Optimising process flows in dragon fruit jam production

• Main Authors: WEE, Kwan Eng, OTT, Holly, CHEAH, Sin Mei
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
• Subjects: Process Flow; Process Flow Diagram; Capacity utilization; Capacity planning; Resource allocation; Bottleneck; Business Administration, Management, and Operations; Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cases_coll_all/299; https://smu.sharepoint.com/sites/admin/CMP/cases/SMU-20-BATCH%20%5BPDF-Pic%5D/SMU-20-0010%20%5BGSH%20Converses%5D/SMU-20-0010TN%20%5BGSH%20Conserves%20TN%5D.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

GSH Conserves was an artisanal jam producer in Singapore that specialised in using tropical fruits, such as dragon fruit, lychee, mango, etc., to handcraft high-quality jam in small batches. Founded in 2013 in a home kitchen, the demand for GSH Conserves jam and bottled fruits had grown organically through word-of-mouth over the years. Carving its niche as a brand conscious of reducing its carbon food print, GSH Conserves jams were retailed at gourmet bakeries and upscale supermarkets, and sold wholesale as a white label to hotels. In 2016, GSH Conserves moved to a new factory that could cater to a larger production capacity in order to meet growing demand. However, Edwin Lim, a partner at GSH Conserves, observed that his workers and equipment were often idle. He had to examine the company’s current operations, identify inefficiencies and suggest improvements. Would adding resources help to eliminate bottlenecks? How can he redesign the production process to address demand variability without affecting product quality? This case is developed to provide a simple operational example of how demand patterns shift the bottleneck in production lines with multiple flow units. Upon completion of the case, students will be able to identify bottlenecks in process flows under different situations, draw process flow diagrams, redesign process flows and use line balancing techniques to improve capacity.