QUESTION 1 (20 Marks) On the basis of the article, undertake a detailed SWOT analysis of Anglo American Platinum as a learning organisation. A minimum of FOUR (4) significant points each for the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats should be extracted from the article to buttress the discussion. In addition to the SWOT analysis you should indicate how benchmarking could improve Amplats understanding of its competitive positionAnglo

Anglo American Platinum (Amplats). set its next new wave of strategy in motion, which involves extracting the full potential from its operations through people and innovation, investing in its own portfolio to deliver industry-leading cash flows and investing in the development of the market to increase demand. 2.1 Considering the statement above, comprehensively elaborate on Amplats next wave of strategy (10 marks) 2.2. Suppose that you are an operations analyst at Anglo American Platinum and you have been asked to appraise the companys inventory ordering policy. The following information is available: INFORMATION: Anglo American Platinum uses ABC analysis as an inventory categorisation method. The current inventory ordering policy is to order 10 000 units of an A-item inventory when the level falls to 4 500 units. Forecast demand to meet production requirements during the next year is 62 500 units. The cost of placing and processing an order relating to this inventorytem is R250, while the cost of holding a unit in store is R50 per unit per year. You anticipate that both costs will be constant during the next year. Orders are received two weeks after being placed with the supplier. Assume a 50-week year and that demand is constant throughout the year. REQUIRED: Based on the information above, answer the following questions: 2.2.1 Using a quantitative analysis, appraise the optimality of the current ordering policy of the A-item inventory (Show all calculations). (6 marks) 2.2.2. Calculate the economic order quantity (EOQ) of the A-item inventory (Show all calculations). (4 marks) SECTION B [60 MARKS] Answer ALL questions in this section QUESTION 3 (20 Marks) Use the information provided below to answer the following questions. INFORMATION: The following table shows data on the average number of customers processed by the service units of three local banks (A, B and C) each day. The hourly wage rate is R30, the overhead rate is 1.1 times labour cost, and material costs is R20 per customer. Service Unit Number of employees Customers processed per day Bank A Bank B Bank C 4 5 8 36 40 80 REQUIRED: 3.1 Compute the labour productivity and the multifactor productivity for each unit. Use an eight-hour day for multifactor productivity (Round off multifactor productivity to three decimal places). (9 marks) 3.2 Suppose a new, more standardized procedure is to be introduced that will enable each employee to process one additional customer per day. Compute the expected labour and multifactor productivity rate for each bank (Round off multifactor productivity to three decimal places). (11 marks) QUESTION 4 (20 Marks) Analyse the information provided below and answer the following questions. Croesus Enterprises is a manufacturer of a popular natural concentrated liquid laundry detergent for the Southern African market. Seeking to gain insight into current operational performance, and develop customer-centric capabilities, the firm engaged the services of a leading strategic advisor to evaluate changes in consumer behaviour. A recent consumer survey identified price and quality as the key priorities of the consumers of the product. Furthermore, a recent demand forecast predicted a significant growth in the demand for the product in the medium to long term. To meet the anticipated sales growth, the top management has decided to build a new plant with a much bigger production capacity. The new production facility will require significant investment in the latest production process and equipment to ensure a high degree of product consistency. The repetitive operations underpinning the production of the detergent will require a high production volume and a high product standardisation and will rely on automation and technology to improve efficiency and increase output. Source: the above information was compiled by the examiner. REQUIRED: 4.1. You are an operations analyst with a good understanding of the types of manufacturing processes. Critically appraise the TWO (2) possible processes that Croesus Limited could employ in the new production facility for the repetitive operations underpinning the production of the detergent. In your discussion, elaborate on process types, and compare and contrast the two types of processes. (10 marks) 4.2. According to the background information provided above, a recent consumer survey identified price and quality as the key priorities of the consumers of the product. Considering the findings of the consumer survey, discuss the competitive priorities (i.e., value drivers) and the operational capabilities that Croesus Enterprises should prioritise in its operations strategy. (10 marks) QUESTION 5 (20 Marks) Use the information provided below to answer the following questions. As a demand planner at Grootegeluk Mine, you want to determine the monthly sales forecast of coal (in tonnes). Table 1, below, depicts the volume of coal sold by the mine for each of the 12 months of 2022. Table 1: Volume of coal sold monthly during 2022 Year Monthly volume (tonne s) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2022 21 23 34 37 40 51 54 50 48 36 39 42 REQUIRED: Using the data provided in Table 1, answer each of the following questions: 5.1. Using the three-month weighted moving average method, calculate the monthly forecasts for April 2022 to January 2023 by assigning weights of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.6 (the oldest data to the most recent data, respectively) (Round off forecast values to one decimal place). (10 marks) 5.2. Calculate the mean absolute deviation (MAD) of the forecasts for April 2022 to December 2022 (Round off the answer to two decimal place). (5 marks) 5.3. Calculate the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of the forecasts for April 2022 to December 2022 (Round off the answer to two decimal place).