Management

1. What do you think is causing Braddock’s problem?

a. I think Braddock’s problem with creases forming in the corner of their wheelbarrow trays stems from their new sheet metal supplier. This supplier stocks Braddock with an inventory of 7 days worth of material for the construction model and 10 days worth of material for the homeowner’s model of wheelbarrow. As stated in the case incident, “the problem with the construction model tray…appeared almost three full days before it did on the homeowner’s model” (Rue, Byars, & Ibrahim, 2013).

Based on their inventory set-up, Braddock would have received a new supply of metal to sustain their construction model operation three days before receiving new inventory of the homeowner’s model metal. This leads me to believe that Braddock received a bad batch of sheet metal, prone to corner creasing.

2. Why is the problem more pronounced on the construction model than on the homeowner’s model?

b. Disgruntled employees may exacerbate Braddock’s sheet metal supplier problem. The case study states that a recently fired employee, Hal McCarthy, “has been seen in and around the plant talking to several other employees” (Rue, Byars, & Ibrahim, 2013). Perhaps the employees Hal has been conversing with work with the construction tray model side of Braddock’s operation. Hal could be encouraging the employees to resist management by producing a lower quality product.

While I do not know too much about sheet metal, I wonder if the larger sheet of metal needed for the construction model influences the ability of the metal to crease. A larger sheet might be weaker and, thus, more prone to creasing.

3. How can Braddock eliminate its problem?

c. Braddock can eliminate its problem in a number of ways.

First, Braddock can start performing intake checks on its inventory. Rather than only performing post-fabrication inspections, as Braddock currently does, employees can check the quality of...