Balloon Factory Cameron Balloon Simulation What Did

Balloon Factory Cameron Balloon Simulation What did you learn about Cameron Balloons business process? Perhaps the most compelling point of interest in this simulation was the indication that Cameron Balloons employs a consistent workflow process that nonetheless maintains the flexibility for innovation. As one moves through the work-flow simulation, one can see that the development of a Balloon Concept is the initial step and includes the input of the customer, the graphic design and the sales team.

As the overview of the company denotes, Cameron is responsible for 80% of the uniquely shaped non-spherical balloons in flight today. The initial phase of the workflow demonstrates that this creativity is facilitated by an interconnectedness between client, concept developers and those who will ultimately be charged with pricing the output from this concept. I found this to be an extremely compelling balance between a standardized process and the output of innovation.

Briefly describe the interdependence of Cameron Balloons operations with the other functional areas of the business? Why is understanding this interdependence important and how should it be incorporated into business strategy? Here above, we hint at the interdependence of different operational dimensions of Cameron Balloons. But perhaps nowhere is this more in evidence than on the factor floor itself. Here, the layout suggests that the creation and sale of balloons is dependent on a number of concurrent functions.

Here, Production, Design, Marketing, Accounting and Stock Control are all directly interdependent and we can see, through the simulation, that the actions conducted in each of these areas is inextricable from the actions conducted in all peripheral areas. For instance, Production and Design are fully contingent upon the availability of supplies. Therefore, those working in the Purchasing (Stock Control) department, must account for some highly complex parameters when determining that which should be maintained in the company's supply inventory, that which should be ordered and in what quantity.

According to the Factor Floor description of the Purchasing department, "The specialist nature of many of the products means that the lead times (the time it takes from order to delivery) can be long. This means that the purchasing department have to plan well ahead and monitor stock levels very carefully." Briefly describe how incorporating IT solutions could help improve operations.

In addition to the degree to which this means that purchasing must be highly conscious of the need and availability of certain resources or supplies in design and production, it also suggests that the company might benefit from an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system. This type of IT strategy employs formulas to project company needs in a way that can reduce lead-time lags for supplies and can help to regenerate resource inventory in an automated fashion. This.