Operations Management Effective and Efficient Manner

Question: Discuss about theOperations Managementfor Effective and Efficient Manner. Answer: Introduction Operations management is a crucial aspect in monitoring the production process in an . The emerging techniques in the field of operations management are focused on reducing the wastage of resources and bringing the efficiency in the processes. The firms can not only reduce the costs, but can also deliver improved quality by adopting the best practices of operations management (Jones and Robinson, 2012). The current report is aimed at analyzing the production processes of a firm which is engaged in manufacturing CDs and DVDs. Primarily, the report focuses on finding out the factors causing downtime in the replication process and providing alternative ways for reducing the downtime. For this purpose, a rigorous analysis of the entire process of replication has been carried out before suggesting the alternative ways for improvements. Analysis of Current Situation In the current case, the management of the company is facing downtime issues in the replication process. The replication process is one of the crucial processes in the CDs/DVDs manufacturing operations. The production of the goods flows through replication to printing and then finally packaging. Thus, the replication process is among the initial processes. This means that if the downtime problem persists at the stage of replication, the production flow will be hindered causing the overall efficiency to go severely down (Barnes, 2008). In that case, the company will not be able to utilize the resources at the printing and packaging process resulting in suboptimal use. However, the analysis of the current case shows that the company has 85% in regard to replication department, 96% in the printing, and 80% in the packaging department. The above situation entails that the major problem is at final process that is packaging. The packaging process has the lowest capacity that is 80%. This implies that even the management is able to increase capacity of the replication process by reducing the downtime; still the production will not increase because the inventory will accumulate at the final process that is packaging. Therefore, the statement of the MD that what we can replicate, we can pack, is not correct. However, the reduction in the downtime in the replication process would definitely reduce the operations cost which will affect the profitability of the company positively. In regard to the replication process, it has been observed that the process has seven subsystems. Thus, the production in the replication process goes through seven stages such as injection moulding, metallization, bonding, spin coating, UV curving, conveyancing, vision system. There are many issues being encountered by the management in the entire replication process which are causing downtime. In the injection moulding, there is a lack of adequate manpower to handle the maintenance task. The company has only one person for maintenance who is also engaged in other tasks like assisting the crew members. Further, the moulds used in the process are also not supported by superior technology, which is also causing the downtime to increase. Moreover, the company also does not have sufficient funds to keep the high tech moulds as spare capacity. Further, the problems also persist in the metallization process. The deposition of aluminum particles on the DVD surface causes most of the downtime. Further, the machines and spare parts in the metallization process are also in critical condition requiring replacement. Moreover, the company does not have suitable default detection system so that the problems could be fixed. Further, due to defects in the metallization, the company is also not able to use DVD-9 bonder for bonding the DVDs. Apart from these processing issues relating to technology, few more issues causing downtime have been found out. The one among them is lack of qualified technicians in the replication process. Further, the company is also facing inadequacies in the staff capacity needed for maintenance. Further, there is no formal training being given by the company to the new personnel hired, which is also one of the primary reasons for increased downtime. Since, the staff capacity is inadequate; therefore, the personnel feel tired of the work and that causes absenteeism. The absenteeism adds to the downtime. Further, there is no standardized maintenance process and sometimes the maintenance goes unplanned which affects the flow of production adversely. The company also does not have proper system in regard to store administration. There is nobody appointed to keep record of the stores and spares and timely consider purchasing of the crucial equipment needed. The information system used by the company for maintaining records is also appear not be advanced as it is not adequately synchronized with the replication process. Proposals for Improvement The major issues in regard to the downtime are in the replication process. Thus, the replication process is needed to be looked into thoroughly for improvements. However, full benefits of the reduction in the downtime in the replication process could be reaped out only when the company enhances the capacity of packaging process which is the final process in the production system (Modrak and Vladimir, 2011). Therefore, apart from considering the improvements in the replication process, first it is needed that the MD considers improving packaging process to enhance its capacity. Currently, the replication process has the capacity of 85% while that of packaging process it is 80%. Thus, even if the efforts are made to increase the capacity of replication process, the company would not be able to get full benefits out of it because it will result only in accumulation of the inventory in front of the packaging process. In regard to improvement in the replication process, it is advisable to take up the injection moulding machine first. The company does not have sufficient resources for in-house repair and maintenance of the machines. Thus, it is recommended to outsource the maintenance task to the third party. As an alternative to outsourcing, the company can also build in-house capacity by hiring more personnel possessing adequate experience (Rockaway and Ball, 2007). The second most critical area identified for improvement is metallization. The metallization causes increase in the downtime perhaps more than any other process or sub-process; thus, it needs to be attended carefully. In order to improve the metallization process, it is very crucial to reduce the accumulation of aluminum particles on the DVD surface. For this purpose, it is suggested that the management considers replacement of the Pumps. Though, it would be quite costly, but the advantages might exceed the cost of replacement (Rockaw ay and Ball, 2007). Further, there is a great need for default detection system in the metallization process. The installation of the leak detection system is however costly, but it will benefit the company in two ways. It will not only reduce the cost and wastage, but also improve the quality of the products (Greasley, 2007). The installation of default detection system would also assist the company in considering installation of DVD-9 bonder in the bonding subsystem. This is because the faulty pieces will not enter into the bonding subsystem after installation of default detection system at the metallization subsystem. Further, there have been identified other areas for improvement such as training and recruitment, maintenance process and methods, store supervision, and information system. In regard to training and recruitment, it is advisable to have a proper system in place for selection of the candidates. Further, there must of a proper training program for the new joiners so that each personnel co uld be sufficiently trained on the crucial aspects of machine operations (Greasley, 2007). The personnel should be trained in such a manner that they are able to tackle small issues on their own without requiring involvement of an expert. Further, the company should also have dedicated teams for machine maintenance and the maintenance should be properly planned. For this purpose, there must be a formal planning process. Further, there is a need to appoint a person with responsibility to administer the stores. Besides this, the information system of the company is also required to be based on the integrated technology (Greasley, 2007). Request to MD It is requested to the managing director to consider the proposals made in this report and respond affirmatively. In this regard, the MD is first requested to approve the budget to ensure that the funds are available. Investment in moulds will require 100K and installation of the default detection system in the metallization process would require a fund of 150K. Further, the funds will also be required to hire more staff in the maintenance department, stores, and for information system upgrading. Further, the MD is also requested to accord her sanction for approval of the formal maintenance plans and processes. References Barnes, D. 2008. Operations Management: An International Perspective. Cengage Learning EMEA. Greasley, A. 2007. Operations Management. SAGE. Jones, P and Robinson, P. 2012. Operations Management. OUP Oxford. Modrak and Vladimir. 2011. Operations Management Research and Cellular Manufacturing Systems: Innovative Methods and Approaches: Innovative Methods and Approaches. IGI Global. Rockaway, T.D. and Ball, R.T. 2007. Guidelines to Minimize Downtime During Pipe Lining Operations. American Water Works Association.