An Analysis of the Operations Management of a Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) - A Case Study of a Manufacturing Company in Singapore

In today competitive business environment, there are many manufacturing philosophies and best practices that organizations can make the most of, as a platform to achieve its overall business goals and objectives. This case study dissertation is thus an attempt to analyze fundamentals of operations managements and strategy, and the significance of the management tools from the perspective of a small manufacturing enterprise. It is with the proposition that with appropriate adoption and implementation of operations management philosophies and tools, the company under study will be able to enhance its manufacturing performances, i.e. improved delivery lead time, work-in-progress (WIP), inventory, cost of production and manufacturing quality (scrap and rework), and productivity level, and consequently achieved its strategic business objectives of further company expansion, in a more efficient and effective manner. The case study highlights importance of the management tools as a source of not only a competitive edge, but also as prerequisite to sustain in the rapid dynamic business environment. Based on the information acquired from the literature review and data from the field study, a conceptual framework consisting of the proposed manufacturing philosophies that will assist the company concerned achieved its business strategic goals in a more efficient and effective manner was developed for the company's considerations. Among others, operations management philosophies such as, Lean Manufacturing (LM), Just-in-Time (JIT) and Total Quality Management (TQM) are discussed in particular relevance to a small enterprise set-up, coupled with recommendations to tackle the change management issues so as to ensure higher level of success. This paper concludes with the view that management tools inherent in operations management and strategy discipline are by and large, applicable in the context of a small and medium sized enterprise as well. The case study demonstrated that with adoption of the appropriate management tools, the company concerned will be able to improve its manufacturing performance and enhance productivity level in a more cost effective manner