Multiple Flow Units Scenario

Consider a bagel store selling two types of bagels: Cream Cheese Bagels go through cutting, cream cheese, and wrapping stations, while veggie bagels go through cutting, veggie, and wrapping stations. Assume the processing times are as follows:

• Cutting: 2 min/bagel (regardless of the order type
• CreamCheese: 1 min/bagel
• Veggie: 2 min/bagel
• Wrapping: 3 min/bagel (regardless of the order type)

Assume the demand is 250 bagels a day, of which there are 150 cream cheese and 100 veggie. Assume that the workday is 10 hours long and each resource is staffed with one worker.

Answer the following:

A. What is the process bottleneck? Cutting, cream cheese, veggie, or wrapping?

B. How many of each type of bagels can the store sell within one hour, assuming the product mix (ratio of cream cheese to veggie bagels) remains constant during the hour? 12 cream cheese and 8 veggie, 9 cream cheese and 6 veggie, 15 cream cheese and 10 veggie, 18 cream cheese and 12 veggie.

C. Looking at the utilization of different stations, the manager decides to lay off the person who works at the Cream Cheese station and ask the person who works at the veggie station to cover both stations. How do you think this affects the customers' average waiting time in the store? Will it: increase the average waiting time, decrease the average waiting time, not affect the average waiting time, or do we not have enough information to answer the question?

D. Answer this question independent of part C. The store managers find that while the average wrapping time (over all bagels) is 3 minutes, but there is a slight difference in processing time for Cream Cheese vs. Veggie bagels. Calculate the implied utilization of the wrapping station if the wrapping time for Cream Cheese is 2.5 and for veggie is 3.5 minutes per bagel. 120%, 88%, 125%, or 100%.