Manufacturing Problems Due to Poor Understanding of Supply Chain and Supplier Development--A Case Study

In this paper, the author analyzes the typical manufacturing problems that arise in a medium-sized manufacturing company that has little knowledge of formal manufacturing or management techniques. Despite being commercially successful, the company is not considered a leading enterprise. The company relies on manual methods of production, with little automation or mechanization, and uses production techniques that have simply developed over the years. This case study highlights the problems of system waste and internal logistics, as well as the poor understanding of the importance of supply chain and supplier development. The research suggests that the company should use value stream mapping to facilitate improvement. Author: S. Arunachalam (University of East London)