Meditech Case
CASE: Meditech Surgical
1) What are Meditech’s problems in introducing new products?
There is no historical data or forecast to base demand off of. It is impossible to decipher the amount of a product to produce with no calculations to base it on. This also creates scheduling problems on the assembly lines, which cause a backup for producing their current enhanced products.
In manufacturing ALL products?
They cannot continue to juggle the enhancement of current products and constant development of new products. These issues take away extensive production time.
2) What is driving these problems, both systemically and organizationally?
Systemically, production planning and scheduling are in constant turmoil trying to meet the demands of the company. It cannot keep up with the changing of products because there are too many departments effected by the constant changes.
Organizationally, upper management need to stop focusing on continuously obsoleting its own products by constantly introducing innovations. This is what is causing the turmoil throughout Meditech.
3) Why is the customer service manager the first person to recognize the major issues?
Because he is the customers’ primary contact for the business. He hears all the complaints and tries to reassure the customers of future improvement.
4) How would you fix these problems?
I would continue to constantly produce the most popular products and not opt to “continuously obsolete their own products by constantly introducing innovations.” New is not always better. This way you can forecast orders from historical data and establish a smoother production system and assembly line without constantly changing
1) What are Meditech’s problems in introducing new products?
There is no historical data or forecast to base demand off of. It is impossible to decipher the amount of a product to produce with no calculations to base it on. This also creates scheduling problems on the assembly lines, which cause a backup for producing their current enhanced products.
In manufacturing ALL products?
They cannot continue to juggle the enhancement of current products and constant development of new products. These issues take away extensive production time.
2) What is driving these problems, both systemically and organizationally?
Systemically, production planning and scheduling are in constant turmoil trying to meet the demands of the company. It cannot keep up with the changing of products because there are too many departments effected by the constant changes.
Organizationally, upper management need to stop focusing on continuously obsoleting its own products by constantly introducing innovations. This is what is causing the turmoil throughout Meditech.
3) Why is the customer service manager the first person to recognize the major issues?
Because he is the customers’ primary contact for the business. He hears all the complaints and tries to reassure the customers of future improvement.
4) How would you fix these problems?
I would continue to constantly produce the most popular products and not opt to “continuously obsolete their own products by constantly introducing innovations.” New is not always better. This way you can forecast orders from historical data and establish a smoother production system and assembly line without constantly changing