Optimizing Process Efficiency for 25% Sales Increase

[NetriX]

I've been stuck on this for hours, can someone pleas

Scenario: Imagine you are a leader at a small deli. The owner of the deli, your supervisor, has decided to expand the business by
beginning a catering service. In order for this venture to be successful, your supervisor asks you to overview your current process
and make sure it is efficient enough to meet the customer demand. The catering business is expected to increase sales volume
(number of sandwiches sold) by 25%.

Consider how you would make sure the process is able to meet the demand of the catering business.

Current Process: A customer places an order with the first associate at the cash register. Once the order is placed, it is sent to the
back to the kitchen for completion. Placing and delivering the order takes two (2) minutes. The second associate receives the order
and selects the type of bread for the order, taking a total of fifteen (15) seconds. The third associate takes ninety (90) seconds to
add the meat to the sandwich. The fourth associate adds all of the vegetables and toppings. This process adds two (2) minutes. The
fifth and final associate places the sandwich in a toaster oven, wraps the sandwich, and delivers the order to the customer. Toasting
the sandwich takes two (2) minutes and forty-five (45) seconds. Wrapping the sandwich adds one (1) minute and delivering the
order to the customer takes thirty (30) seconds.

Process Map:

Custom places order

1 Associate, 120 Seconds - Order is delivered to kitchen
1 Associate, 15 Seconds - Bread is selected for sandwich
1 Associate, 90 Seconds - Meat added to sandwich
1 Associate, 120 Seconds - Other toppings added
1/3 Associate, 165 Seconds - Sandwich is toasted
1/3 Associate, 60 Seconds - Sandwich is wrapped
1/3 Associate, 30 Seconds, Order delivered to customer

Associate Work Schedules: Associates work a total of ten (10) hours per day. For purposes of this exercise, you do not need factor in
breaks to this time. The deli employs five associates that make the sandwiches.

Customer Demand: Customers order on average 60 sandwiches per day. Expanding the deli into a catering business will increase
the number of sandwiches ordered on average per day by 25%.

Current = 1 Sub p/ 600 Seconds | 1 Sub p/ 10 Minutes | 6 Sub p/ 1 Hour | 60 Subs @ 10 Hours

Need = 1 Sub p/ 500 Seconds | 1 Sub p/ 8.33333 Minutes | 7.2 p/ 1 Hour | 72 Subs @ 10 Hours

So I figure I need to shave off 100 seconds to meet the demand increase of 25%...

Thanks.

 

[jvicens]

Hello,

I understand your frustration and I am here to help. I have experience in analyzing processes and making them more efficient. I would be happy to assist you in ensuring that your deli's process is able to meet the demand of the catering business.

First, let's start by looking at the current process map. It seems that there are a few areas where we can make some improvements. For example, the time it takes for the second associate to select the type of bread could be reduced if the bread options are organized and easily accessible. Additionally, the time it takes for the fourth associate to add toppings could be reduced if the toppings are pre-cut and ready to use.

Another area we can look at is the toasting and wrapping of the sandwich. Instead of having one associate do both tasks, we could have two associates work together to divide the tasks and reduce the time it takes to complete them.

Furthermore, we could also consider implementing a system where the customer can place their order directly with the kitchen, eliminating the first associate's role and saving time in the process.

In terms of the associate work schedules, it might be beneficial to have a staggered schedule where some associates start earlier and some start later. This way, we can ensure that there are enough associates working during peak hours when the demand is higher.

Based on my calculations, to meet the demand increase of 25%, we need to reduce the total time of making one sandwich from 600 seconds to 500 seconds. This means we need to shave off 100 seconds from the current process.

I hope these suggestions are helpful in making your deli's process more efficient and able to meet the demand of the catering business. If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.