The Case of the Rewired Supply Chain

The Case of the Rewired Supply Chain

CASE TOOL FOR ASSESSMENT OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES 2 and 3

The Case of the Rewired Supply Chain

ORUN is a 4th generation family owned company with a corporate headquarters and 4 plants located in three states, each of which manufactures nearly identical product lines. They are considered a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of metal cabling and related products used in the telecommunications and automobile industry. The company owners, including Mr. Charles O’Run, the CEO, realized that some core issues had to be addressed and solved if the business stood to gain a competitive advantage in the market which, in their case, included many foreign and multi-national competitors, but also potential customers. They need to solve both strategic and operational issues many of which focus around the need for better, more rapid and dependable information concerning their materials management and production planning.

Summary of the manufacturing process:

Any wire diameters required by the customer can be drawn from appropriately sized wire rod blanks, the initial basic material purchased from specialty metal suppliers. The process can be set up to accommodate a variety of sizes of the finished product, which is comprised of the metal “conductor” and the insulation material. The conductor is made by twisting a bundle of wires from the drawing machine in the bunching section. This hardened conductor is made by heat treatment, and then the outer jacket for the heat-treated conductor is made to insulate it. After insulation is placed over the wire, custom marking of company logo (if designated in the order), size or any specifications desired by the client are printed on the surface of the jacketed conductor in the marking section. A quality inspection is performed to verify the outer diameter, conductivity, and spark test. After inspection, the final product is rolled as a spool or coil in...