Delta Rice Mill Essay Example
Delta Rice Mill Essay Example

Delta Rice Mill Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (515 words)
  • Published: April 13, 2017
  • Type: Case Analysis
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Delta Rice Mill Case Analysis. Identifications of problems in Delta rice mill operations

After a thorough examination of the case, it is evident that Delta rice mill faces a number of issues. The primary concern is the continued utilization of outdated and unreliable equipment for the production of their rice products.

The use of old and unreliable equipment leads to frequent breakdowns and high maintenance costs, which is not cost-effective. Delta rice mill utilizes an inappropriate method of forecasting sales for the upcoming year, resulting in a significant discrepancy between the estimated and actual numbers. This discrepancy is the main cause of the production schedule experiencing numerous peaks and valleys. In addition, Delta rice mill faces an issue in operations management where production workers prefer to dedicate each size of pouch to a separate packing line, despite the flexibility of the packing

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lines to accommodate various pouch sizes.

The current method of allocating each pouch size to each packing line can result in low utilization of packing lines due to different customer demands for three pouch sizes of rice products. Additionally, the volume of rice being processed is determined by the production schedule for the packing plant, causing coordination issues with the five instant-rice processing lines and packaging lines. Consequently, the processing lines may not reach their full capacities. To improve the operation performance in Delta rice mill, investing in a new production line with the latest technology and advanced production equipment is recommended. This brand-new production line would significantly enhance product quality and productivity while reducing overtime, temporary workers, downtime, and production costs.

Based on the chart, the total sales of rice products in the past three years

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show a noticeable trend. In order to accurately forecast the monthly sales for year-four, Delta rice mill should utilize the average growth rates from these previous three years instead of simply dividing last year's total sales by 12. This approach will enable Delta rice mill to develop more reasonable production schedules and inventory policies, leading to cost reduction and meeting delivery goals on time.

In addition, it is advisable for Delta rice mill to allocate their packing lines according to customer demand for different pouch sizes of rice products. The packing lines have the capability to handle any of the available pouch sizes. Among these pouch sizes, 14 ounces is the most popular followed by 7 ounces and finally 4 ounces. Consequently, utilizing all three packing lines to pack the 14-ounce pouch size would be beneficial for Delta rice mill.

When the 14-ounce pouch size is completed, it can also be applied to the other pouch sizes. Another way to manage inventory is for Delta rice mill to produce instant rice completely in its processing lines and store all the processed rice in large bins. When the mill receives orders from customers and identifies the size requirements, it can then package the rice and utilize the packaging lines to their full capacity. This allows the mill to reduce the amount of inventory it needs to stock, instead of following the corporate inventory policy of stocking inventories for each size.

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