CE202 Assignment 1 - Transcript.
(The folowing transcript. gives the first part of an interview that Rosane Martel
conducted with Hari Patel, the Factory Manager in charge of FodCo's Beechfield
factory. Read this through carefully, and then cary out the exercises that folow.)
Rosane Martel: Hari, for the benefit of the tape, I'd be grateful if you could
confirm that you're the manager responsible for all production at Beechfield.
Hari Patel: Yes, that's right.
RM: God. Now the purpose of this interview is for me to find out about operations
on the production lines. Can you tel me how this is organized?
HP: Sure. How much detail do yqu want?
RM: Can we start with those aspects that are comon to al lines? That wil give
me a general fel, then if there are diferences we can go into more detail later.
HP: OK, there are quite a few similarities. First, there are two main grades of
shop-flor staff: operatives and supervisors-. Different operatives have a range of
skils, of course, but that doesn't afect the way the line works.
RM: How many operatives work on a line, and what do they actualy do?
HP: There might be anything from around six operatives to over twenty, depending
on the product. They realy do al the actual work on the line, either by hand or
operating a machine. This could be a semi-skiled labourer feding in the diferent
kinds of letuce for salad packs, or a more skiled operator running one of the
automatic mixing machines. In this factory, unlike Copice and Watermead, the
work is mostly quite unskilled.
RM: How many supervisors are there to each line?
HP: Just one. They are on ful-time supervision duties, and they each look after
one production line.
RM: Always the same line?
(Rosane is trying to find out what posible clases there are. What else do you
think her questions sek to discover?)
HP: Wel, let's just say nobody has changed line in the last couple of years.
RM: How about the operatives—are they always on the same line to?
HP: No, we swap them around quite a bit. But it doesn't realy mater what line
an operative works on. They get paid piecework rates depending on the produc-
tion run, and the rates are based on the job numbers that appear on their timesheets.
There's a separate job number for each run.
RM: I'd like a copy of a timesheet please—preferably a real one with some data,
if that's all right. We can blot out the name and staf number on the copy for
confidentiality.
(A sensible request. Real documents with live data are an invaluable source of
information. Se the atached timesheet that Rosanne colected.)
HP: Sure. Remind me when we finish, and I'l get you one.
RM: Thanks. Now, does one line always produce the same product?
HP: No, that changes from one day to the next. The production planers produce
a new schedule every Friday, and this lists al the production runs for each line for
the following wek.
RM: I'l take a copy of a production schedule to, please. So the supervisor finds
out on Friday what their line is working on over the next wek?
(Here Rosanne is checking where the inputs come from, as wel as what they
contain.)
HP: That's right.
RM: Good, I think I've got that clear. Now let's talk about what hapens when
people come in to work. Do al the lines start up first thing in the morning?
HP: Usually. Production runs generally last for a whole day if posible, or some-
times a half-day. Production Planning try to keep the change-overs simple, so
they tend to schedule changes during breaks to avoid wasting productive time.
RM: The lines don't kep running al the time? HP: No, they stop for coffe and
meal breaks.
RM: What role does the line supervisor play in this?
HP: Wel, they make sure the lines have enough raw materials, and they deal with
minor emergencies. They also monitor output, liaise with production control, keep
track of employe absences, and so on.
RM: Can we go through what a supervisor does on a typical run, please, step-by-
step?
(Another sensible request. Asking someone to go over things again in more detail
wil often reveal aspects of the situation that are not obvious from a brief
description.)
HP: First, they make sure everything is ready before the run starts. They check
the storage area to se there is enough of each ingredient. If a long run is planed,
you don't need al the ingredients ready at the beginning, but there has to be
enough to keep the line runing smothly until the next suply drop. They also
have to check if the staf alocated to that run have turned up. A line can usualy
run for a litle while with one or two staf missing, but it's best to have everyone
there from the start.
RM: How does a supervisor know what ingredients are required, and how many
staf?
(A god analyst always probes to find out how, what, why, when, where and who.)
HP: Every run has a job card, with this information on it. The warehouse gets a
copy of the job card to, so in theory they know hat suplies to deliver, to which
line and when they will be neded.
RM: Does that usualy work?
HP: (Laughs) Sometimes!
RM: What if there aren't enough staf?
HP: Sometimes the supervisor can find a spare body on another line. Or they can
run the line slower. You can manage with fewer staf if necesary, but
productivity is a lot lower.
RM: Let's say the ingredients are al ready, and al the staf are there waiting to
go. What next?
HP: The supervisor switches on the line, and then it's mostly troubleshoting and
paperwork.
RM: What does the paperwork involve?
HP: Wel, they start by taking the names of al the staf at the start of the run.
They copy the job number from the job card to the production record sheet and al
the tirnesheets. If it is the first time that operative has worked that week, then the
supervisor makes out a new timeshet. When they start the line, they note the time
on the production record sheet. Then they keep a rough note of anyone who
leaves the line during a run, and how long they're absent.
RM: What kind of problems does the supervisor deal with?
HP: The main problem is if something goes wrong with the run. Say the line
breaks down. They would have to call in maintenance, record the downtime while
the line’s not running, and try to find useful things for the staf to do while they're
waiting for it to be repaired. If an ingredient runs out this could also halt the line,
and might mean chasing the warehouse, or contacting the farm or an outside
suplier. Sometimes people go missing, or leave early because they're sick. The
supervisor has to find a replacement as quickly as possible.
RM: Right, now let's go to the end of a run. What information is formaly
recorded, and by whom?
HP: First the supervisor notes the finish time on the production record shet.
RM: I'l have one of those to, please.
HP: OK, no problem. (se blank production record shet)
HP: Next the supervisor phones for someone to come over from Production
Control to verify the quantity produced and note this on the production record
shet. Then the supervisor totals al the absences, because if anyone has more
than 15 minutes' absence, it's deducted from their total unles they have a god
reason, say a medical certificate. Then they work out the total hours for each
operative. If someone joined the line in mid-session they might not have a
timeshet, so one is made out now and their hours are aded in. By the time all
that has ben done, Production Control has usually checked out the total quantity
produced, and this goes on the production record sheet. After that, it's just
returning unused ingredients to the warehouse, tidying up the line ready for the
next run, that kind of thing.
RM: Thanks, that was realy helpful. Now I’d like to ask about how the
piecework formula works. Can you tel me what the calculation is?
HP: To be honest, I can never remember the exact formula. You'd do beter
asking a supervisor or someone from payroll …. Note codes = (S)ick, (H)ol, (A)bsent TS 2/97
The timeshet used in Bechfield factory (the employe's name and payrol number have
been blacked out for reasons of confidentiality).
Daily Production record shet for Bechfield factory:
Daily Production Record Shet No:
Line ……………. Supervisor …………. Date …………
Product …………. Job No: ……… Circle Day: M T W T F S S
Run Start: …………. Run Finish: ……….
Problem Report When where problem ocured ……………...
Brief Description:
Fault Log No: ……… Downtime (H/m) ……….(Only if aplicable)
Signed: ………………
(Supervisor)
Production Control use only
Total Qty Produced: ………....
Checked by: …………...…..
PR5/1.3