Bob Bugs was sitting at his desk one sunny Tuesday afternoon, updating his Professional Productivity Journal. Suddenly, the production floor supervisor, Fran Fudd, burst into his office.

“Conveyor Belt #4 just broke down!” she exclaims. “We don’t have time for this; we need to get that Widgets Inc. shipment out by 5 p.m. today!” As they were talking David Daffy, one of the senior production specialists walks in to see what the commotion is about.

Part I: Discuss your responses (5 pts each)

• Who will be the point of contact?
• What information does Bob need?
• Who else should Bob involve?

Part II: (35 points)

After having examined the situation, Bob asked Fran some specific questions. She came back with these answers:

• This area of the production plant cannot be switched over to use another conveyor belt.
• The conveyor belt has overheated and blew a turbine. This problem has occurred several times in the past. Usually, spare parts are available, but there is a current backlog at the plant that provides those parts. The only other business that provides these parts is four states away.
• David Daffy will be overseeing the repair process.
• No other orders will need to use that conveyor belt until Friday, three days from now.
• The Widgets Inc. order is due on Thursday at noon. If the company uses air shipping instead of ground, the product can leave the Gadgets Unlimited plant at 10 a.m. on Thursday and still make it on time.

To Do: Provide information on the following aspect:

Action Plan

Problem:

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Solution:

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Timeline of the Solution/s:

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