Business Operations Management

Process Selection: Product Design and Capacity

How is process selection related to product design and capacity determination? Your initial post should be 200-250 words. Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts in a substantive manner. Include examples, applications, and/or relationships between product and process design. Provide suggestions and alternatives to your classmates.

Monique Food Processing Company and Capacity

Read Problem 6: The “Monique Food Processing Company” in Chapter 8 of your text.   Monique Food Processing Company produces light snacks that can be heated in a microwave. The following steps are included in the process:

Steps	Description	Capacity (Units/Hour)
1	Prepare food	200
2	Measure and place in plastic pouch	175
3	Prepare cardboard box	200
4	Insert pouch into box	300
5	Shrink-wrap box	200

· What is the system capacity, and which is the bottleneck department?

· How much slack (unused capacity) is available in other departments?

· How much system capacity can be gained by adding capacity to the bottleneck?

· What are the key factors that determine when to add capacity?

· Why would an organization want to reduce its capacity?   

Make and include calculations.  Answer questions a - e. Your initial post should be 200-250 words. Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Some ways could include alternate solutions or calculations, and/or by challenging classmates’ on scenarios of when it is best to “add” or when it is best to “reduce” capacity. Include examples.