Manufacturing and Service Process Maps
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Manufacturing and Service Companies
Good Clothing Company
Based in Fall River, Massachusetts, Good Clothing Company manufactures fabrics for making clothes. They rely on small and large-scale orders from independent and established fashion designers. The company is aiming at achieving environmental sustainability through its manufacturing process. The 7-step manufacturing process utilizes different resources including equipment and chemicals.
Manufacturing Process Map
Infrastructure Elements
Alliant Event Services
Alliant Event Services is an event planning company based in Pomona, California. They plan different categories of events, for example, trade shows, live performances, and exhibitions, and their services include lighting, sound, and video. Potential clients have to contact the company with their event needs and then allow the company to fully organize the event.
Service Process Map
Infrastructure Elements
Summary
Manufacturing vs. Service Environments
Service and manufacturing environments possess both similarities and differences. Both environments are similar because they can forecast and plan to match demand and supply requirements in their respective markets. In the manufacturing industry, this means studying the demand of the market and producing goods that fit the demand without under-or overproducing. In the service industry, this is done by estimating the number of daily or monthly clients and ensuring adequate time and resource allocation to serve as many of the customers as possible. Secondly, both industries are tasked with managing the work processes and any occurring variations. Third, there is a need to monitor and control costs and productivity in both environments to ensure maximum profits and prevent losses (Linton, 2019). The manufacturing industry does this by ensuring that only necessary costs are incurred during manufacturing and that they do not equal or exceed the selling price of the goods. In the service industry, this is done by ensuring the time and skills used are adequately compensated. Other activities similar in both environments include supply chain and management, location planning, inventory management, and quality control.
The main difference between the manufacturing and service industries lies in the tangibility of output. Manufacturing environments are specialized in producing physical goods that clients can see and touch while service environments deal with intangible outputs such as consultancy and maintenance. Secondly, service industries produce their goods on demand; a service is offered when the client requires it while manufacturing industries produce goods that are stocked in outlets. Manufacturing industries, therefore, need to hold inventories that are at an extra cost. Third, although both industries work towards customer satisfaction, manufacturing industries need not wait for specific customer demands to begin their production process. Service industries, however, tailor the content of their services in response to specific requests of individual clients. Fourth, it is easier to automate the work process in manufacturing than in service environments. As such the service industry mostly demands personnel with specific knowledge and skills and is labor-intensive. Lastly, while manufacturing companies require physical locations for their operations, service companies may choose not to have a physical location and deliver services to the client’s location.
Customer-Introduced Variability
Customer-introduced variability in manufacturing and service industries is seen where the delivery process is changed or open to change depending on the customer’s needs. Both the service and manufacturing industry identify exhibit customer-introduced variability. Customer-introduced variability can occur in different ways including arrival, request, capability, and effort variabilities (Chand, 2017). Arrival variability allows clients to make their production or service requests only when the need arises while request variability allows for client-specific details to be included during production or when rendering a service. Additionally, capability and effort variability are necessary when the production or service requires presence and input from the client. The clients will vary in terms of their knowledge and the amount of effort they are willing to put in.
First, Good Clothing Company does not essentially produce a large stock of fabric and sell it at outlets but rather relies on specific orders from clients. Different clients have different needs in terms of design, fabric type, color schemes and the amount of fabric to be produced. The company, therefore, is open to both arrival and request variability. Alliant Events also welcome customer-introduced variability since its services are customer-centered. Clients may request planning services for different types of events, different requirements, and within a varying period. In event planning, the clients also have to be involved in some of the steps, for example, developing a budget and selecting a venue. Alliant Events exhibits arrival, request, capability, and effort variabilities.
Importance to Career
Understanding both the manufacturing and service industry is essential in becoming an operations manager. To become one, I will need to have a comprehensive understanding of all the activities that are involved in transforming an idea into a finished product in both industries. This should be in addition to having adequate knowledge of the processes and activities involved in system planning and control. A deep understanding of both industries will make it easier for me to guide either one of the industries to lead in their specific markets. Also, it will help in improving the operational efficiency of the company either through coaching employees to work optimally or training them to make maximum use of available equipment. For example, the operations manager is responsible for ensuring quality control in either good produced or services offered. This is done by checking that the product/service specifications and quality standards are adhered to.
References
Alliant events. (2020). Event Solutions. Retrieved from Alliant Events: https://alliantevents.com/
Chand, S. (2017). 5 Forms of Customer Variability | Business Marketing. Your Article Library.
Chemsec. (2020). The Textile Process. Textile Guide. Retrieved from https://textileguide.chemsec.org/find/get-familiar-with-your-textile-production-processes/
Good Clothing Company. (2020). Manufacturing. Retrieved from Good Clothing Company: https://www.goodclothingcompany.com/manufacturing
Linton, I. (2019). Five Differences Between Service and Manufacturing Organizations. Small Businesses.
Rosenthal, A. (2019). How to Plan an Event: A Simple 8-Step Guide. Capterra.com.