Case Study - Copper Kettle Catering PDF

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MANG 471

Case Study Assignment

Case Study Title: Copper Kettle Catering

Question #1 Why is a visual management approach such an integral part of Autoliv’s lean system? The visual management approach is an integral part of Autoliv’s lean system for multiple process improvement reasons. Visual management creates a strong culture for communicates to all the employees have the same goal and purpose and reinforce the of the company’s vision of its values. Which Autoliv wants to foster a culture of continuous improvement. Autoliv’s uses what they call Autoliv’s Production System or APS which is bases based on a similar idea from Toyota. Based on the “house of Toyota” Autoliv’s house is similar with a roof of purpose a foundation of standards and three supporting pillars of jidoka which means “stop and fix” and Just in time but what made Autoliv’s addition to their visual management was a third central pillar of employee improvement. Autoliv wants communication and standards to be a huge part of their lean system. Customer satisfaction, Shareholder/ financial performance, and safety and quality are three standards that Autoliv has set for all of their employees. And to ensure these standards are being met Autoliv has monthly performance reviews that are in depth for each department. Daily communication of what products needs to be made for the customer through a hijunka room which keeps the communication from the customer all the way to the manufacturing very clear. Question #2 Describe the JIT considerations presented in the chapter as they relate to Autoliv’s manufacturing environment. According to the chapter a lean system is made to eliminate eight types of waste, produce services and products only as needed, and to continuously improve the value-added benefits of operations. Lean systems generally use inventory as a buffer to manage possible problems. A Jit system views excess inventory as waste and work to produce only what is needed in order to correct problems as soon as they occur. This system is what Autoliv uses as the produce exactly what the customer demands and manages that very carefully as their system of communication allows the workers to know exactly what is needs to be made each day. Autoliv’s Jit system is also very unique because everyone is allowed a voice in possible process improvements as well as monthly updates on process effectiveness which also allows employees to see areas for improvement. This is an interesting strategy because you fix problems as soon as the arise rather then look for an opportune moment to deal with a problem.

Question #3

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MANG 471

Case Study Assignment

Which method of workflow is embodied in Autoliv’s system? Why is this approach most suitable to its lean environment? Autoliv’s system is centered around continues improvement. The lean strategy they use is based on being time efficient they find that time that it takes to produce one product and they try to track this to find out how much time it would take for a whole order to go through for a company. The lean system is all about eliminating waste in all aspects of a company. Autoliv’s has used this process in every aspect of their manufacturing process to make their system the most efficient. They time everything to make their process most efficient. The jit system is a process eliminates waste in a different way they some company’s use inventory as a buffer to ensure a constant flow of products if they were to encounter problems. Autoliv’s strategy is to fix problems as soon as the encounter them and the only produce products that already have a demand.

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