Riordan Production Plan

Running head: PRODUCTION PLAN RIORDAN MANUFACTURING

Production Plan for Riordan Manufacturing

Learning Team A

University of Phoenix

OPS/571

Professor: Yolanda Phipps

May 09, 2011

Production Plan for Riordan Manufacturing

One of the keys to success for Riordan Manufacturing has been the ability to have systems in place, which has facilitated growth. Currently, Riordan has to consider a proposal, which will address the current operations in China. The goal of Learning Team A will be to discuss several factors that have to be rectified if the company were to succeed. Several changes in current operations, including bottlenecks with electric fans, new processes in the supply chain, analysis of the production process, and improvements in the process design and supply chain will be suggested.

Bottlenecks in the Process

Bottlenecks occur in any organization resulting in problems with the customers, employees, manufacturers, and other business processes. Riordan Manufacturing must take steps to eliminate or reduce bottlenecks in their operation.

The inventory management system is a combination of manual and computerized data entry and is a continuous bottleneck for the company. When raw and bulk materials arrive at the plant, the Receiving Area Supervisor must verify them. Then, a manual process is repeated again by the Inventory Clerk. Currently, products are not down loaded from the trucks until the entire order is manually inventoried. Research has to be conducted determining the impact of the delay on the production department. Instituting changes in inventory procedures will decrease this bottleneck.

A potential bottleneck Riordan has is within the Research and Development department (R&D). R &D has developed electric fans that have to be shipped to China for final production. Efficiency could be achieved if China had its own R&D department to develop fans meeting the company’s needs.

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