Business Management Unit 3

Assume you are the production manager for a small machine shop that manufactures precision parts for industrial equipment. How would you address the following set of questions:

1. Can you use CAD, CAE, CAM, CIM, and FMS to manufacture better parts more easily? Explain.

Using automation has helped increase business in the last 100 years. Using programs such as CAD (computer aided design) and CAE (computer aided engineering) have helped industry become faster, more quality reliant and have helped build better parts than ever before. Using Chrysler as an example, using CAD and CAE, the company was able to design there systems more effectively saving time, parts and money. (1 website) The CIM (computer integrated manufacturing) has helped my company just in the last 10 years by increasing our product to our customer and making it more consistent. Other examples are from General Motors Corporation using a system called MAP, a tool used for machines to talk to other machines and allowing them to make adjustments along the assembly lines for productions speeds. (1 website) These and other computer related programs and tools have helped make business both large and small more feasible, efficient, flexible when it comes to business manufacturing.

2. If your final product requires several unique subunits that are all produced with different machinery and in differing lengths of time, what facility layout will you choose and why?

I would use a cellular facilities layout in my design. In order to maximize my speed and time, the cell layout would allow others to customize a client's product (2 website). Each unit would be able to focus on custom designs for each client, and within each cell, they would be able to have a project/item completed from start to finish while still allowing other cells to produce items for sell. This would also help since there are different units and machinery at each cell, increase the work flow in the company rather than use a traditional flow where one issue can halt a production line. (3 textbook)

3. Look up in the Cybrary or on the Internet "franchising". Based on your readings, from an operational perspective, why is purchasing a franchise such as Wendy's or Jiffy Lube an attractive alternative for starting a business?

Buying a franchise give you a lot of alternative reasons. First, you have the name recognition. (4 website- Cybrary) Everyone knows who Wendy's or McDonald's are. No one has ever heard of Old Virginia BBQ before, so it's harder to get people into a unknown place. Next, you have the turnkey operation factor. When you purchase a franchise, most of the bugs have been worked out of it. What I mean is that you get a corporate look and feel, from the