BPI – Introduction to Process Measurement
Business Process Improvement project happen to be the most effective tool to bring in effective process and operating efficiencies in any field of business operations. Organizations use BPI programs to overhaul the existing processes, remove redundancies and to adapt to the changing demands and conditions of the Customers. As the business environment keeps changing and […]
How Emerging Markets Transformed Themselves Over the Last Few Decades
From Backwaters to Powerhouses At the start of the 1970s a widely held belief in the United States and in Europe was about how there were no markets outside of their regions. The implication was that the Third World countries were not worthy of foreign investment as they were steeped in backwardness, immersed in poverty, […]
Some Insights into the Infosys and TATA Sagas that are Relevant to all Organizations
Many of you would have read about the dramatic events of the last two days pertaining to the Indian IT (Information Technology) bellwether and behemoth, Infosys, which was played out in the public domain and which culminated in the resignation of its first non-founder chairperson, Vishal Sikka, amidst allegations of malfeasance of corporate governance and […]
IT Disaster – Prevention, Precaution and Recovery
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity concepts are more relevant to IT and technology companies as well as the service industry that is dependent upon technology as their backbone than any other industry. The reason being that IT systems, network, hardware as well as software and communication systems etc are highly sensitive and vulnerable and hence […]
Quality Control Techniques
Introduction Quality of product and services determines success or failure of the organization. Consumers expect the company to maintain high-level of quality and consider it an important aspect of satisfaction. Quality management, therefore, becomes very important as far as any organization is concerned. Quality management can be accomplished through various quality control techniques. Quality assurance […]
Polar opposite to the concept of Business Process Re-Engineering is the concept of continuous improvement. It was developed by the Japanese after World War-2. Whilst BPR relies on radical change, lean management relies on small incremental change. It stems from Japanese term called “Kaizen” which means small improvement.
The concept relies on successive small improvements to bring about a big change over a period of time. Instead of changing the process completely, only minor modifications are made to the process and over time they accumulate to provide big benefits.
Corporations such as Toyota and Sony have dominated global markets with the help of this concept. Even Wal-Mart has deployed it to make its supply chain powerful enough to offer EDLP (Every Day Low Prices). Here are some examples of continuous improvement and how information technology contributes:
Inventory Management: Toyota Inc realized that it was occurring costs of over 26% per annum for maintaining inventory. So were all the other car manufacturers. This inventory was maintained because the process was aiming at local optimization instead of total optimization.
The inventory department was trying to minimize its own costs rather than total costs and so were all the other departments. Toyota used technology to build an impressive forecasting system. Then it streamlined its supply chain to ensure that inventory arrived Just in Time (JIT). This cut all the storage, administration and interest expenses. Toyota could price better and still reap higher profits. Toyota used continuous improvements in its forecasting, inventory management and warehousing processes to gain a cost advantage over the others.
Logistics: Wal-Mart used processes to its advantage when it built a world class inventory tracking system. It cut administrative costs and supply shortages as it built information systems to share information with the suppliers.
P&G could see when the inventory had fallen below a certain level and could replenish it without Wal-Mart making any effort. The use of RFID chips and barcodes enabled the Wal-Mart to track its customer behavior better and develop relationships with them. Thus a small change like introduction of RFID coupled with other small changes like automated ordering brought down the clerical costs of the purchase department and also increased efficiency manifold.
Push v/s Pull Supply Chain: While most PC manufacturers in the US were reeling from falling prices and rising inventory, Dell Inc found a way to use processes to turn the situation in its favor.
Dell used technology to sell its computers as opposed to brick and mortar stores saving on overheads. But this is just a small part in the strategy.
Dell’s masterstroke was to change the supply chain from push to pull strategy. Dell would manufacture only when ordered. It used information systems to ensure that when an order was placed, all its suppliers got it simultaneously. They would then keep the order ready and Dell would assemble all the parts and use a high-tech assembly line to build and deliver the PC in no time. The customer didn’t mind waiting 4-5 days if Dell took 20% off. Even at this low price Dell was earning superior profits thanks to the power of technology
Processes can also be used to solve a major problem called the Bullwhip effect in the supply chain. It means that minor changes in demand are amplified as they move upwards in the supply chain. The manufacturers anticipate larger demand, produce more and end up with excess inventory. This problem has been curbed by using processes to develop a real time sales monitoring system.
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