Buckeye Technologies is a manufacturer of semiconductors for
mobile consumer electronic devices, such as laptop computers, smart
phones, and digital cameras. Ms. Sabina Norton has been working at
Buckeye Technologies for about a year as a production manager. The
volatile demand of the semiconductor industry has been an obstacle
in designing an accurate production schedule. The unstable demand
causes the company to carry high amounts of safety stock and incur
other types of wastes. Sabina is wondering if the operation can be
modified to become more efficient. Transistors are key components
used in the manufacture of a semiconductor. One of the transistors
of a cell phone semiconductor
is sourced from Xiang, a supplier in China, with a lead time of two
months. Buckeye Technologies usually carries enough of these
transistors at the plant. When it runs out of
them, however, they experience high levels of work-in-process (WIP)
inventory and are unable to continue with production. Although this
transistor can also be obtained from several suppliers in the
United States, the cost is considerable higher compared to the cost
of sourcing it from Xiang. The semiconductors for laptop computers,
smart phones, and digital cameras are produced differently, so
every time the company needs to produce a different type of
semiconductor, the operator is required to change the setting of
the production
machinery. This can be time consuming, and the company wants to be
able to respond quickly to changes in demand. Sabina knows that
there must be a way to reduce inventory,
but at the same time she wants to keep a flexible production
schedule to keep up with the fast-paced environment and the
volatility of the demand.
Sabina has also noticed that the current design of the
facility is not very efficient. Currently the facility
production
system is grouped by function, and components move from
function to function. There are about 350 steps in producing
a
semiconductor chip. Some functions of the facility are
located
at one end of the facility, whereas other functions are at
the
other end of the facility. This results in long waiting times
between procedures. She is thinking about changing the design
of the facility to one that will give more flow to the
production
process.
Sabina recognizes that a number of changes must be
made. She has heard of Lean as a method to reduce waste but
is not sure where to begin.
3. How would you address the issue of equipment setup? How
would you proceed?
4. What other suggestions would you offer Sabina to improve
the operation of this company? In what order should these
changes be made?
5. Describe the organizational culture of Lean. How can
Sabina promote this at Buckeye?
already solved
2)
Changing machinery settings in the production line is time-consuming, as well as getting phases far apart in a cycle. Adjustments should be made to the interface for better performance. Sabina will use some of the TQM methods, process management tables, and value source modeling in Lean Six Sigma to help you visualize the challenges and solutions in quality and output.
3)
Implement Lean Six Sigma to decide where waste remains and to measure the consistent loading of plants
4)
For a Lean Six Sigma SC follow the steps:
Stage 1-identify meaning in combination
Stage 2-Study of the supply chain capacities
Stage 3 –Develop main operating and financial indicators
Stage 4-Identify and introduce changes to the program.
5)
Engage everyone; the effect of the SC activities will involve vendors, processes and logistics. This will have respect for the men, too.
Buckeye Technologies is a manufacturer of semiconductors for mobile consumer electronic devices, such as laptop computers,...
Buckeye Technologies is a manufacturer of semiconductors for mobile consumer electronic devices, such as laptop computers, smart phones, and digital cameras. Ms. Sabina Norton has been working at Buckeye Technologies for about a year as a production manager. The volatile demand of the semiconductor industry has been an obstacle in designing an accurate production schedule. The unstable demand causes the company to carry high amounts of safety stock and incur other types of wastes. Sabina is wondering if the operation...
PROBLEM: Moore's Law states that we should expect to see roughly a doubling of the maximum number of transistors on integrated circuits (a.k.a. semiconductor chips) every two years or so (see article on Moore's Law in Wikipedia (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.). A corollary to Moore's Law is that we should also expect to see a corresponding fall in the production costs, and hence also in the prices, of semiconductors that have a given number of...
help me solve this ? EMU ELECTRONICS Emu Electronics is an electronics manufacturer located in Box Hill, Victoria. The company’s managing director is Shelly Chan, who inherited the company from her father. The company originally repaired radios and other household appliances when it was founded more than 50 years ago. Over the years, the company has expanded, and it is now a reputable manufacturer of various specialty electronic items. Robert McCanless, a recent graduate, has been hired by the company...
help me solve this? EMU ELECTRONICS Emu Electronics is an electronics manufacturer located in Box Hill, Victoria. The company’s managing director is Shelly Chan, who inherited the company from her father. The company originally repaired radios and other household appliances when it was founded more than 50 years ago. Over the years, the company has expanded, and it is now a reputable manufacturer of various specialty electronic items. Robert McCanless, a recent graduate, has been hired by the company in...
help me solve this? EMU ELECTRONICS Emu Electronics is an electronics manufacturer located in Box Hill, Victoria. The company’s managing director is Shelly Chan, who inherited the company from her father. The company originally repaired radios and other household appliances when it was founded more than 50 years ago. Over the years, the company has expanded, and it is now a reputable manufacturer of various specialty electronic items. Robert McCanless, a recent graduate, has been hired by the company in...
EMU ELECTRONICS Emu Electronics is an electronics manufacturer located in Box Hill, Victoria. The company’s managing director is Shelly Chan, who inherited the company from her father. The company originally repaired radios and other household appliances when it was founded more than 50 years ago. Over the years, the company has expanded, and it is now a reputable manufacturer of various specialty electronic items. Robert McCanless, a recent graduate, has been hired by the company in the finance department. One...
help me solve this? EMU ELECTRONICS Emu Electronics is an electronics manufacturer located in Box Hill, Victoria. The company’s managing director is Shelly Chan, who inherited the company from her father. The company originally repaired radios and other household appliances when it was founded more than 50 years ago. Over the years, the company has expanded, and it is now a reputable manufacturer of various specialty electronic items. Robert McCanless, a recent graduate, has been hired by the company in...
help me solve this? EMU ELECTRONICS Emu Electronics is an electronics manufacturer located in Box Hill, Victoria. The company’s managing director is Shelly Chan, who inherited the company from her father. The company originally repaired radios and other household appliances when it was founded more than 50 years ago. Over the years, the company has expanded, and it is now a reputable manufacturer of various specialty electronic items. Robert McCanless, a recent graduate, has been hired by the company in...
Summary should briefly analyze the central problems and issues of the case and provide some analysis and suggestions. Thank you. Lean Initiatives and Growth at Orlando Metering Company It was late August 2002 and Ed Cucinelli, vice president of Orlando Metering Company (OMC), sat in his office on a late Saturday morning. He had come in to prepare for some strategic planning meetings that were scheduled for the upcoming week. As he noticed the uncommon silence in the building, Ed...
How did Samsung overtake Panasonic and Philips? What core competencies (resources and capabilities) did the firm possess that helped it to be successful? (Discuss the international strategy that Samsung executed.) Samsung Leadership Era: 2000–Present Samsung group was founded in 1938 by Byung-Chull Lee as a simple trading company in Taegu, Korea that exported basic goods such as dried fish, vegetables, and fruit before expanding into several business lines, including insurance, securities, and retail.43 In 1969, Lee decided to enter the...