacturers, more than the capacity of its distribution. Activity 2: Differences across Concepts sustainability Sustainable supply Chains LFC CE The concept of indefinitely moving on with a defined behavior. The ability of supply chains to use their present resources, and realize profits, while saving for the future Introduces the 4R concept which stands fro reuse, recycle, return, and repurpose an industrial economy’s generic term that is restorative Activity 3: Ideas from the Phones Recycling case that can apply to sustainability of the design and fashion industry: LFC,-in order to eliminate stress on textile resources, the ideas of reuse, recycle, return, and repurpose ought to be employed effectively (Gattorna, 2008) Sustainability-the fashion industry ought to apply the sustainability idea to ensure that the use of current textile resources saves for the continuity of the industry (Gattorna, nd). CE-The fashion industry ought to employ the circular economy idea to ensure that the flow of products and resources within the industry is restorative. TOPIC 4 Activity 1: Adapting Lean Manufacturing Principles Lean principles employ technologies based on the internet with an objective of effecting collaborative, real-time service and product transfer synchronization, vital information of market place, logistics delivery capabilities, alongside demand priorities (Brundtland, 1987). It is worth noting that the roots of the lean field are in the Toyota automobile production system core principles (Fraser, 2009). The core values are the creation of value for product consumers, rigorous identification and elimination of waste, and continuous improvement of processes. There are a number of ways in which lean manufacturing differs with lean supply chain, with scale being the most obvious. It is worth noting that a lean manufacturer has the goal of optimizing flow for operational procedures inside the walls of the company. On the other hand, a lean supply chain manager has the goal of optimizing connections across national and organizational borders. The approach used by supply chain managers is inclusive of several relationships among suppliers and customers. Ideally, this is an approach with the objective of optimizing the value stream and calls for a robust collaborative approach, alongside transparency spanning the network and the enterprise (Chanel, 1965). Activity 2: Technologies that enhance performance in Food and Beverage Industry RFID and Portable Printing are two technologies that can effectively be used to improve performance the food and beverage supply chain. It is worth noting that these two technologies have equipped food and beverage supply chains with enhanced process automation and efficiency. Ideally, these technologies have the capability of opening emergent frontiers in process automation and supply chain transparency (Davis, 2007). A number of surveys that have been carried out have recognized the essence of moving supply chains to the next level of technology as it enhances their performance. Indeed, most of the food and beverage supply chains surveyed have enhanced their efficiency and transparency by at least 50% as a result of these two technologies. Indeed, the supply chains that are yet to embrace the new tools are in the implementation process or are planning how to implement them (Heijungs, Huppes & Guinée, 2010). Activity3: Application of Lean concept, VSM mapping tool, and the two technologies: Lean concept, VSM mapping tool, and the two technologies can effectively be used to enhance performance in the Bega cheese industry. Ideally, this is one of the food industries that have lately demonstrated stiff competition both among manufacturers and among supply chains. This has the implication that participants in the industry have ton do everything possible to gain a competitive edge against their opponents (Finn, 2008). Therefore, the Bega cheese industry can employ the fore-mentioned tools to improve efficiency thus a competitive advantage for market participants. In such a competitive food and beverage market as Bega cheese, product consumers will be attracted by the supply chain making use of the latest technology hence efficiency and transparency in the delivery of services and products (Finn & Finn, 2010). TOPIC 5 Activity 1: Supply Chain for one of the 10 best innovations of the fashion industry The innovation “Dying with Air, Saving Gallons of Water” would effectively be distributed using Continuous Replenishing Supply Chains (Reynolds, 2005). The innovation seems to target celebrities and this type of supply chains represent the genuine ‘collaborative’. They exhibit a primary emphasis of maintain their relationships with the loyal customers. It is worth noting that approximately 20 loyal customers could represent 60% of such a supply chain’s revenues (Richards, 2003). Activity 2: Supply Chain for Australian Food and Beverage global company Starbucks: Being an outsized, multinational company, Starbucks would best employ lean supply chains (Romeo, 2009). This is because of the immense deal of food and beverage technology associated with this type of supply chain. It is worth noting that, in these supply chains, the ERP system is the primary technology; it normally has the support of a Network Optimization Modeling tool (Marxt & Hacklin, 2005). There are also such other execution systems as RFID and Labor Management System. Agile Supply Chains have primary emphasis on the speed of response regardless the costs involved. TOPIC 6 Activity1: “What Apple can teach us about a new Product” The “Eureka” moment is evident in Apple’s approach of new products; it calls for analytical and marketing team in order to have a peaking race towards the development of innovative services. In a month or so, the Apple App store will have thousands of new apps (Sellappa, Prathyumnan, Joseph,, Keyan, & Balachandar, 2010). Activity 2: Design (for a chosen company) The company offers an exciting experience to its customers as illustrated by engagement of potential customers, line of interaction, line of visibility, and support processes. The design can be illustrated by the graph below: Physical evidence Invitation to fashion show Website, emails, social media Flyer Signage, billboard, freebies User action Taking invitation Interest in new designs Engage with potential customers to event Consuming physical product, Making research Line of interaction Onstage contact person Ushers, security Customer service Sales person Customer service Line of visibility Backstage contact person Designers, make up, hair (artists) Sale managers (process sales) Designer (for flyer) Companies, Organisation Line of internal interaction Support process Lighting, stage design, catering IT Printing delivery Inventory Figure 1: Design showing customer experience for a fashion company Activity 3: Application of the meaning of experience economy The article ‘welcome to experience economy’ has key emphasis on the change of economies. Ideally, the full history of economic progress is often recapitulated in the birthday cake four-stage evolution (Richards, 2003). Economic value has four progression stages. These are: extract commodities, make goods, deliver services, and stage experiences (Romeo, 2009). The article observes the selling experiences concept which has been found to be spreading beyond theme parks and theatres (Weaver, 2010). In a fashion show, this concept can effectively be used in the provision of particular details on the experience of the customer. In addition, in a fashion show, this concept can be used in highlighting the processes that can be provided in the physical domain or virtually (Sellappa, Prathyumnan, Joseph & Balachandar, 2010). The use of the five design principles discussed in the article has no the obvious consequence of success; ideally demand and supply laws have not been repealed by anyone. Notably, companies that exhibit failure in providing consistent engagement experiences are always faced by pressure with respect to pricing, demand, or both. TOPIC 7 Activity 1: Appropriate Capacity Management Strategies for Woolworth Lead or Lag Demand would be appropriate as a capacity management strategy for Woolworth. Regarding a manufacturing strategy, a structural decision category would focus on capacity thus addressing timing and quantity capacity acquisitions with respect to demand (Chanel, 1965). Notably, a “lead” demand strategy has the implication of the advance acquisition of capacity in order to have increase of demand. This also has the implication of overcapacity and subcontracting need. On the other hand, a “lag” demand strategy has the implication of no addition of capacity as long as there is no full utilization of this capacity with the emergent demand (Traldi, Gill & Braithwaite, 2009). It is recommended for Woolworth to use this capacity management strategy considering that it is venturing in a competitive market which is also faced by the demand of sustainable use of resources. Ideally, the company ought to look for advance capacity to build demand, while at the same time checking the ability to utilize the capacity, considering that it majorly deals with resources that can be depleted. Activity 2 Designation Activity Predecessors Time (Weeks) Get a GS1 Company Prefix A - 2 Assign numbers B - 3 Select a barcode printing method C A 2 Select a ‘primary’ scanning environment D A, B 4 Configure barcode feature/design E C 4 Choose a barcode colour F C 3 Pick the barcode placement G D, E 5 Build a barcode quality H F, G 2 ES-EF Gantt Chart 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 A B C D E F G H Critical Path References Bader, P. (2008). On the Path to a Culture of Sustainability ‐ Conceptual Approaches. Nachhaltigkiet. 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