National Cranberry Cooperative
Introduction/ Statement of Problem
Over 50 percent of the berries graded as top quality are in real sense not top quality and do not even qualify for extra premiums paid on top of the quality berries. As a leading company in the fruit sector, the management of NCC is determined to implementing a few changes so as to increase its operations efficiency. In the process of cranberries entering, moving, and exiting receiving plant No. 1 has been a major issues and the company believes it can be contained by adjusting certain stages in its overall operations. These adjustments will lower the costly overtime expenses that the company incurs as well as containing the time spent by trucks waiting to be unloaded. As a result, the plant will enhance operational efficiencies at normal business hours hence increasing the overall productivity of the company.
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Identify and Provide Analysis of Key Issues/ Root Causes
A few years ago, NCC was among the largest cooperatives in all main fruit growing areas of North America: Nova Scotia, Washington, Massachusetts, British Columbia, New Jersey, Oregon, and Wisconsin. The management considers the purchasing and installation of two new dyers ($25,000 each) or water harvested / dry berries ($5,000) to convert NCCs dry berry into holding bins as a strategy avoiding these problems.
Increased mechanization of cranberry harvesting
In the vicinity of receiving plant No. 1, water harvesting was in particular rapidly developing. The management of NCC trust that water harvesting could yield 20 percent more than what dry harvesting could yield (National Cranberry Cooperative, 1974). However, this created a lot of damage to harvesting. Also, fruit harvesting time was shortened something which inconveniences the entire process.
Development of water harvesting method for fruits
Identify Alternative Courses of Actions and their Associated Consequences
Process Fruit Receiving
The bulk trucks carrying process berries randomly arrived at receiving plant No. 1 loaded with 20 to 400 bbls. On average, each truck delivered 75 bbls (National Cranberry Cooperative, 1974). This alternative was introduced to ensure that all trucks are weighed and the gross weight recorded prior to unloading. Sampling of about 30 lbs….Show More….
Develop Action Plan (s) and Identify Measures for Success after Implementation
The management of NCC will have to initiate new success measures to ensure that the proposed and implemented action plans are strictly adhered to and followed.
National Cranberry Cooperative Action Plan
| Action | Management Plan |
| Process Flow | |
| Receiving Cranberries | i. Weighing- The management seeks to ensure all trucks are weighed to determine the gross weight and the tare weight of the trucks are recorded.
ii. |
| Storing Cranberries into Bins |
Success Measures
Continuous flow processing: In which bottlenecks are properly and addressed to expand production capacity.
Preemptive Demand measures: Demand….Show More….
Implementation and Control: Who is Responsible for what?, How will you measure progress?, What are the milestones?