Fab Sweets Limited
I. Introduction:
FAB Sweets Limited is a manufacturer of high-quality sweets. The company is located in the North of England which is a medium-sized, family-owned, partially unionized and highly successful confectionery producer. The case analysis takes place in HB department, the most problematic department of the factory. The department produces and packs over 40 lines of hard-boiled candies using a batch-production system. The department has a 37 people in work, the majorities are skilled employees. This is organized in two adjacent areas: one for production staffed by men, 25 in quantity, and one for packing staffed by women, 12 in quantity. The two divisions are separated by a physical barrier overseen by a charge hand and a supervisor respectfully. The department manager also oversees both division and has to report to the factory manager.
Training takes place on the production process, which is essentially quite simple, but it normally takes two years to acquire the skills necessary to effectively complete all tasks of production. Many different product lines can be produced simultaneously with each task interdependent of the next. Although the job seems quite simple and the management of the process is straightforward, the department however faced many serious problems.
II. Statement of the Problem: The main problem experienced in HB department is related to motivation which is the high level of turnover (refers to the high rate of movement of employees out of a firm), six new managers in eight years. The problems that also affect the company were low target production rates and high level of scrap (high rate of rework) in the department. Other simple problems arose, such as: employees had little input in the decision-making responsibilities, low motivation, low job satisfaction, and didn’t have enough appreciation, feedback and recognition on their performance. In addition, there were conflicts between the supervisors and employees in the
FAB Sweets Limited is a manufacturer of high-quality sweets. The company is located in the North of England which is a medium-sized, family-owned, partially unionized and highly successful confectionery producer. The case analysis takes place in HB department, the most problematic department of the factory. The department produces and packs over 40 lines of hard-boiled candies using a batch-production system. The department has a 37 people in work, the majorities are skilled employees. This is organized in two adjacent areas: one for production staffed by men, 25 in quantity, and one for packing staffed by women, 12 in quantity. The two divisions are separated by a physical barrier overseen by a charge hand and a supervisor respectfully. The department manager also oversees both division and has to report to the factory manager.
Training takes place on the production process, which is essentially quite simple, but it normally takes two years to acquire the skills necessary to effectively complete all tasks of production. Many different product lines can be produced simultaneously with each task interdependent of the next. Although the job seems quite simple and the management of the process is straightforward, the department however faced many serious problems.
II. Statement of the Problem: The main problem experienced in HB department is related to motivation which is the high level of turnover (refers to the high rate of movement of employees out of a firm), six new managers in eight years. The problems that also affect the company were low target production rates and high level of scrap (high rate of rework) in the department. Other simple problems arose, such as: employees had little input in the decision-making responsibilities, low motivation, low job satisfaction, and didn’t have enough appreciation, feedback and recognition on their performance. In addition, there were conflicts between the supervisors and employees in the