Operation Management Essay

To be able build up specialized four-in-hands capable of fulfilling strategic tasks within employment and government enterprises the need for the pull of trading trading operations trouble cannot be forgvirtuoso. operations steering is re onlyy significant in business operations since it forms the heart of the organisation by controlling the system of operation. Operations concern plentys with the design, operation, and enhancement of the systems that generate and deliver a firms primary intersection points and service.Like marketing and finance, operations commission is a well-designed commence of business with clear anxiety responsibilities. Panasonic Corp. is a union in which produces versatile electronic components such(prenominal) as Audio, Video, Televisions, Information and Communication, Semi-conductors and other Electronic Components. In a business entity corresponding Panasonic Corp. the habituate of operations guidance is rattling essential in every f ramework of the ships political partys activities. Panasonic Corp. uses operations management to ensure and maintain competence and efficaciousness in the organisation. aptitude in Panasonic Corp. s have-to doe with with how well resources such as case-by-case expertise and inputs be put in use irrespective of the understanding for which they were deployed in the organization. The comp some(prenominal) through its performance ensures that the main objective for its composition to generate profits and maximize sh arholders value is realized. The company reduces its constitute of exertion by ensuring that tangible and intangible possessions are not over stretched or wasted in the organisation. This is a situation where the company carries out efficaciously its goals to be the market leader using minimum resources to attain maximal output.The methods of effectiveness and competence in Panasonic Corp. leads to labour efficiency, yield, and capability fill workings capital utilization and the efficiency of mathematical product systems. Panasonic Corp. also hastens fine use of its products and services management through operations management. Product (or service) management includes a broad range of management activities, ranging from the time that theres a new brain for a product to ultimately provide on-going support to consumers who have purchased the fresh and innovative product.Every organization conducts product supervision, whether its done deliberately or not deliberately. Panasonic Corp. through this staff provides a wide idea of considerations in producing and managing its goods. Panasonic Corp. uses it hub competences in the areas of manufacturing, branding, promoting through sweeping and retail outlets to get hold of competitive benefits in the market place. Quality management is also a very essential aspect of operations management in every organisation.Panasonic Corp. s very crucial well-nigh its products real for the consumer in the market place. Quality management is bouncy to effective operations management, particularly ongoing perfection to match the consumers taste and preference at all times. Management Control and Coordinating Function cannot be forgone in operations management particularly in a company like Panasonic Corp. Management control and coordination includes a wide series of activities to make certain(p) that the companys objectives are consistently being met in an effective and efficient style.Key approaches to the companys organizational control and coordination put up product assessment, product allocation, marketing and advance, sales and service and product advancement. The company also uses advertisements as a major tool to reach the customer. In this increasingly expanding and competitive marketplace, the company make sure its products and services are notably in the minds of their customers and clients. This occurs as a consequence of ongoing promotion and advertising by the com pany. Facilities management is also an essential task and its sizeableness on operations management for Panasonic Corp. s required.Effective operations management in the companys activities depends on a big deal of effective management of facilities, such as stimulateings, computer system, plants and machinery etc. Facilities management in Panasonic corp. is very important since the company may be crabby in a batch or cumulus intersection depending on the adopt conditions on the market. In this case facilities need to be managed in producing large quantities of products which must(prenominal) be consistent to get word the market demand at definite period.Well managed facilities help in doing speed, spurn per unit cost, manage and control the efficiency in the companys production emergence. Inventory control and management is one important fixings of operations management that Panasonic Corp. uses in its operations. Managing and controlling the inventory of the company is very critical and essential. Innovative methods, such as Just-in-Time inventory control, are most of the most important instruments apply by the company to cut be and move products and services to consumers more rapidly. Generally the significance of operations management on business is urrounded in every aspect of the organizations activities and therefore has vital role to play in ensuring that organizations attain their objectives and goals.Every organization, whether it produces goods or provides services furnishes customers with worthy products. Thus, to compete with other organizations, a company must render resources (materials, labour, money, information) into goods or services as efficiently as possible. The upper-level manager who directs this understandation surgical procedure is called an operations manager.The job of operations management (OM) is to transform resources into products which consist of all the activities involved in transforming a product idea into finished and final products. In other words, operations managers manage the process that transforms inputs into outputs. Like Panasonic Corp. all manufacturers set out to execute the same raw material roles to transform resources into finished goods. To perform this function in todays business surroundings, manufacturers must constantly struggle to improve operational effectiveness.They must focus on prize, the costs of materials and labour and all costs that play no value to the finished product. Making the determinations in the effort to achieve these objectives is the job of the operations manager. That persons responsibilities can be group as follows * Production plan. During production planning, managers determine how goods will be produced, where production will be carried out, and how manufacturing facilities will be done. * Production control. Once the production process is started, managers must repetitively schedule and monitor the activities that make up that proces s.They must respond to feedback and make adjustments where required. At this stage, they also supervise the get of raw materials and the usage of inventories. * Quality control. Finally, the operations manager is directly concerned in efforts to make sure that goods are produced according to terms and that whole tone values are maintained. Planning the Production Process Managers in Panasonic Corp. turn over that the decisions made in the planning phase have long-range implications and are vital to a firms achievement.Before devising decisions about the operations process, managers must consider the goals set by marketing managers. Does the company aim to be a low-cost producer and to struggle on the basis of price? Or does it plan to focus on quality and go after the in high spirits end of the market? Perhaps it wants to build a standard of consistency. What if it intends to dispatcher a wide range of products? To make things even more complicated, all these decisions involve trade-offs. Upholding a reputation for reliability isnt necessarily compatible with offering a wide range of products.Low cost doesnt normally go hand in hand with high quality. With these factors in mind, lets look at the specific types of decisions that have to be made in the production planning process. Weve divided these decisions into those dealing with production methods, site requireion, facility layout, and components and materials management. Production-Method Decisions The first stones throw in production planning is deciding which type of production process is best for making the goods that your company intends to manufacture.In reaching this decision, you should answer such questions as the following * How much input do I prevail from a particular customer before producing my goods? * Am I making a one-of-a-kind good based solely on customer specifications, or am I producing high-volume standardized goods to be sold subsequent? * Do I offer customers the option of customizing an otherwise standardized good to meet their specific needs? angiotensin-converting enzyme way to appreciate the nature of this decision is by comparing three basic types of processes or methods make-to-order, multitude production, and mass customization.The task of the operations manager is to work with other managers, particularly marketers, to select the process that best serves the needs of the companys customers. Make-to-Order At one time, most consumer goods, such as furniture and clothing, were made by individua constitutes practicing assorted crafts. By their very nature, products were customized to meet the needs of the buyers who ordered them.This process, which is called a make-to-order strategymake-to-order strategyProduction method in which products are made to customer specification. is still commonly used by such businesses as print or sign shops that produce low-volume, high-variety goods according to customer specifications. troop Production Automak ers produce a high volume of cars in outlook of future demand. By the early 20th century, however, a new concept of producing goods had been introduced mass production (or make-to-stock strategy)mass production (or make-to-stock strategy)Production method in which high volumes of products are made at low cost and held in inventory in anticipation of future demand. s the practice of producing high volumes of identical goods at a cost low sufficiency to price them for large numbers of customers.Goods are made in anticipation of future demand (based on forecasts) and kept in inventory for later sale. This approach is particularly appropriate for standardized goods ranging from processed foods to electronic appliances. Mass Customization But theres a disadvantage to mass production customers, as one contemporary advertising slogan puts it, cant have it their way.They have to accept standardized products as they come off assembly lines. Increasingly, however, customers are looking for products that are designed to accommodate individual tastes or needs but can still be bought at reasonable prices. To meet the demands of these consumers, many companies have turned to an approach called mass customizationmass customizationProduction method in which fairly high volumes of customized products are made at fairly low prices. , which (as the term suggests) combines the advantages of customized products with those of mass production.This approach requires that a company interact with the customer to find out exactly what the customer wants and because manufacture the good, using efficient production methods to hold down costs. One efficient method is to mass-produce a product up to a certain cut-off point and then to customize it to satisfy different customers. The list of companies devoting at least a portion of their operations to mass customization is maturation steadily. Perhaps the best-known mass customizer is Dell, which has achieved phenomenal success by allowi ng customers to set up their own personal computers.The Web has a lot to do with the developing of mass customization. Nike, for instance, now lets customers design their own athletic shoes on the firms Web site. Procter & Gamble offers made-to-order, personal-care products, such as shampoos and fragrances, plot Mars, Inc. can make M&Ms in any color the customer wants (say, school colors). Naturally, mass customization doesnt work for all types of goods. Most people dont care about customized detergents or paper products. And while many of us like the idea of customized garment from Levis or Lands End, we often arent willing to pay the higher(prenominal) prices they command.