Expert Answer
1- The problem is in the whole system of toy factory. Everybody is playing a blame game to run from
their responsibility. Cheryl Franklin should monitor the whole system to put the production on track. She
should also change the supplier of glue because the standard of glue is not up to the mark.
2- The best solution is that Cheryl Franklin should implement the ERP system in her factoring for continuous
monitoring of the system on daily system and whoever is responsible for lowering the production, she should
take action against his or her.
3- Continuous improvement techniques help the incremental improvement in the production of toys.
Production process continuously evaluated and efficiency should be improved.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1 of 3
Ms. CF is the production manager at Company CT to improve the rate of production of
the newest toys in the factory. The company spends lots of money on advertising the toy to
generate demand in the market, but could meet with the production rate. Ms. CF tries to
investigate the root cause of the problem to set back the production rate on track.
2. Step 2 of 3
Continuous process improvement (CPI): It is concerned with improving the effective
utilization of man-power and other resources to meet the objective. It is a set of continuous
systems used to select, record, analyze, implement, and maintain the process in order to
achieve a company’s business goals.
3. Step 3 of 3
CPI could be applied to improve the glue application process on toys, as shown in the
following steps:
• Select the Process: The production manager should select the glue application process to
study for potential improvements. She should observe the important features in the
process, using questioning attitude. She can use many tools, such as Pareto chart, cause-
and-effect diagram, etc. to observe the glue application process.
• Record the existing process: The production manager should record all the facts and
information related to the existing glue application process. She can record the process
using operation process charts and process flow diagram to arrange all elements of the
glue application process in a logical sequence. It would help the manager to examine
critically and develop an improved method.
• Analyze the recorded information: The production manager should analyze each step
involved in the current glue application process and evaluates every possible method for
improvements. She should find out the root cause using a questioning attitude of “why”. She
could examine the problems using the following approaches:
• Develop a questioning attitude
• Define what is accomplished, how, and why
• Examine the process in sub-parts
• Develop the relationship between production rate, item throughput, and process inventory
• Develop the best process: The production manager should use four approaches to develop a
better method as shown below:
• Eliminating unnecessary work
• Combining operations in the glue application process.
• Rearranging the sequence of operations to obtain more effective results
• Minimize the complexity of the operations
• Implementation: The production manager should implement the new developed plan. She
should consider the best time to implement the plan, implementation method, and resources
involved in the glue application process.
• Maintain: The production manager should follow-up the methods to ensure successful
implementation. She should supervise the workers about the process during initial days of
implementation.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1 of 2
Ms. CF is the production manager at Company CT to improve the rate of production of the
newest toys in the factory. The company spends lots of money on advertising the toy to
generate demand in the market, but could meet with the production rate. Ms. CF tries to
investigate the root cause of the problem to set back the production rate on track.
2. Step 2 of 2
The best possible solutions for problems occurred during the production of toys are as
follows:
• The Production Area supervisor should try to reduce the clotting of the glue in the machine
using low-viscous glue. It will improve the smooth spreading of the glue on the toys.
• The Maintenance Department should use proper glue fixtures for correct application of the
glue over the toys. It will reduce the wastage of the glue.
• The Engineers should develop an appropriate design of the glue fixtures depending upon the
application of glue within a specified amount of time. Moreover, engineers should
recommend the type of glue to the purchasing agent, according to required specifications of
glue.
• The production department should maintain the pace of production of toys aligned with the
demand and competition in the market. It will help the company to improve customer
satisfaction and profitability of the company.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1 of 2
Ms. CF is the production manager at Company CT. She wants to improve the rate of production
of the newest toys in the factory. The company spends a lot of money on advertising to generate
demand in the market, but could not meet with the production rate. Ms. CF tries to investigate the
root cause of the problem to increase the production rate.
2. Step 2 of 2
The major reasons for slow production rate in the factory are as follows:
• The glue which is applied to the toy often clogs in the machine. Furthermore, the machines are
unable to distribute the glue evenly on toys.
• The glue machine is not working properly because of incompatible glue fixture. The viscosity of
the glue is very high.
• Use of old fixture, which is designed for a different application.
• The purchasing agent does not have good specifications of the glue. Hence, he/she relied on the
recommendations of glue from the suppliers.
