Case Name :      ForeFront Manufacturing: Production Processes and Change Management in Mainland China

Authors :           Chris J. Piper, Nigel Goodwin

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            906D20

Discipline :        Operations Management

Case Length :    15 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

ForeFront Wood Products produces high-quality wooden door sets. The company faces capacity constraints and inefficiencies resulting from its processes and culture. As a consequence, it struggles to be profitable. ForeFront’s parent company, ForeFront Holdings, plans an initial public offering in 2007. It has recently hired a new operations manager with the mandate to turn the factory around. As the operations manager begins his job he tours the manufacturing facilities to gather information on production processes and factors affecting capacity, cost, and conformance. Describes the firm’s manufacturing and managerial processes. Many issues are covered, including high costs, low yields, unreported defects, and equipment that fails to operate near its rated capacity. Organizational and change management challenges, including high employee turnover, excessive use of overtime, and failure of supervisors to observe or report employee errors are also described.