Case Analysis on Product Design or Process Design Term Paper

Case Analysis on Product cast or Process Design - Term Paper ExampleIn order to understand better convergence design, this essay, exit be looking at the case analysis of product design at the shipper manufacturing alliance. Company Overview The Shipper Manufacturing Company started in the aerospace business in the 1960s. In the early years, the keep caller developed and produced the Echo weather satellites, which were launched into space. More recently, the Shipper manufacturing corporation had diversified into three divisions a) the materials division b) electrical products c) advanced products division, located in Faribault, Minnesota. Over the years the advanced products division has not been consistent with sales and profit as a result of this the divisions corporate strategy was changed. The Advanced product division manufactured the companys specialty products for custom orders such as helicopter blade liners and mine stoppers. To produce these, the APD relies on the Ma terials Division production of laminate plastic materials. The Electrical Products Division is responsible for producing the circuit boards and other electrical products. The company focuses on providing low volume specialty products to singular short run customers assuring the quality of their products. Strengths According to scholars (Ayres, 1984), in an industrial nations sparing future may lie in the so called flexible systems of production, technically advanced and skill intensive industries which make customized products. In order to exhibit its strengths the company has to consider criterias such as its competitive strengths and its innovative aspects. The Shipper manufacturing company being based in the United States has an advantage to be in the middle of technology with a higher access to information technology systems that could ease its product design without compromising the customers demands. It should also respond to individual customer design demands and adapt un exampled products to the unique requests of the customers this has been something the shipper manufacturing company has done without equal whilst maintaining high quality standards. Weaknesses The manual system used at the Shipper manufacturing company incorporate the human component. Frequently, this human component may lead to a muddle or inefficiency mostly caused by delays in production due to slackness or an operatives error. In addition a manual system of record keeping is used, these records be not transparent and no backups are available in case of an emergency. Opportunities The Shipper manufacturing company will restrict its market development resources to certain market divisions of growth and to shrewd industries where there is a practical opportunity and presumption of inhabiting a presiding or strong competitive position Threat In measuring threats, the change in business strategy will require a corresponding change in manufacturing strategy. The business unit is gr owth oriented with substantial resources directed to new product or new market strategies, making it a medium-to high-risk operation. Recommendation Voice of the customer exercise - The Shipper manufacturing company should hold this exercise to brainstorm and communicate external and infixed demands and expectations by customers. In addition the company should ensure that its customers are satisfied. This can be achieved by quality function deployment, define by Akao (1990) as the ad hoc method for ensuring quality thought out at each juncture of product development process. The author claims that the use of quality function