Case Analysis:

The general manager of an elevator firm had a frequent problem: he was irritated by the lack of collaboration between mechanical engineers who planned new elevators and manufacturing engineers who determined how to manufacture them in the plant. Mechanical engineers would frequently design a new elevator entirely without consulting manufacturing experts, then expect the factory to find out how to build it. (In production, this is referred to as "throwing it over the wall.") New items were sometimes difficult or practically impossible to manufacture, and as a result, their quality and cost decreased. The designs were frequently referred back to the mechanical engineers for technical adjustments to enhance their manufacturability (sometimes many times). Customers were made to wait months for deliveries as designers and manufacturers played volleyball with the design. The general manager realized that if the two sets of engineers merely communicated earlier in the design process, many of these issues might be avoided. He discovered a huge unoccupied room in the building and had the mechanical and manufacturing engineers working on the next product transferred into it, one group on one side and the other on the other, at his wits' end. Communication would very certainly increase if all they had to do to communicate was go from one side of the room to the other. The manager felt relieved, as if his problem had finally been solved. He was in for a huge surprise when he returned to the engineers' new house a few weeks later. The two teams of engineers had finally figured out how to work together. They had worked together to construct a wall of bookshelves and filing cabinets that ran the length of the space, thus dividing it into two different offices, allowing them to go on as before. Answer what is asked for based from the given case. Be brief and concise. (30pts Rubric: Content: 5 Mechanics/Organization:3 Grammar/Plagiarism:2