Operations' Management Plan: applying lean thinking to improve operations in Bath Ales

Résumé du document

Bath Ales is a micro brewery that prides itself in producing the highest quality ales and strives for consistently high standards. The company was first set up in 1995 and their founders were from a brewing background and have 'combined a complementary range of skills with a shared passion for real ale'. The company is steadily growing and has recently purchased a new bottling plant and is looking to extend its product range in the form of a Pilsner style lager. In this project we will be focusing on the quality aspect of lean thinking with a view to improving certain processes of Bath Ales' operations. A review of literature on lean thinking and quality will be followed by our methodology and a structured improvement plan. Whilst considering the relative strengths of the brewery our aim is to suggest corrective measures towards improving overall quality within the company.

Extraits

[...] It is this notion of quality that we wish to focus on in our assignment and it will provide the basis for our improvement plan. Quality may be defined and perceived in many different ways. Garvin (1984) organises these theories into five different approaches: transcendent, manufacturing-based, user-based, product-based and value–based. Contrastingly, Hoyer (2001) only sees two categories of definition which he labels level 1 and level 2. Level 1 product must meet set manufacturing requirements, whereas level 2 quality products are aimed at satisfying customer expectations. [...]

[...] http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/section?content=a782866933&fulltext= SPC Study of a Brewing Process Dow, D. et al. (1999) Exploring the myth: do all quality management practices contribute to superior quality performance, Production & Operation Management, pp. 1–27. www.industryweek.com (2008) Huxtable N., ‘Small Business Total Quality' (1995) Chapman & Hall LON http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=27873&linkedfr om=search&from=13%2f02%2f2007&to=16%2f02%2f2008&keywords=quality®ions=&cu rrentpage=2 15:40pm 07/05/08 Cooney, Is a universal production system? Batch Production in the Automotive Industry, International Journal of Operations Management, Vol No pp.1130-1147 MCB UP Limited, Page 1132 Jerry the Brewer, Official Interview with the SPIMML Dream-team R. G. Batson, K. [...]

[...] However they only have limited space in which to erect the necessary fermentation tanks and other necessary lager brewing apparatus. Implementing a lean/JIT policy to reduce stock-piled goods, would therefore help them create the necessary space within which to produce a high quality lager Integration of the supply chain For Bath Ales and their expansion plans they can incorporate lean thinking with their growth and expansion into the lager market without having to increase their capital in terms of space or personnel. They can do this by improving their lean operations regarding their stock of finished product. [...]

[...] The difficulty in achieving this value definition depends on the complexity of the product. Incorrect value specification, prior to lean technique implementation, can cause defective and waste products to be produced in a highly efficient way. The embodiment of “pure muda”[14] Value stream: value stream identifies all those steps required to make a product[15]”. Identifying the value stream of an entire production process usually unearths a significant amount of wasted time, space and effort. value stream mapping can be used to identify where waste lies in a particular process and how it can be achieved more effectively[16]” Flow: “Flow in lean approach means to process parts continuously[17]”. [...]

[...] They will allow a specific leeway, but anything outside of that is considered sub-quality. The problem with this Level 1 approach is that it ignores the perception of quality by the consumers. Although the product satisfies the firm's set requirements, it might not fulfil the expectations of the customer (the beer is too fizzy or too flat). Level 2 quality can be stated as the “satisfaction of agreed customer requirements” (Huxtable 1995). However there are problems with basing one's definition on customer expectations. [...]