operations unit Flashcards
what is an input
the raw materials and resources required to make a product e.g eggs
what is a process
what happens to make the inputs into a finsihed product e.g baking a cake
what is a output
the finished product/ service e.g the finished cake
factors to consider when choosing a supplier
cost of raw materials
location of supplier
lead time
quality of raw materials
reputation and reliability
quantity of raw materials
cost of raw materials
this is the price charged by a supplier to purchase raw materials. A higher cost of raw materials will lead to a higher cost of production. if the company finda a cheaper supllier this could lead to increased profit.
location of supplier
this is where the supplier os located and how far away they are e.g which country/city/ tje further away the supplier is the longer the raw materials will take to arrive. the cost of transportation may be more expensive. its veter to source a supllier that is closer to you so the goods come quicker.
lead time
lead time is the amount of time taken between an order to stock being placed and order being received. if raw materials are not delived on time production may have to stop.
quality of raw materials
the quality of raw materials will have effect on the quality of a business’s finished product. It is important to source supplies of a high standard or it may affect your finished product and therefore your customer satisfaction.Poor quality raw materials can increase wastage in production
reputation and reliability
Suppliers that have a good reputation and can be relied upon to deliver goods on time will get more customers.
If a supplier does not deliver at the agreed time, or with the correct goods, this can affect a business’s ability to produce and deliver their product to the customer.
quanity of raw materials
This is how much raw materials are required. If the supplier can deliver the correct quantity on time. This will allow the business to fulfil customer orders.
disadvantages of overstocking
- Supplies can go out of date or fashion before they can sell all the stock. This means the business may have to do a sale in order to clear the stock
- Risk of theft: if the business has lots of stock they will need to keep it in a warehouse which may get broken into or staff could steal from
- It is expensive to store stock. The business has to pay for a large warehouse as well as having to pay for security systems to keep it safe e.g. CCTV, security guard
- Cash flow problems: if a business buys too much stock they wont have cash available to pay for other expenses
disadvantages of understocking
- Production can stop if the business runs out of supplies, which can lead to poor customer satisfaction
- Miss out on bulk buying discounts
- Increase in delivery and admin costs because they -have to order stock more frequently
- Unexpected customer order cannot be met
inventory control diagram (look in book)
look in book
Maximum inventory level
the largest amount of items to be stored on site
minimum inventory level
the lowest amount of items to be stored on site
re-order level
the amount of stock ordered to restore inventory levels to their maximum point
lead time
is the amount of time taken between ordering stock and the stock being delivered.
buffer stock
Additional backup stock the business has stored in case of an emergency
what is job production
Job production is when one product is made from start to finish before another one is made. this is labour intensive. e.g bridal outfit
what is batch production
Batch production is when a group of identical products are made at one time.
e.g bread, newspapers.
both labour and capital intensive
what is flow production
Flow production is when parts are added to a product as it moves along a production line until the final product is completed. e.g soft drinks, cars. this is capital intensive
disadvantages of job production
- Expensive to hire highly skilled staff or specialist tools
- Slower production rate as one off orders can take months
- Risk of human error can lead to waste
advantages of job production
- Products can be customised for customers one off orders and needs which increases customer satisfaction
- High prices can be charged
- Workers are more motivated as there is a variety of work and skills
advantages of batch
- All products in a batch are identical so there should be no quality differences
- Skilled staff not requires as tasks are broken down to repetitive stages which saves costs
- Batches can be customised to meet customer requirements which increases customer satisfaction