Broward College
Case Study 13 Assignment
Brandon Wilkes
Operations Management MAN4504
Deatra Riley
Maintaining low inventories has a host of advantages that can be if it your business in the
long run and short term. The clear advantage is the limiting your holding costs. Costs that
include utilities and the space needed for the extra inventory and also the management needed to
maintain productivity. It’s also a lot easier to organize and increase efficiency through each
production stage. Low inventory disadvantages can come in price speaks, unpredictable demand
and shipping costs. A hard calculation to predict is product demand and having the necessary
products to fulfill that demand. Inventory is a double edged sword that can sway either way of
the fence a good manager should always have a keen eye for each side of the fence.
“Customers judge the quality of bagels by their appearance (size, shape and shine) taste,
and consistency. Customers are also sensitive to the service they receive when they make their
purchases “(Stevenson pg. 600). Consumer foods are scrutinized by appearance more than any
other product in the world due to it being a consumable product.
“Bruegger's devotes careful attention to quality at every stage of operation from choosing
suppliers of ingredients careful monitoring of ingredients and keeping equipment in good
operating condition to monitoring output at each step in the process. At the stores employees are
instructed to watch for deformed bagels and to remove them when they find them (Stevenson pg.
600). It's odd to have the bagels checked at the final stage of production a unique approach to
food based production.
The process of creating the bagels starts at the production facility. The production is done
in batches according to which bagels are being made at the time and are produced on a daily
basis. Ingredients are mixed together with different products to create individual bagels. Bagels
are formed and are loaded onto refrigerated vehicles for transport to each individual store. The
bagels once at the store are stored until they have risen so they can be baked for 15 minutes so
they are fresh for the consumer. Quality is kept in check at each step because each step is taken
in the appropriate way. If you were to make a delicious bagel at home you would most likely
follow the same steps just not on such a large scale.
I strongly believe that the EOQ model based in the independent demand sphere is critical
to sustainable inventory control to meet consumer needs. Ingredients should be monitored
constantly an inventory should always you taken into account because you never know in the
unpredictable world we live in. Inventory operations must maintain incredible standards due to
the big was having a short shelf life. Simple mistakes can divert their entire business model and
revenue will be lost to poor inventory management. The EOQ model will play a significant role
in the decision of how many bagels will need to be made.
Keeping the bagel machine at the plants provides the store's the ability to just focus on
making the best product possible not the actual production phase. Restaurants have been using
this model for years and it's paid due diligence over the years because it increases productivity
and consumer satisfaction. The only benefit that I can realize would be having a fresh product
reducing the shipping cost of delivering the Bagels in refrigerated trucks. I'm strongly convinced
that workers in a retail environment should have minimum work tasks in turn that creates a
space for consumer satisfaction and great products.
Works Cited
Cachon Gérard, and Christian Terwiesch. Matching Supply with Demand: an Introduction to
Operations Management. McGraw-Hill Education (India) Private Limited, 2018.
Othón Serna Saldiv́ ar Sergio R. Cereal Grains: Properties, Processing, and Nutritional
Attributes. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, 2010.
Stevenson, William J. Operations Management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2018.
