MBA 731 H1FF Brief 5
To: Alan Roberts
Subject: The Yankee Fork and Hoe Company Analysis and Recommendation
Date: 12/10/2013 Business Brief
The Yankee Fork and Hoe Company are in the business of manufacturing garden tools. Their products range from expensive top of the range equipment for professionals to basic economy tools for the average user. The competition in the garden tool industry is fierce also the advent of power tools is eating into the market share of the company. Since this industry has matured the scope creating novel products to attract customers does not exist. The only way to stay competitive is to keep the customers happy and coming back for the same products. The company is facing issues in this very area - customer satisfaction area. Their largest clients have started complaining about late shipments. The company cannot afford to lose their large customers. This will damage their reputation and their bottom line. Sharon Place the consultant brought in to help with forecasting finds that the company is having issues with their current forecasting process. The marketing department makes their forecast independently and passes it on to the production department. The production department makes modifications of their own based on their judgment. This makes the production to be delayed and eventually unhappy customers. Yankee needs to find a better way to forecast the market for the bow rake.
Issues with the forecasting system currently being used by Yankee
The marketing team creates the forecast by month for the next year. The forecast is always over inflated. They do not seem to have a scientific forecasting process. They marketing team, meets with the sales managers from the different regions to get an idea of the sales from last year. They take into account economic changes and shortages they had
Subject: The Yankee Fork and Hoe Company Analysis and Recommendation
Date: 12/10/2013 Business Brief
The Yankee Fork and Hoe Company are in the business of manufacturing garden tools. Their products range from expensive top of the range equipment for professionals to basic economy tools for the average user. The competition in the garden tool industry is fierce also the advent of power tools is eating into the market share of the company. Since this industry has matured the scope creating novel products to attract customers does not exist. The only way to stay competitive is to keep the customers happy and coming back for the same products. The company is facing issues in this very area - customer satisfaction area. Their largest clients have started complaining about late shipments. The company cannot afford to lose their large customers. This will damage their reputation and their bottom line. Sharon Place the consultant brought in to help with forecasting finds that the company is having issues with their current forecasting process. The marketing department makes their forecast independently and passes it on to the production department. The production department makes modifications of their own based on their judgment. This makes the production to be delayed and eventually unhappy customers. Yankee needs to find a better way to forecast the market for the bow rake.
Issues with the forecasting system currently being used by Yankee
The marketing team creates the forecast by month for the next year. The forecast is always over inflated. They do not seem to have a scientific forecasting process. They marketing team, meets with the sales managers from the different regions to get an idea of the sales from last year. They take into account economic changes and shortages they had
References: Krajewski, L. J., Ritzman, L. P., & Malhotra, M. K. (n.d.). Operations Management, Process and Supply Chains (Tenth ed.). N.p.: Pearson.