Designing Goods and Services and Process Selection

Designing Goods and Servicesand Process Selection Chapter 3

MGMT 326 Capacity, Facilities, & Work Design Products & Processes Quality Assurance Planning & Control Foundations of Operations Managing Projects Introduction Strategy Product Design Process Design

Designing Goods and Services • Basic • Concepts • Design and strategy • Feasibility study • Operations issues • Service Design • Service package • Approaches to • service design Designing Goods • Product • Characteristics • Form design • Functional design • Learning from • other companies • Design Methods • Design for manufacture • Concurrent engineering

Brief Outline of Chapter • Product design • Process selection • Traditional manufacturing processes • Service processes • Automation

Strategy and Product Design • The core product may be a good or a service • Product design should support the business strategy • Product design should meet the needs of a target market. • Product design should give the company a competitive advantage.

Feasibility Study • Purpose is to determine whether the company can make a product that • Meets the needs of customers in a target market • Can be made by the company with the required level of quality and delivery schedule • Can be sold at a price that customers are willing to pay • While allowing the company to meet its profit targets. This depends on costs estimated by Accounting and revenue estimated by Marketing

Operations Issues in Product Design • Product design and technology • Product design is a joint responsibility of marketing, operations, engineering (in manufacturing) and Accounting/Finance • Process technology (along with engineering) • Would we need a new or modified facility? • Can the firm make this product with consistent quality? • How many workers will we need? • What skills will they need?

Designing Services – Service Package • Physical elements: facility, equipment and furnishings, inventories • Sensory and aesthetic aspects • Psychological benefits • Quality standards

Approaches to Service Design • Design for efficiency: • Compete on consistency, cost, speed • High standardization • Limited variety • Automation may be used • High-volume services purchase at low cost. • Example: fast food

Approaches to Service Design (2) • Customer involvement in producing the service • The customer does part of the work • Reduces costs and may allow the customer to do some customization • Example: self-service salad bar • Many services use both high efficiency and customer involvement • Examples: ATM's, vending machines, self-checkouts in stores

Approaches to Service Design (3) • High customer attention • Highly customized service, provided by highly trained people • Used in professional services (medical care, legal services, high-end tax preparation services) • Also used by luxury retailers, hotels, restaurants

Designing Goods • Form design: Sensory aspects of the product (aesthetics) • Size, color, shape, sound • "Look and feel" • Form design contributes to customer's impressions of quality • Functional design: how the product performs

Form Design: How the Product Looks, Etc. Ipod Nano Toyota Camry

Functional Design of GoodsWhat the Product Does

Functional Design of Goods (2)How the Product Performs • Fitness for use: product performs as intended • Durability: how long the product lasts • Reliability: consistent performance • Maintainability: ease and cost of repairs

Learning from Other Companies • Benchmarking: comparing your operations with those of a "best in class" firm • Product benchmark – compare your product with competing products • Process benchmark • How competing products or services are produced • How other companies perform business functions • Cost benchmark – what your competitors spend to make comparable products

Learning from Other Companies (2) • Reverse engineering: taking your competitor's products apart and figuring out how it is made • Physical products • Software • Market research on competitor's products: customer needs and satisfaction

Design for Manufacture • Value engineering: Eliminate product features that add cost but do not add value to the customer. • Reduce the number of parts. • Reduces the cost of ordering, purchasing, and storing parts. • Reduces the space required to hold inventory • Reduces the number of tools and operations required (by eliminating bolts, screws, etc.) • Reduces the time required to make the product

Design for Manufacture (2) Example of reducing the number of parts, operations, and tools.

Design for Manufacture (3) • Modular design: Design products to be assembled from standard components. • Example: Dell buys standard video cards, processors, power supplies, hard drives, etc., and assembles computers • Use standard parts to reduce design costs and purchasing costs. • Examples: Computer makers often buy standard power supplies.

Sequential vs. Concurrent Design

Concurrent Engineering • Design the product and the process at the same time. • Use a design team that includes marketing, operations, engineering, operations, and suppliers. • Stay in touch with customers during the design process. • Requires good project management and coordination among all groups involved.

Advantages of Concurrent Engineering • Increases the chances of a successful product. • Shorter design time • Shortens time to market. • Reduces design costs • Supplier expertise can help design a product that meets customer needs at lower cost • Reduces the need to make expensive changes in the product and the process later

Process Selection Process Types • Process • Design Tools • Reengineering • Flowcharts Automation • Intermittent • Project • Batch Advantages and Disadvantages • Types of • Automation • Computer-aided • design and • engineering • Robots • Material handling • FMS • CIM • Repetitive • Assembly line • Continuous • Impact of Process Type • Layout • Inventory policy • Costs

Intermittent Operations • Intermittent operations: processes used to produce a variety of products with different processing requirements at lower volumes • Project processes: used to make one-of-a-kind items to customer specifications • Batch processes: used to make small quantities of products in batches based on customer orders or specifications • Also called job shops

Repetitive Operations • Repetitive operations: Processes used to make one product or a few standardized products in high volume • Line process – also called an assembly line or flow shop • May have assemble-to-order options • Continuous process: operates continuously, produces a high volume of a fully standardized product • Some firms use more than one type of process

Underlying Process Relationship Between Volume and Standardization High-volume processes are usually more standardized than low-volume processes.

Process Choice and Layout • Intermittent operations usually use a process (department) layout: workers & equipment are grouped by function • Different products may take different paths through the production process • Repetitive operations use a product layout: workers & equipment are grouped in the order in which they will be needed. The product passes from one work station to the next.

Process Choice and Inventory Policy

Process Choice and Costs • Intermittent processes • Lower capital costs than repetitive processes • Lower breakeven point than repetitive processes • High variable cost per unit • High total cost per unit • Repetitive processes • Higher capital costs than intermittent processes • Higher breakeven point than intermittent processes • Low variable cost per unit • Low total cost per unit if volume is high

Process Design Tools • Process flow analysis is a tool used to analyze and document the sequence of steps within a total process. Usually first step in process reengineering. • Process reengineering is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of a process to bring about dramatic improvements in performance • Cost • Quality • Time • Flexibility

Process Design Tools (2) • Both operations processes and business processes can be re-engineered. • Re-engineer a process before you automate it or computerize it.

Process Flow in a Pizza Restaurant

Automation • The use of equipment to perform work without human operators, at least for a period of time • May involve a single machine, a group of machines, or an entire factory • ATM’s and vending machines are examples of automation in services

Automation (2) • Advantages • Consistent quality • Capacity to produce a large volume of goods • Low variable costs • Low total costs if volume is high • Disadvantages • Large-scale automation is not cost-justified unless volume is high • Computer or equipment failure can shut down production • Expertise required to maintain equipment

Computer-Aided Design & Engineering • Computer-aided design (CAD): use of computer software to design products • Similar software is used to make animated films • Computer-aided engineering (CAE): use of computer software to evaluate and improve product designs • Specialized CAD/CAE software is used by architects and landscape architects

Data Flow in Manufacturing Technology No Product design data Final design? Computer aided design (CAD) Computer aided engineering (CAE) Final design data Yes Computer aided process planning (CAPP) Manufacturing instructions Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) Finished goods

Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)and Robots • CAM is the use of a computer to program and control re-programmable manufacturing equipment • A traditional robot is a mechanical arm with a power supply and a computer that controls the movements of the arm

Uses of Robots • Uses of robots in processes • Monotonous work, such as assembly line work • Work that is hard or unhealthy for people, such as painting or nuclear plant cleanup • Work that requires great precision • Making integrated circuits • Surgery – guided by a surgeon • Uses of robots in products: Robot vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, toys, assistive robots for disabled people

Conveyor belts are used in manufacturing & services Robots move materials short distances Automated guided vehicles move materials longer distances in plants, offices, hospitals Automated Materials Handling Automated guided vehicle

Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) • System that links flexible manufacturing cells and/or robot assembly lines under control of a central computer • Includes materials handling • Usually includes automated inspection

Flexible Manufacturing System Computer control room Tools Tools Conveyor Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine Unload Load Finished goods Parts

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) • CAD, CAE, and CAPP • Flexible Manufacturing System • Production planning and inventory management • Purchasing • Common databases and control systems for all these functions • Provides product flexibility, cost savings, and short manufacturing lead times

Designing Goods and Services and Process Selection