Being able to develop industrial parks is a skill more commonly associated with construction companies and real estate developers than electronics manufacturers. Yet, because of its strategy, these are competencies that must have been developed by Flextronics. So, to make its strategy work, Flextronics must be skilled at most of the following:
• Identifying suitable sites for industrial parks.
• Acquiring the land quickly and efficiently.
• Building facilities to a high standard quickly.
• Starting up production without too many ‘learning curve’ inefficiencies.
• Persuading suppliers to locate in the park.
• Helping suppliers to ramp-up their own operations efficiently and effectively.
• Integrating the activities of their own and their suppliers’ processes to respond effectively to customers’ orders.
C H A P T E R 4
Process design Teaching guide
Introduction
A number of issues are covered in this chapter. It is also possible to cover these issues under other headings. For example, some part of the chapter could be included in a lesson on product and service design (which is covered in Chapter 5). Similarly, the part of the chapter which deals with volume-variety and its influence on process types could be used as an introduction to process layout (which is covered in Chapter 7). However, we generally find it useful to start with the ‘design’ part of an operations management course by having a lesson on ‘design’
treated in general terms and process design in particular. This is because many students have never thought about design outside its narrow ‘product design’ meaning. It is important therefore to convince them of the importance of treating design as a broad operations management activity. It is one which applies as much to the design of processes as the design of products and services.
Key teaching objectives
• To convince students of the broad relevance of the design issue to processes as well as products and services.
• To stress the importance of volume and variety in design.
• To introduce the concept of process types.
• To convince students of the broad relevance and importance of the details of process design.
• To establish the idea that detailed process design must be connected to the overall objectives of the operation.
• To give experience in simple process mapping.
• To introduce Little’s Law as a fundamental law of operations and process management.
• To introduce the implications of variability in process behaviour.
Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, Operations Management, fifth edition, Instructor’s Manual
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© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston 2007
Exercises/discussion points
• There are many cases and exercises which one could use to introduce design generally. It is usually best to start with a case describing a service rather than manufacturing. This is because service design almost always includes both the design of the process and the design of the service ‘product’. The case in the companion volume to this book (Johnston, R. et al., 3rd edition, ISBN 0273 65531-0) can be used to support this lesson. Cadbury World: ten years of improvement, is ideal. Also, the case, ‘Denby Constabulary’ by Andrew Greasley can be used here. Although there is little quantitative information, the idea of process mapping is established.
• Teaching tip – We have found it useful to discuss design in general terms for related products, processes and services so that students can understand how design applies to all three. For example, start by discussing the nature of design for a television. Ask, ‘What do we mean by the design of a television?’ Students will suggest such things as the overall shape and purpose of the set, its functionality, the components which go into the product, the way the components are connected together and so on. After that, move on to the design of the factory that makes television sets. Again, ask, ‘What kind of decisions will be needed to be made around the design of the factory that makes the TV sets?’ Students will suggest a very similar set of issues such as what is the overall purpose of the factory (in terms of its performance objectives), what machines (components) will need to be included within the factory, how are these connected together (in other words, what is the flow between the machines) and so on. Finally, describe a company which installs sophisticated television and home movie equipment into (rich) peoples' homes as a service. In designing this service, again ask, ‘What decisions need to be made in the design of this service?’ Students will usually suggest things like the limits that define what the service will and will not do, the exact range of equipment they are willing to install and the range of services they offer (including after sales maintenance and so on). They may even understand that the service needs to be able to link different parts of its business, such as purchasing the equipment, installing the equipment, invoicing for payment and so on, together. By doing this for a product, a process and a service, one can highlight the similarities in the design process.
• Teaching tip – We find it useful to encourage students to identify operations with which they are familiar (libraries, shops, restaurants, etc.) and try and classify them as being close to the pure layout types. Discussions can then centre on how the layout of the operation could be changed to make it flow more or less continuously. The most commonly cited example is a restaurant or eating area within the college or university. Discussions here could involve how to make it more assembly line-like, or more fixed position-like.
• Teaching tip – Try discussing with the students how their layout and organisation might change for a simple task such as making a sandwich, as volume and variety change. For example, ask the question, ’If you were making a sandwich for a friend how would you do it?’ Discussion would then centre on the kind of sandwich they want (limited only by the availability of ingredients in the kitchen), when they wanted it (it could be made to order) and how much it could be customised (more salt and pepper?). Then ask, ’If you were making sandwiches for a whole group of friends who were due to arrive in an hour’s time, how would your process change?’ (You would butter all the bread together, standardise the products to some extent etc.) Then ask, 'If you were making 5,000 sandwiches a day for a supermarket, how would you wish to organise the production system?’ (assembly line process, etc.).
• Teaching tip – We find that it is usually best to start with a case describing a service rather than manufacturing. This is because service design almost always includes both the design of the process and the design of the service ‘product’.
• Exercise – Some students may question the necessity for detailed process mapping. In practice of course, mapping is necessary to discover exactly what is really happening in a process. The importance of recording the process in the form of a process map reduces any confusion or ambiguity about the process. One way of demonstrating this is to show the figure below for a limited amount of time. Prior to doing this tell the students, 'I’m going to show you a figure for 20 seconds. Your task is to follow the instructions on the figure.' Then show the figure (but not for more than 20 seconds) and ask them for the answer.
• You will generally get a whole range of answers. Make no comment at all about which was right or wrong. That is not the point of the exercise at all. After you have found the full range of answers simply nod, say thank you and carry on with your next point. Sooner or later (usually sooner) someone will ask, 'What was the right answer?'' Point out that there is no right answer. The instructions actually said, 'How many squares do you see in this figure?' The issue is how many squares do you see. The fact that everybody saw a different number of squares emphasizes the need for establishing an agreed set of details about a process in the form of a process map. Otherwise we all see the process in marginally different ways.
Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, Operations Management, fifth edition, Instructor’s Manual
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© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston 2007
How many squares do you see?
How many squares do you see?
• Teaching tip – We have found that the issue of series and parallel process configurations (or long-thin versus short-fat processes as we also call them in the text) is something that students respond well too. The Weldon Hand Tool exercise (described in the section of additional cases exercise) is excellent at demonstrating this, especially if one is willing to invest in two or three of the products that can be taken apart. However, other simpler (and cheaper) products such as electrical plugs could also be used to demonstrate the same issue.
• Teaching tip – There are many games and exercises available that can be used to demonstrate the reality of process behaviour and the issues that must be tackled in process
design. Most of these involve students being formed into teams with a set task to perform.
Sometimes this can be a series of arithmetic calculations (useful if many of the students come from financial services). Others involve making simple greeting cards. More complex games may involve using construction toys such as Lego. Generally, one can find a colleague who has some experience of these games. However, do not dismiss the idea of making one up yourself. Sometimes it is better to have confidence in one’s own game than go through a (sometimes embarrassing) learning curve with a game that you have copied from someone else.
Case study teaching notes
The central evaluation unit processing centre
In some ways this is a difficult case although the arithmetic is relatively straightforward. Its purpose is to challenge students to draw a simple process map from a description of a process that (although in a rather confused form) has all the information necessary. The second purpose is to demonstrate how a simple knowledge of Little’s Law can reveal something about the process. There is certainly enough information in the case study to allow students to make some preliminary comments on the process and debate how it might be improved.