Shapiro Company, a manufacturer of small tools, implemented lean manufacturing at the end of 2009. The company€™s goal for the year was to increase the return on sales to 40 percent of sales. A value stream team was established and began to work on lean improvements.
During the year, the team was able to achieve significant results on several fronts. The following Box Scorecard reflects the performance measures at the beginning of the year, midyear, and end of year. Although the team members were pleased with their progress, they were disappointed in the financial results. They were still far from the targeted return on sales of 40 percent. They were also puzzled as to why the improvements made did not translate into significantly improved financial performance.

Required:
1. From the scorecard, what was the focus of the value stream team for the first six months? The second six months? What are the implications of these changes?
2. Using information from the scorecard, offer an explanation for why the financial results were not as good as expected.
3. Suppose that on December 31, 2010, a potential customer offered to purchase an order of goods that would increase weekly revenues in January by $100,000 and material cost by $30,000. Using the old standard cost system, the projected conversion cost of the order would be $60,000. Would you recommend that the order be accepted or rejected?Explain.

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Jan. 1, 2010 June 30, 2010 Dec. 31, 2010 S 15,000 S 15,000 S 15,000 e delivery Dock-to-dock days First time through Average product cost $800,000 260,000 $800,000 Weekly material cost Weckly valuc stream profit $240,000 $240,000 $260,000 30% "ROS: return on sales