The newly-appointed general manager of Butler Metal Products was considering changes to his firm's shop floor organization. About two years earlier, his predecessor had switched from a traditional functional hierarchy to focused factories. Although the changes were accompanied by 35% reductions in inventories, throughput times and defect rates, there was concern that they would not be enough to assure Butler's survival in the economically-stressed .....more

Teaching note for product 9A92D015.

The newly-appointed general manager of Butler Metal Products was considering changes to his firm's shop floor organization. About two years earlier, his predecessor had switched from a traditional functional hierarchy to focused factories. Although the changes were accompanied by 35% reductions in inventories, throughput times and defect rates, there was concern that they would not be enough to assure Butler's survival in the economically-stressed .....more

The plant manager of Campbell Soup Company Limited's Toronto plant, was trying to decide how the plant should increase its capacity and reduce its costs. The goal was to make the plant competitive with Campbell's United States plants to allow it to serve the large north-eastern American market. The plant manager was considering investing in equipment or labour to address this issue. Without a solution, the plant's future may be in dou .....more

The general manager of Blount Canada visited Japan and began a journey of continuous improvement. He began implementing changes, starting with shortening die set-up times and moving on to reducing inventory. Four years later, the company began teaching statistical process control and other quality programs. One problem-solving technique recently adopted is the Quality Improvement (QI) story. This case provides background about the company and presents .....more

Air Ontario executives are trying to decide whether to replace the regional airline's disposable dinnerware with reusable dinnerware. After assessing the results from a test "flight", they must assess the costs, time requirements, and effects on service of the options.

This case examines the process by which Ernst & Young processes personal tax returns. The firm's service level is not high and the business is not believed to be very profitable. During the past year the firm has adopted new computer software and total quality management (TQM). The firm is considering a number of options. The focus is on an audit manager who is wondering how to survive the upcoming tax season. This case was written to illustrate .....more