Question: CASE STUDY Wheeled Coach, based in Winter Park, Florida, is the world's largest manufacturer of ambulances. Working four 10 hour days each week 350 employees

CASE STUDY Wheeled Coach, based in Winter Park,
CASE STUDY Wheeled Coach, based in Winter Park, Florida, is the world's largest manufacturer of ambulances. Working four 10 hour days each week 350 employees make only custom-made ambulances virtually every vehicle is unique Wheeled Coach accommodates the marketplace by providing a wide variety of options and an engineering staff accustomed to innovation and autom design. Continuing growth, which now requires that more than 20 ambulances roll off the assembly in each week makes process design a continuing challenge. Wheeled Coactys response has been to buld a focused factory, Wheeled Coach bulds nothing but ambulances within the focused factory, Wheeled Coach established work cels for every major module feeding an assembly line including aluminum bodies, electrical wiring harnesses, interior cabinets, windows, painting and upholstery Labour standards drive the schedule so that every workcell feeds the assembly line on schedule, just in time for Installations. The chassis, usually that of a Ford truck moves to a station at which the aluminum body is mounted. Then the vehicle is moved to painting. Following a custom paint job, it moves to the assembly line, where it will spend seven days. During each of these seven work days, each workcell delivers its respective module to the appropriate position on the assemblywe. During the first day, electrical wiring is installed on the second day, the unit move forward to the stations which cabinetry delivered and installed, then to a window and lighting station, on to upholstery, to fit and finish, to further customizing and finally to inspection and road testing Discussion Questions 1. Why do you think major auto manufacturers do not build ambulances? 2. What is an alternative process strategy to the assembly line that Wheeled Coach currently uses? 3. Why is it more efficient for the work coils to prepare modules and deliver them to the assembly line that it would be to produce the componente interior upholstery on the line 4. How does Wheeled Coach manage the tasks to be performed at each workstation? 5. Which of the 10 OM Decisions are the most important for Wheeled Coach and why

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