Operation Management at Yakult - Case Study Example

rаtiоns Rероrt on Yаkult Name Institution Course Tutor Date 1. Operations process is important for any organisation. Although all operations processes look similar in that they all transform inputs, they do differ in a number of ways such as volume of output, variety of output, variation of demand for their output. a. Develop a flowchart for the Yakult production process. Explain the production process. Discuss the process strategy. Are there any customised products available at the facilities? Yakult production process Yakult follows a set of production process with a flow that is ongoing. This is conducted in order to prevent the milk from going bad. There is no involvement of network despite occurrence of malfunctioning or fault of the mixture in the process of producing milk where the entire set of activities is discarded. It becomes impossible for the workers to re-work on the same process or rectify a certain problem (Wright, Wright, & Murray, 2014, p. 29). Milk suppliers are located in the entire area of India, but milk is specifically procured from Dynamix and Hatsun. On the other hand, sugar is acquired from Symbaoli and Mawana. In addition, the Glucose is obtained from Sukhjeet and Maze products. The entire production process takes a period of 70 seconds to complete the entire cycle. This is when a Yakult bottle would be ready for taking. All these raw ingredients are mixed together before being sterilized. It is also transported in a dissolving tank then to the culture tank where there is separation of milk and taken to the seed tank and then to the mixing and storage machine. From the storage tank, the product is taken to the mixing tank then to bottle molding machine and then to selector machine and to printing machine (Rault, Ferrari, Pluske, & Dunshea, 2015, p. 22). There is also conduct of the printed bottle being sent to the filling, capping, or sealing machine and then to the packing machine where the milk is fully packed. The Yakult is then stored in a cold room ready to be delivered through refrigerated trucks for sale to the direct consumers, are through home delivery through a door-to-door delivery process. The process strategy is effective and useful because it allows production of quality and safe products there is production of products of the highest qualities (Wright, et al. 2014, p. 47). In the process, there are very minimal customized products because it enhances processing of around 99% of the raw ingredients. b. What is Yakult’s inventory policy (raw materials inventory, work-in-process inventory, finished goods inventory) in production and how do they manage the inventory? How do they distribute their goods? The raw material inventory is the milk, glucose, and sugar, there is no work-in-progress inventory and the finished goods inventory is the ‘probiotic fermented milk drinks’ or the probiotic. Sometimes the inventory depends with the ingredients applied in the production process where the finished goods are mostly different. There is the skimmed milk is always available from the suppliers. The inventory is managed through controlled temperature through the coolers. To keep the Yakult safe for human consumption, the company ensures quick distribution and preservation in the refrigerators, which have reliable source of energy. A bacteria is required to make the milk last for a long period. Distribution of Yakult is conducted through direct sakes where the product is taken to the supermarkets, schools, vending machines, retail, and expediency stores, as well as being exported to the Brunei (Rault, et al. 2015, p. 26). There is also conduct of home delivery through door-to-door transportation in the estates having public housing and this is through the support from the ‘Yakult lady agents’. Yakult is sold locally and internationally through retail shops, which are allocated some effective coolers. Distribution is conducted very fast and within a very short period in order to enhance quality. This activity is conducted through vehicles and trolleys that have refrigerators to enhance cooling of the product on the way to the target destination. c. How do Yakult and HRC ensure sustainability in operations? To ensure sustainability in the Yakult operations, there is emphasis of waste recycling and treatment before being disposed to the environment. The packaging of Yakult is done using packages that can be recycles. There is also avoidance of usage of chemicals when processing the Yakult to prevent effect to the human health. There is maintenance of cleanliness in the entire process where rainwater is usually harvested for the cleaning purposes. Yakult ensures that the ingredients applied in production of Yakult are acquired from suppliers who support environmental sustainability (Betz, Uzueta, Rasmussen, Gregoire, Vanderwall, & Witowich, 2015, p. 65). For sustainability if the Yakult operations’ there is ensuring of application of anti-pollutant technologies in all activities, as well as production of healthy and quality products that enhance improvement of consumers’ health now and in the future. 2. Supply chain is important for any business operations. Draw a supply chain network (suppliers, manufacturer, distributors, retailers etc.) of your studied company (HRC or Yakult). Describe the role of information, demand and cash flow with the chain. Discuss logistics activities with the chain? Yakult engages into manufacturing, packaging, storage, as well as distribution of the Yakult to the retailers and consumers. The research and development is conducted to understand the status of the market, as well as the customer preferences in order to make critical decision associated with production. The raw materials are acquired from the suppliers in order to make the production process effective (Iyer, Phillips, & Kailasapathy, 2013, p. 38). The manufacturing is conducted in different stages from the acquisition of the ingredients, mixing, sterilization, mixing, packing, and storage. The process is conducted in a continuous manner to prevent re-setting, which is not possible through the Yakult production process (Barrett, Canale, Gearry, Irving, & Gibson, 2008, p. 5020). There are different tanks involved in the production of Yakult and every tank is used for a different task. The last stage is the packaging stage where the ready Yakult is package to the printed bottles and the taken for storage in the refrigerator ready for distribution. In addition, the transporting vehicles and trolleys are structured in a way that they have a refrigerator to enhance cooling of the Yakult or to enhance retention of the product in a manner that it does not get bad easily. The distribution process is carried out in the stores, which have the coolers and storage devices with low temperature. The transportation of the Yakult is conducted through refrigerated vans and delivery vehicles having the temperature of less than 4 degrees Celsius (Iyer, et al. 2013, p. 27). There is also distribution to the direct sellers like the supermarkets or to the institutions like schools. The retailers provides the Yakult to the households through door-to-door home delivery processes where consumers get the Yakult direct and when fresh. References Barrett, J. S., Canale, K. E., Gearry, R. B., Irving, P. M., & Gibson, P. R. 2008. Probiotic effects on intestinal fermentation patterns in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. World journal of gastroenterology: WJG, 14(32), 5020. Betz, M., Uzueta, A., Rasmussen, H., Gregoire, M., Vanderwall, C., & Witowich, G. 2015. Knowledge, use and perceptions of probiotics and prebiotics in hospitalised patients. Nutrition & Dietetics. Iyer, C., Phillips, M., & Kailasapathy, K. 2013. Survival and release of probiotic bacteria from chitosan-coated alginate-starch capsules in mice gastro-intestinal tract and effect on faecal flora and immune parameters in mice. International Journal of Fermented Foods, 2(1), 19-31. Rault, J. L., Ferrari, J., Pluske, J. R., & Dunshea, F. R. 2015. Neonatal oxytocin administration and supplemental milk ameliorate the weaning transition and alter hormonal expression in the gastrointestinal tract in pigs. Domestic animal endocrinology, 51, 19-26. Wright, K., Wright, H., & Murray, M. 2014. Probiotic treatment for the prevention of antibiotic‐associated diarrhoea in geriatric patients: A multicentre randomised controlled pilot study. 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