Ashburton Products

Ashburton Products manufactures wooden fire$-$

place mantels. They have a retail showroom in

which various models are displayed. A small

workshop close to the showroom was taken on a

short term lease, and various items of DIY power

tools and second hand woodworking machinery

were acquired. The firm has also acquired a rout$-$

ing machine to provide flutings and other decora$-$

tive details for the mantels. The firm prides itself

on meeting customer requirements and most

mantels are customised. Hence, manufacture is

organised on a one$-$off basis. Variations in output

are catered for by working overtime. One of the

joiners in particular frequently comes in at week$-$

ends to cut timber.

A mantel consists of three sub$-$assemblies

comprising two legs and a shelf. A variety of

bought$-$in decorative motifs are also attached. The

production process begins with cutting sheets of

MDF and planks of hardwood. It can sometimes

be difficult to move in the workshop due to its

small size and the amount of cut timber stored.

After cutting the timber is put onto the rout$-$

ing machine. Next, at the sub$-$assembly stage,

the legs are brought together, glued and then

clamped. The glue takes time to dry, so clamped

sub$-$assemblies are left overnight. The shelf is also

glued and clamped. The final assembly stage con$-$

sists of gluing and clamping the legs to the shelf to

make a complete mantel. When dried the assem$-$

bly is taken into an adjoining 'finishing' area.

Here excess glue is scrapped off and sealant is

painted on to the exposed grain to seal it$.$ Filler

is applied to gaps around the joints or points were

the surface is uneven. The whole is then rubbed

down with sand paper and taken to the spraying

area for painting. MDF mantels are sprayed with

up to $5$ coats of white paint, with filling and rub$-$

bing down between coats. Hardwood mantels are

sprayed with $2$ coats of varnish. Finally, finished

mantels are taken downstairs for packing. Since

space is a major problem the stock of finished

mantels is extremely small.

Demand for mantels has been rising for some

time. Sales which were, in the past, based exclu$-$

sively on single orders for individual customers

have recently been supplemented by multiple

orders from two local builders. In view of this

trend, Ashburton's management is concerned

about how best to meet the increase in demand.

Unable to expand the current site because of plan$-$

ning restrictions, and reluctant to spend large

sums on new equipment, the management is

uncertain what to do$.$

Questions

List the inputs and outputs to the transforma$-$

tion process.

Draw a flow diagram to show the current pro$-$

duction stages.

Identify the current process type employed at

Ashburton.

Indicate the main constraints on current

operations.

Indicate any problems with the current pro$-$

duction process.

How might the company improve its opera$-$

tion on terms of process type, process lay$-$

out, process technology and job and work

design?