Introduction
Operations management entails overseeing, designing and redesigning business operations in the production of goods and services. It is about ensuring that the business processes are efficient in terms of using as little resources as needed and effective with regards to meeting customers’ requirements.
Twentieth Century Fires Ltd is a small company based in Stockport, Lancashire that sells, restores and manufactures fireplaces and their associated accessories (Chapman 1997, 4).
The first process is the making of tiles that will eventually form part of the fireplace. First of all, one is required to look at the job sheet to find out exactly what the customer wants in terms of design. It is only after one is certain of the customer’s requirements that they can proceed to the clay mixing room to begin working on manufacturing the tiles.
In the clay mixing room, clay is thoroughly mixed with water and sodium silicate. Mixing is done thoroughly so as to enhance the quality of the end product. After mixing the clay is ready to proceed to the next stage.
The next stage is placing the mixture of clay into molds of different shapes and sizes as per the design of the fireplace ordered by the customer. The molds are then left on the bench to dry for a whole week. When they are ready, the edges of the dried clay are trimmed to remove excessive clay before proceeding on to the next step.
The clay is ready to be baked in the kiln after drying. This process lasts overnight. When the tiles are removed from the kiln, they have to be glazed before they are ready to be used in making the fire places. Tiles are glazed essentially to strengthen them as well as coloring them.
The process of glazing takes place in the glazing kiln before the tiles are left to dry. The dried glazed tiles are then sprayed in a special section. This area has been designed in such a way that the excessive spray is sucked out of the spraying area is safely disposed.
There are inserts that have to be filled with cement before being fitted with the finished tiles. This process is normally carried out in the company’s workshop benches. The inserts are placed on the bench with their faces facing down. Cement is then thoroughly mixed with water and stuffed into the inserts. The insert is then left to dry. This process is referred to as slabbing.
After drying up, the insert is turned over and cleaned up thoroughly. The lines between the tiles are filled completely before being allowed to dry yet again.
The final product is a bit heavy and extremely brittle hence they have to be handled with care. It takes about two men to move the end product from one point to the next. The final product is then transferred to the storage room where it is packaged and safely kept until it is delivered to the customer (Jones 2011, 56).
Evaluating C20’s operational strategy using both the performance dimensions and your answer to part
Operational strategy refers to the total pattern of decisions which influence the long-term capabilities of any operation as well as their contribution to overall strategy. It is the reconciliation of market requirements with the operational resources at the company’s disposal.
Operational strategy is a vital tool to any organization that assists with defining the modes which will be used to produce goods and services for the customers (Slack, Chambers and Johnston 2004, 89).
Twentieth Century Fireplace is a small company that sells, restores and manufactures period fireplaces as well as associated accessories. Operational strategy is about how the company is going to use the resources at its disposal to add value to what the customer wants.
A lot of decisions have to be made by the company’s stakeholders to achieve this end. They have to decide how large their facility will be, what to install in the facility that will assist in the production process, the nature of their workforce and how to ensure quality.
The stakeholders of Twentieth Century Fireplace seem to have most of these issues figured out. Since the firm deals with manufacturing and restoring period fireplaces, there are occasions when some items are out of stock and cannot be accessed from the few remaining manufacturers. The only option left is to manufacture them. The company addressed this issue by establishing its own small scale tile glazing ability.
Most of the shapes such as rounded corner edge pieces are manufactured specifically for the company. This has forced it to acquire specific moulds held by the manufacturer. The company has 11 employees who are experts in the different production processes.
The thing about operational strategy is that it has to align with the company’s long-term strategy. Twentieth Century’s long-term strategy is to keep producing high quality products than its competitors as well as widening its product range.
Although the company has faced challenges regarding the introduction of functional rather than decorative products, it still manages to sell its products. Most of its sales have been through the internet implying that the company gets orders from as far as Malaysia and New Zealand.
Conclusion
Twentieth Century’s operations are highly specialized hence different manufacturing processes have been divided in such a manner that each process is handled by different people who have got the specific skills required in those areas. This division of labor enhances the efficiency of the production process and subsequently, the quality of products produced by the company will be high.
References
Chapman, R., 1997. Cost Estimating. Principle Based Project Management. Hyperthot.com. Available at: www.hyperthot.com/project.htm
Jones,O., 2011. Operations management Ed 4. Harlow: Pearson EducationSlack, N., Chambers, S. and Johnston, R., 2004. Operations Management, 4th Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education.