Weldon Hand Tools Case Study

Weldon Hand Tools Case Study This report discusses designing a production process to produce Weldon hand tool, the product detail, the time for assembling each element as well as the sales focus of the product are all given in the case study. The report first start with calculating the number of staff required for each volume of work per quarterly for the two years period of the sales forecast ,then looks at the required technology and facility to assemble the product, it then further discuss proposed design layout for assembling operation, lastly the report discusses the likely adjustment of the propose layout should the demands increases and finally the report ends with conclusion recommending the need to balance between demands and capacity in a well organised production that supply the market with a reliable, and fairly price tool. Staffing In terms of determining how many staff is needed to work in assembling of smoothing plane manufacturing plant, given the sales forecast for the next two years we assume that each employerto works 35 hours per week for 48 weeks a year excluding the holidays. For simplicity this report will only show the calculation of the 1st quarter, the 2nd and the last quarter of the 2nd year of sales forecast of the staff required and the rest is provide as shown in the table in fig 1 below. 2.1- Calculation 1st Quarter The required number of staff for the sales volume in the next two years.We first calculate the total time available per quarterly. The sales forecast for the first quarter is 98,000 units and given that it takes 1.60 minutes to assemble one unit, the time needed to assemble the 98,000 units will be 98,000 X 1.60= 156800 minutes. In assuming the full time workers work 35 hours a week (7 hour a day for 5 working days) one worker working 12 weeks will be 35 hrs X 12weeks X 60 minutes=25200 mins Therefore number of worker that is needed for manufacturing 98,000 units will be 156800/25200= 6.222 This will be equivalent to 7 people as there is no fraction of people 2.2- Calculation 2nd Quarter The sales forecast for this quarter is 140,000 units, therefore the time requires to assemble it is 140,000 X 1.6 = 224000 From equation 1 the time available for one worker will be 35 hrs X 12weeks X 60 minutes= 25200 mins Hence the number of staff required will be 224000/25200 = 8.888 equivalent to 9 people Subsequently every quarter is calculated the same till the last quarter. Therefore the sales forecast for the last quarter of the 2nd year is 230,000 units and given that it takes 1.60 minutes to assemble one unit the time needed to assemble will be 230,000 units will be 230,000 X 1.60= 368,000 minutes. Therefore the number of people required to work for the quarter will be. Since it was assume that full time workers working 35 hours a week (7 hour a day for 5 working days) one worker working for 12 weeks will be 35 hrs X 12weeks X 60 minutes=25200 mins Therefore number of worker that is needed for manufacturing 98,000 unit will be 368,000/25200= 14.603 This will be equivalent to 15 people as there is no fraction of people. In conclusion we see the demand is not constant and there is inflation and deflation in demand to solve this we either employ more worker or ask the existing staff to do some extra over time when ever demand increase Facilities and technology Since the sales forecast shows a high demand selecting the required facilities and technology in designing the manufacturing process for Weldon hand tools is very crucial therefore the first and foremost things to consider is the size of the facility and if there is room for expansion .the operation process and the required work force We need to have in place capital and labour, proper planning of the process, research on customer requirement, seminars and training to compete in the market as the sales forecast shows increase and decrease in demand and finally managing the inventory by having warehouse for the stocks Assembling smoothing plane can be divided into three major area, fly pressing, bench operation andwrapping, other than fly pressing which requires pressingmachine,the general operation is reasonably simple so some of the technology and facilities required are Press machines for press operation Customised kits for efficient bench operation Stapler, truck, and wrapping bench for easy handling of tools and wrapping Design layout Design layout is significant process in operation management ,the flow of the layout very much relies on the volume and variety characteristic which shapes the overall design (Slack et al, 2010).The decision as to which layout type to adopt will be influenced by an understanding of their relative advantages and disadvantages (Slack et al, 2010). Therefore in order to design the layout we need first to identify the type of manufacturing process that smoothing planes is. As per the case study and according to its sales focus there is indication that this is high volume output and low variety operation and so this can be class as a mass process manufacturing process and so product base layout is the appropriate design layout.Since that the new product has a similar design with little variation, the design layout can be the same as the small variation does not affect the fundamental production process. Finally the main factors that determine the design layout in this case study is the ease in which expansion can be made to meet the increasing demand, focusing on the process to combine flexibility with a minimum lead timeare the main The layout therefore can be organised in simple and flexible manner so as to enhance the speed of production and reduce inventory while meeting the expected increase of demand The first task is solely a fly press operation in order to minimise idle time between the work stations. The operation will be organised such as each unit recovers the goods from the previous unit 4.1- Layout stages S0 by numbering the element available to assemble the task 1-12 so as to calculate the number of e stages required for the product layout. This is worked out by requiring the cycle time, even though the cycle time for each quarter was shown in the above table in Fiq1, we will show the calculation of how it was arrive , but in term of calculating the stages we only need the sales of the first quarter Since the sales forecast for the first quarter is 98,000 unit and given that it takes 1.60 minutes to assemble one unit, its assume that full time workers work 35 hours a week (7 hour a day for 5 working days)the net time available for work in 12 weeks(1st quarter) will be 35 hrs. X 12weeks X 60 minutes=25200 minutes Therefore the required cycle time =total time available/work volume 25200/98000= 0.257 mins No of stages required will be = total volume /cycle time 1.6/0.257 = 6.222= 7 stages Having known the number of stages we then list the element 1-2 and draw the precedence diagram to calculate the balancing loss Element 1: Assemble poke subassembly 0.12 Element 2: Fit poke subassembly to frog 0.10 Element 3: Rivet adjusting level to frog 0.15 Element 4: Press adjusting nut screw to frog 0.08 Element 5: Fit adjusting nut to frog 0.15 Element 6: Fit frog screw to frog 0.05 Element 7: Fit knob to base 0.15 Element 8: Fit handle to base 0.17 Element 9: Fit frog subassembly to base 0.15 Element 10: Assemble blade subassembly 0.08 Element 11: Assemble blade subassembly, clamp and label to base and adjust 0.20 Element 12: Make up box and wrap plane, pack and stock 0.20 Fiq3below displays the final distribution of work after breaking down the process into different stages of the long thin arrangement, the advantage is that its an ideal way of arranging flexible and expandable operation., makes moving and handling materials between unit effective and as well as providing adequate amount of floor space . 0.15 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¢ 0.08 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚   à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ £ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¥ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¨ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ª à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ «Ã‚   0. 12 0.10 0.08 0.15 0.05 0.15 0.17 0.15à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ © 0.20 0.20 Fig2 Element listing and precedence diagram 4.2- Calculating balancing loss 0.15 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¢ 0.08 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚   à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¡ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ £ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¥ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¨ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ª à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ «Ã‚   0. 12 0.10 0.08 0.15 0.05 0.15 0.17 0.15à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ © 0.20 0.20 Stage1 stage2 satge3 stage4 satge5 stage6 stage7 stage8 Cycle time = 0.26 0.23 0.23 0.22 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.17 0.15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Idle time of every cycle =(0.26-0.22)+(0.26-0.25)+(0.26-0.20)+(0.26-0.15)+(0.26-0.17)+(0.26-0.23)+(0.26-0.20)+0.26-0.20) = 0.45 Balance loss = 0.45/8 0.26 = 21.6 % Fig 3 Allocation of element to stages and balancing loss for Weldon hand tool fig2 Meeting the demand In meeting increasing demand the above design layout can be adjusted by rearranging the stages. The conventional arrangement of the eight stages was to arrange them in one line and each stage takes 0.257 minutes (cycle time) worth of work; however this can be rearranged in to four shorter lines each stage with 0.514 minutes worth of work will give the same output. So following this conclusion the stages could be arranged in 8 parallel stages each responsible for the whole worked content, the advantage is that it will save time for product transportation both within the site and the nearby building where facilities are located, create plenty of space within the site hence enhancing easy expansion to meet increase in demand and finally the inventory will also assist to place the product well in stock Lastly the above layout has concentrated on the labour time effectiveness of assembling one unit per hour per person,however concentrating on speed and quickness of machines may encounter any competition of demand and capacity Conclusion In operational management capacity planning such knowing what is the size of the facilities, the geographical location and the row material for the production process is fundamental, crucial and necessary To successful manage the Weldon hand tool manufacturing process its desirable that the layout be design in a flexible way to rearrange stages that will create more rooms for expansion so as to meet future demands and capacity. The flexibility also makes the transportation (moving and handling) of materials between unit effective Finally at the moment the sales forecast does not predicts smooth distribution of demand to encounter this problem of inflation and deflation of the sales, marketing the product through sales promotion could improve the demand distribution to a smooth increase throughout the quarters.

My Year in France Essay -- How Education Has Changed My Life

The bus is swerving around corners at uncomfortable speeds, but no one seems to notice. My bags are falling all over the place, while everyone else's are clutched calmly at their sides. I'm wearing a collered shirt with khakis, and everyone else is wearing black I'm feeling a little out of place. Â   As the shuttle zooms between the various terminals at Paris's Charles de Gualle Airport, I glance nervously at my watch. I have a reservation on the train to Marseille that leaves in 20 minutes. In French, I call up to the driver from the middle of the bus, 'is this stop the train station ?' No one responds. I call again, 'is this stop the train station?' A girl my age timidly shakes her head 'no.' I approach the bus driver three stops later and ask him which stop is the train station, and he responds, 'it was the last stop, Monsieur.' I asked him why he didn't indicate that fact to me, as he had heard me call out earlier, and he curtly replied, 'you didn't ask me, Monsieur.' Â   I missed that train, and had to go into Paris to take the next train, which got me into Marseille several hours later than planned, and into Aix-en-Provence with just enough time for the receptionist at my hotel to inform me that my room had been sold because they thought I wasn't coming. My year in France was off to a frustrating start. Â   Flash to mid-November, ten weeks later. After rolling out of bed in my loft, which is decorated with seventeenth century frescos, I climbed downstairs to fix my French toast in my well-equiped kitchen, complete with a view of a courtyard. I'm worried about finding time to go shopping for tonight's dinner party, what kind of wine I should pick up, and whether I should go to Florence or ... ...ure don't look American anymore. Gone are the bluejeans and concert T-shirts. Gone are the IU sweatshirts. In are turtleneck pulls, dark slacks, and smart shoes. Â   I have grown accustomed to the breakneck speed French drivers maintain, and have learned to travel light. I now know to ask the bus driver first thing to signal my stop, and they are always happy to do so. Â   It's amazing how quickly something so different can become so familiar. For me, that is what I love about traveling-learning to understand the differences in order to discover all the similarities. Looking into that girl's eyes and seeing her complete and utter despair, I realized that my mere ten weeks had already given me the knowledge and attitude necessary to feel comfortable in this foreign place. The learning curve in the months that have followed has been exponential.

The Importance of Characterization

Characterization is the process by which the author brings a character to life. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses exceptional characterization throughout the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. There are four methods of characterization which can be revealed through direct characterization and indirect characterization. The most common method of characterization is the narrator’s direct description of a character. This is a very important method as it enables the reader to have a vivid picture in their mind. The method of the character’s own words and actions or the method where the character’s reveals their own feelings allows the reader to become engulfed in the novel. The fourth and final method is how the other characters react to him and what they say about him. This allows the reader to interact with the other characters as well. Sir Henry, Mr. Barrymore and Mr. Stapleton are excellently characterized throughout the novel. Characterization is a method used by an author to develop a character. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle explicitly uses characterization to describe Sir Henry Baskerville. The reader can clearly visualize Sir Henry when the author uses the narrator’s direct description. â€Å"The latter was a small, alert, dark-eyed man about thirty years of age, very sturdily built, with thick black eyebrows and a strong, pugnacious face† (Doyle 40). The reader can sense the grief put upon Sir Henry as the author uses characterization to describe the character’s own feelings. â€Å"He walked slowly back the way he had come, his head hanging, the very picture of dejection† (123). The author’s technique of using the method of how other characters react to him and what they say about him enables the reader to understand how others feel about himâ€Å" Our friends title, his fortune, his age, his character, and his appearance are all in his favour, and I know nothing against him, unless it be the dark fate which runs in his family† (126). Sir Henry is thoroughly described using the methods of characterization. Mr. Barrymore is also accurately described using characterization. Mr. Barrymore is a trustworthy individual which is demonstrated by the character’s own words and actions. â€Å"It is my business, and not yours. I will not tell† (131). Mr. Barrymore is vividly described using the narrator’s direct description. â€Å"The man is a striking-looking fellow, very well equipped to steal the heart of a country girl† (118). It is made obvious to the reader how one character reacts to another using the fourth method of cha racterization. â€Å"It seemed to me that the pallid features of the butler turned a shade paler still as he listened to his master’s question† (87). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described Mr. Barrymore to the exact degree using characterization. Mr. Jack Stapleton is described precisely using many methods of characterization. Mr. Stapleton is a secretive man and kept his opinions to himself. This is demonstrated by using the method of the character’s own feelings. â€Å"Stapleton was guarded in his replies, but it was easy to see that he said less than he might, and he would not express his whole opinion out of consideration for the feelings of the baronet† (109-110). It was evident that Mr. Stapleton was a naturalist using the narrator’s direct description of the man. â€Å"A tin box of botanical specimens hung over his shoulder and he carried a green butterfly-net in one of his hands† (90). The reader can clearly sense Dr. Watson’s reaction to Mr. Stapleton using the reactive characterization. â€Å"The words took away my breath for an instant but a glance at the placid face and steadfast eyes of my companion showed no surprise was intended† (92). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is genuinely able to describe Mr. Stapleton by using characterization. Characterization generates a plot and is revealed by actions, speech, thoughts and other characters’ thoughts. All four distinct characterizations are used throughout the novel. Sir Henry, Mr. Barrymore and Mr. Stapleton are excellently characterized in the novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles. All four methods of characterization are equally important to produce a bestsellin g novel. Characterization is essential in all novels as it aids the reader to visualize a character to their fullest potential.

Correcting an Incorrect Business Email

Correcting an Incorrect Business Email What is the best way to correct an error in an email sent to multiple recipients, if you are listed in the cc: line of that email, along with other recipients? It can be a little confusing, because if you are listed on the cc: line you can assume you are being informed, with no expectation of a response from you. However, the one exception to this rule is when you know the message to be incorrect, requiring you to correct the misunderstanding. If time is not critical, do not reply to all and correct the sender. Instead, email the sender, explaining your correction, and ask him or her to resend the corrected information to the same recipient group. Only if the sender does not correct the message should you alert the group with your correction. If time does not allow you to alert the sender to correct the message, only then should you reply to all with your correct information. And, be kind and phrase your correction clearly but tactfully. This applies in both business email and personal email. I received a message from a friend this morning alerting me and a large group of recipients how to detect a two-way mirror in case we were being spied upon in clothing dressing rooms. Ok, it was silly. Still, my friend who sent this message is well-intentioned and a nice lady. Another recipient replied to everyone, providing a terse message that the sender was incorrect and included a Snopes link (a site which identifies urban legends) refuting her two-way mirror test. This correction was unkind. The corrector should have sent the Snopes link to the original sender and given her an opportunity to make her own correction. Give a colleague or a friend a chance to wipe the egg off their own face, before you throw some more. Master business email in your career in this Email Course.

Amazon and eCommerce essays

Amazon and eCommerce essays Amazon.com is now an online retailer of books, toys, music, DVDs, clothing, house-wares and a variety of other products. Its services are aimed primarily at the internet consumer, the person who goes online and uses Amazon.coms website to find a product. It all began in 1994 when Jeff Bezo, Amazon.coms CEO and founder, believed books had the potential to be sold on the internet. It was clear that computers and the internet could be uniquely applied to organize, present and sell the entire stock in a way that a physical store or mail-order catalogue couldnt possibly imagine. After one year of building a support infrastructure, Amazon.com was launched in 1995. In May 1997, Amazon.com went public at a price of $18 a share raising $54 million in its public stock offering. I believe the single biggest reason why Amazon.com has been successful while other ecommerce companies have failed can be attributed directly to its continued focus on the customers needs and satisfaction. Any business , large or small, willing to be more conscientious and treat customers like human beings can achieve profitability. For success on the internet, the business and customer experience is more important than the web site on which it is built. Amazon.com continually moves towards creating the electronic equivalent of a personnel-shopping assistant to distinguish itself from all possible competition. They do not wish to be viewed as just another online store. Amazon.coms leading role has also meant the company is constantly exploring uncharted territory. It also means constantly tweaking plans while trying to figure out how people want to shop online. They were able to increase the customer experience through improved operations. Were different from other online retailers in that we have a technology base that allows customers to find, discover and glean out of hundreds of millions of products, those that ...

Cuban Collection Against the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cuban Collection Against the US - Essay Example After the collapse of the communist U.S.S.R. in 1991 Cuban military capability has diminished to a great length, and the government uses Direccion General de Intelligencia (DGI) to provide security against an interference of the internal affairs of the country from the U.S. The Cuban regime knows it too well the threat they face from the United State government and have sent DGI agents to gather intelligence and prepare the regime to counter any philosophical ideas in the country social, economic and political structures. This was evidenced by the arrest of the Cuban Five in 1998 in the U.S, Ana Montes in 2001 and Gwendolyn & Walter in 20093. This demonstrates how the Cuban prioritize on spying on the U.S government even with the defeat of communism. According to the House Committee on foreign relations, Cuba posed a threat to American citizen. Ms. Ros Lehtinen argued that the Castro regime threatened the U.S. national security interest with its state sponsored terrorism operation just 9 miles away from American shores4. The committee members also discusses the Cuban espionage operation by the Wasp network in the country’s military installations. Moreover, the Cuban regime has had used its spy agent to attack the U.S cyber system. The tension between Cuba and the United State is so severe that many CIA agent have died while in Latin America as a result of their counterpart in the U.S colluding to provide classified information to the Cuban regime. The Cuban regime has also used its doctors to spy on its behalf when they are shipped all over the world5. Fidel Castrol has been a stabling block of U.S President that have assumed office since he seized power in 19596. The U.S tried to remove Castrol from power in the early 1960 through spying and other scheme, but it failed in all its operations. For this reason, the DGI and foreign contracted CIA agent

Youth and Interschool Sport Injuries Research Paper

Youth and Interschool Sport Injuries - Research Paper Example 2011). One study that was done on the subject is described in the article titled, â€Å"Football-Related Injuries Among 6- to 17-Year-Olds Treated in US Emergency Departments, 1990-2007† (Id.). Prior research estimated that the US has between 300,000 and 1.2 million injuries annually that are related to football (Shankar et al., 2007). Since the injury rate is so high, better injury prevention strategies must be developed; and, in order to develop them, more research is needed to help fill in all the gaps in the existing research. Very little research on youth football-related injuries currently exists that has a nationally representative sample (Nation et al., 2011). For example, many prior studies only included injuries occurring in organized league play and disregarded injuries that happened during unorganized play (Id.). Some other prior studies focus only on one specific geographic location or type of injury; therefore, none of those studies contained a sample that repres ents the national population so the results are not widely applicable (Id.). In order to obtain more widely applicable results, the current research included children from 6- to 17-years old that had been treated for a football-related injury in a US emergency department between 1990 and 2007 (Id).