Answers 1. Enumerate & Explain Sonams main problem before the re-engineering process. 1.

Improper scheduling was the main problem for Sonam before the re-engineering process .Thus it could not respond properly to the demand of customized product orders and hence found it difficult to keep up with customers and market demand and remain competitive. The market had become extremely competitive where cost, quality and rapid delivery were keys to survival. Sonam was unable to involve in complex manufacturing process due to improper scheduling. Fabrics were sourced from limited places, quality checks were not done, cut and sewn were also not done as per the customers specifications. The plant was of inadequate efficiency because of ineffective planning of pre production and post production activities. During change in orders while build time to setup (change in styles) for new order the unit was idle for long time costing money to the company. Planning of order, grouping them in terms of fabric, color, style and doing line balancing which are essential to the efficiency of the process were not being done properly leading to improper scheduling. Also the WIP buffer was not managed properly which was essential to be increased for scheduling and optimizing the process. The high levels WIP levels were hard to keep down whose storage costs money and created no value for the company. The different departments were also poorly coordinated which hindered the optimization of manufacturing process. 2. Explain the three main types of information that Sonams managers can now receive from DISHA. Why are these types of information so important in the management of a manufacturing company? 2. Three main types of information that Sonams managers can now receive from DISHA are as follows a) Scheduling - the system considers the capacity of each line and determines the quantity of different materials it needs and when for optimal operation. This information is important in the management as it helps respond properly to the demand of customized product orders and remain competitive. It helps in improving efficiency of the process by planning order, grouping them in terms of fabric, color, and style and doing line balancing. Besides it also helps in the reduction of idle time and less loss to the company. b) Ability to balance all manufacturing parameters (machine efficiency, inventory levels and on time delivery) It is important in the management as it helps in quantifying the decisions taken and thus getting rid of guesswork and the risk factor. This leads to less ambiguous and better production and cost savings. An example could be taken of a supervisor who decide the WIP level with respect to its effect on output, manufacturing cycle and time on delivery keeping in mind whether additional inventory is worth the reduction in cycle time. It helps in reduction of WIP.

c) Analyze and improve the efficiency of the whole plant It helps in the reduction of lead time which is the main goal of the company. Reduction in lead time which is total time taken for the series of activities to finish. This information is important because it includes planning, acquisition of materials and production. It helps to maintain lower inventory and achieve customer satisfaction and hence better profits. It however alone does not help in lead time reduction, streamlining the product line, real time dispatching and production floor feedback are also needed for the same. 3. Besides its day to day support, the system is a powerful simulation tool. What will you simulate with it and for what purpose? 3. The DISHA capacity scheduling system is a powerful simulation tool for Sonam Apparel. It can be simulated with the Scheduling and Capacity Planning of the company i.e., we can forecast our production results based on some information available to us using the system and schedule and plan in an efficient way. It can be used for many purposes though. We thus can simulate the actual production process in real time for information available of/about various options which leads to better decision making in a particular situation in the apparel manufacturing scenario. The company has to respond to demand for customized item orders, but it can only spare to do so if it is able to clearly understand what impact the order will have other orders. This makes the system so essential for the company. If I were to simulate it I would take the following measures to use it a) Capacity planning We can use the information/data available to plan the capacity utilization. We can decide as to what resources are available to us and where it is feasible to use them (how and where to use). This would help in calculation of the machines, material used, labour used, factory cycle time, etc. This will give the actual scenario of the capacity of the plant and the orders/styles running and the resources being used/capacity utilization. This will lead to better pre and post production planning. Also it will help in avoiding idle time on the machines which is a cost to the company. b) Scheduling We can source fabric from different places in little time at cheap prices or at least in right time, plan the schedule for production ahead of time and thus follow customer specifications. This would give a detailed description of the production floor by considering the capacity of each line and determine what quantity of materials/resources are needed, where they are needed for optimum production. This will lead to better scheduling and better utilization of resources, less WIP levels in output, and shorter lead time and in some cases even better quality. c) Analyze and improve the efficiency of the whole plant This could be used to balance various manufacturing parameters (machine efficiency, inventory levels and on time delivery). This would help in better decision making by quantifying decisions, eliminating guesswork. This leads to

less ambiguous and better production and cost savings. This will lead to better use of WIP and lead time reduction along with many other things. We can observe and monitor what processes are going on and in case any process is not working in a desired manner/as planned we can alter the process by reviewing with the help of the system. d) Reduction of lead time Lead time is the total time taken for the completion of an order. We can reduce the lead time by using the system. We may need to work other factors which affect as well. This would help in achieving lower inventory and customer satisfaction. Besides, the morale of the company will be boosted as it will mean more orders and better profits. e) Reducing WIP and inventories Excess WIP and inventories are inevitable loss in most cases. The high levels WIP levels have storage costs and create no value for the company. Inventories also become costly if not utilized properly. We can try only to reduce them to a minimum. We can minimise these by managing WIP buffer at the output of the manufacturing process and operating subsequent work sectors in a made to order mode. f) Better Inter-departmental communication. Inter-departmental communication is crucial for the better planning and execution of orders and reduction of lead time. For the change in styles and product specifications the departments should have a clear idea. This will avoid the blames being put on each other and better functioning.