Discussion:
Please respond to each discussion with a full three sentences underneath each one.
1. Raw materials - required inventory of materials that are processed into the product.
WIP- is required it is when raw materials are being shaped into finished goods but not quite finished yet
Buffer inventory - serves as a mask for uncertain problems that arise for example a shipment gets in a wreck so they can use buffer inventory to cover.
Decoupling inventory - serves as a buffer between machines for example a machine builds up parts for the next process that way in case the line goes down they still can have inventory on hand to produce the parts.
For my fast food establishments I am choosing checkers. (I currently live in Eastern Michigan so they are not rally's) and McDonald's. The checkers has zero inside, no lobby, nothing. Mine has no outside tables or even a chance to walk up it is strictly the two drive throughs one on each side. This layout ensures they can do twice as many cars twice as fast.
As for McDonald's the drive through set up they have is just a single line. Although when you drive around there is two windows and they allow one to pay while you wait for the other to give you your food. This speeds the process up, On the inside it has zero people manning registers as the local store has these new kiosks where you place an order and then someone behind the counter makes it and runs it out to you. The only problem with this set up is that some people had trouble operating these kiosks but they did seem to move efficiently.
As for which one was more efficient I would have to go with the McDonald's one due to the variety of options plus with checker's you are only able to use one side of the drive through if you have a passenger or else you are leaning through your car.
2. The 4 main types of inventory that are used by different businesses include: raw materials inventory that involve the identification of unprocessed materials, work- in- process inventory that benefit with the manufacturing process, finished goods inventory that provide the end products, and maintenance repair operational supplies (MRO) that include the materials used during processing. These inventories are needed to ensure good business flow and that any problems with production process are taken care of.
McDonald's has a design that is well known and primarily appeals to young people. It has a fun and group minded outlook. On the other hand, Taco Bell has a design that integrates official clients and is very simple. It has a restaurant layout that includes free standing stools with minimalistic tables. It sets up a fast and efficient way of doing things. In contrast, McDonald's design provides more comfort and entices the client to stay longer. The McDonald's design plays around with colors while the Taco Bell has a concentrated look. Furthermore, the McDonald's design looks more efficient and reliable because it has been adopted everywhere in fast food operations. It maintains a clear and special look that is enticing, fun, and appealing.
Stadtler, Hartmut. "Supply chain management: An overview." Supply chain management and advanced planning. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015. 3-28.
3. Four different types of inventory are raw materials, work in progress, items being transported, and finished goods. Raw materials inventory can be found in companies such as suppliers to keep up with the day to day. One example I found was a company who ran out of pallets for shipping, and had to shut down for 4 days to get more. the next type of inventory is work in progress, these are goods that are being made currently. We use this method at my current job. Some jobs can take up to a month or more to finish and it is important to take inventory of where each is in the production process to keep up with demand. Third is items that are being transported. These are the items being shipped to you that are technically, in your inventory. An example of this is cars. When you see cars on 18-wheelers, those are part of someones inventory. They may not have it yet, but they still add up to someones total numbers. Lastly we have finished goods. Finished goods are what you would find in a warehouse. Keeping track of these numbers, helps distributors know how much of each item can be ordered and shipped.
I decided to compare McDonald's and Burger King, and McDonald's appeared to be more efficient. Two big reasons I noticed was time efficiency. McDonald's has two drive through lines to maximize the amount of cars that can be in their drive through as well as organizes the flow of traffic. Burger king only has one drive through line. Another difference I noticed was McDonald's drink machine. Instead of having to manually insert cups and pour the appropriate amount of liquid, they have a machine that does all of this for them, which in turn, also cuts time in the drive through line. Burger King does not have this machine and therefor must stop the process to pour drinks manually.
4. One type of inventory would be milk at a grocery store. Milk would be a finished good but is differs from other finished goods because it has a relatively short shelf life. Milk inventory could be used to replace milk on the shelf that has gone bad. Another type of industry would be flour at a bread manufacturer. This would be a raw material that is required. Another type of inventory would be a furnace at a blacksmith. This would be equipment inventory and is required. A fourth type of inventory would be barrels at a wine manufacturer. This would be a parts/supply inventory that is required.
I went to the drive through at a Taco Bell and a McDonalds. The biggest difference I noticed was that McDonalds uses two separate ordering stations and then a pay window and a food pickup window. Taco Bell just had one order station and a shared window for pay/food pick up. The McDonalds was much more efficient. They are able to get more people through there drive through more quickly especially because of the two separate order stations.