Eagle Mfg Co

Case Name: EAGLE MFG CO

I. Major Facts

A. Management expects better performance out of the purchasing group.

B. Maintenance has requested the purchase of a new robot without allowing time for bidding and negotiations.

C. Purchasing has shown an upward trend in work.

D. There is a 5% rejection rate with new production items.

E. Morale is low in his department and one senior buyer has submitted his resignation.

F. The president’s secretary complained about the janitorial services not cleaning everything properly.

G. Administration is complaining about the quality of paper being used due to finance budget cuts.

II. Major Problem

As Ted Jones, supply manager at Eagle Manufacturing, stated, Communication is the major problem. In order for everyone to know and understand what is occurring throughout the company and what others need from you, complete and accurate communication is needed. Communication is a key element in the successful functioning of any multilevel company.

III. Possible Solutions/Alternatives

A. To encourage communication, a meeting could be held routinely to go over any cross departmental issues and to inform others of what is currently being done. An advantage of this is that it opens up communication lines. A disadvantage is that in today’s lean environments everyone has too many meetings to attend.

B. Communication and understanding are essential in creating a positive work environment. Issues and projects could have teams, with cross departmental representation, to analyze and act on sound information from all groups. This has a huge advantage in allowing all affected to parties to participate and converse with other departments. The major disadvantage is time and resources.

IV. Choice and Rationale

Option B seems to be the most effective solution that I can see. Creating teams, such as in Kaizan, allow all parties to participate. This promotes communication amongst departments and once communication starts, it usually much...