Case Study:
Baking dog treats in her kitchen has been a simple process for Wanda to manage. She has two ovens, one sink, a refrigerator, and enough room for two people to work at the same time. However, when Wanda moves her business out of her home she will have a commercial kitchen that can accommodate as many as 6 people working simultaneously. She has never thought of her business as "production" until the realtor who shows her the space asks how many "production workers" she needs to accommodate. Suddenly Wanda realizes she will be running a production system as she expands her business. Even worse, she realizes that she has never even visited a manufacturing facility or stepped foot on a "real" production floor. How will she ever manage this process?
Your Task
Explain to Wanda the following:
1. How can she apply principles of operations management to make sure that her business remains successful?
2. What decisions does she need to make in terms of how her process will change from making treats in her kitchen?
3. Apply principles of operations management to explain at least one recommended expansion strategy for Salty Pawz.
4. Describe process decisions required to expand the biscuit making process beyond Wanda's kitchen.
5. Compare biscuit making processes (e.g., kitchen versus production system).
6. Generate a list of process changes required to transition production from the kitchen to a real production system.