Custom «Albatross Anchors» Essay Paper Sample

1. Cost

The current cost of production stands at $ 12 per pound for Bell or Mushroom anchors, the cost is half when it comes to the production of snag hook anchors. The most important problem here is the operational inefficiencies of the company. These inefficiencies bring down the profit margin by 30%, this is whopping and this needs to be rectified. The company cannot afford to lose 30% of their profit; it is high time to sort this out. The receiving area is currently doing double duty, it is responsible for receiving raw material and it is also responsible for sending finished goods to the intended destination. The company will not be able to compete unless they solve their operational difficulties, they need to have a specific area to handle shipping and to receive raw material. This will make the company more competitive.

2. Speed of Manufacturing:

The company is using obsolete technology as mentioned in the case study; they have to replace the machines to compete in the market. This requires investment but it will benefit the company in the long run. The speed of manufacturing can only be increased by buying the latest machines; this will expedite the process of manufacturing and will also result in making the company more competitive than ever.

3. Flexibility in Filling orders:

The company is inflexible according to its case study; there are a lot of things which require attention. The most important of them all being technology, updated technology will make the company more flexible and it will facilitate growth. It is needless to say that this will also make the company flexible in more ways than one.

4. Technology:

The company needs to invest in technology; the use of outdated technology can never facilitate growth. New machines will produce better products and at a good speed, this will make the company much better than ever. This will also bring down the cost of production, the old machines require much maintenance, this would be much different in the case of new machines.

5. Capacity and Facilities:

“Henry Ford demonstrated thatsteady, repetitive production dramatically reduces cost. This is true for both assembly operations and for upstream fabrication. However, when final assembly models proliferate and the issue is addressed by changeovers and long runs on the assembly line, it creates highly variable demand in upstream fabrication and subassembly.” (Mixed Model Production) The company at this point needs to have focused factories to deliver better results.

6. Service:

An anchor company can supply ships to marine wholesalers, they can supply anchors to marine wholesalers. In addition to this they can also supply steel plates, metal fabrications, plastic injection modeling so on and so forth. Structural steel frames and bases are also included in these services. As far as the case study is concerned, it is known that Albatross only supplies hooks and snags to its clients.

Job Analysis:

The requirements of a job are analyzed under job analysis, this method is very commonly used to determine whether a person working in an organization is suitable or not. The skills and other necessary qualities required for a job are also analyzed under job analysis. Job description and job specification are two very important concepts under job analysis; the management prepares these two before hiring the employees in an organization. Horses for courses is a very popular idiom, it means recruiting the right people for the right job. Satisfaction, retention and morale are three things that are very closely related to job analysis. An employee who has been hired without preparing the job description and the job analysis is ought to get frustrated at a later stage; clarity is what is being tried to be achieved here. Every employee should know their job only then can an organization grow by leaps and bounds. Job description and job analysis facilitate role clarity and other important aspects for a prospective employee and this is why these things are really essential.

The management of Albatross must also be clear about the job description and the job specifications only then can their employees be retained and only then can they work with a high morale. As far as satisfaction is concerned, it is again based on the role and the clarity of an employee. The organization must make sure that all these important things are conveyed to the employees so that there are no problems at a later stage.

One very important long term change would to invest heavily in latest technology, the second long term change would be to buy more land to effectively manage the needs of the company. One short term change would be to access more shipping options; the second option would be to choose the most effective shipping option. To conclude it is very fair to say that the company requires a lot of changes to be made. 30% of the profit is going down the drain and this is anything but acceptable.