Ecco Case Essay Example

Ecco Case Essay They priorities quality and reliability; the supply chain is configured to produce in accordance with specification and without error. ECHO has a very atypical operations strategy compared with their industry peers. Unlike their branded marketer competitors they produce their own materials and manufacture 80% of their own products in factories around the world. Owning and controlling the entire value chain gives them huge flexibility and allows them to maintain the highest levels of quality. Leone et al. 990) state that operation strategy consists of the key decision areas concerned with the structure and infrastructure of operations: 1. 1 Structure Capacity: The majority of the manufacturing capacity is located in Asia due to the low rates of labor. However these facilities have long lead times and make the supply susceptible to changes in customer demand. There are no manufacturing plants in USA, which is one of Cocos major markets. Process technology: This is a key asset to the co mpany and the core of Cocos product strategy was shoes based on direct injection. Competitors tried to copy the erect injection technique, however, ECHO performed many small tasks differently throughout the process, which improved quality and made it hard to imitate. Its products in-house. The remaining 20%, mostly shoes with very thin soles, are outsourced, as they do not benefit from Cocos core technology. Facilities: An independent configuration of global facilities with tanneries and fullest manufacturing facilities in Europe and Asia. Distribution centers are located in the major markets of Europe and United States. The decision to open facilities in China is to access cheap labor and to serve the growing Chinese domestic demand. Research and development is primarily carried out in Denmark. Cost base: Due to the labor intensive nature of show manufacturing ECHO locate their production facilities in cheap labor countries. However there is then a trade- off in lead times and more stock must be held in local distribution centers, which increases working capital. See Appendix 1 for a full break down of supply chain facilities in each country. Page 3 of 13 1. Infrastructure Planning and control: Cocos downstream retail shops ensure full access to customer demand data. This allowed them to plan and react to changes in demand and control he amount of inventory in distribution channels. Manufacturing control is achieved through benchmarking production and by having multiple production facilities so best practice could be shared between them. Quality: Quality is key to the company strategy quality. Quali ty management is maintained by having full control of the supply chain which allows ECHO to set quality standards much higher than they could expect from external suppliers. We will write a custom essay sample on Ecco Case specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ecco Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ecco Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Human resources: ECHO invests heavily in continuous training and education of its employees providing vocational training, career development and expatriation. Cosmologies, are carried out in Denmark, where they experiment with new materials, processes and technologies. Operational RD is carried out in the foreign production sites where they streamline processes and optimism the use of materials. Procurement: Compared to their competitors this is a very minor part of Cocos operations. They purchase raw hides for the tanneries and they outsource 20% of their shoes (those mainly with thin soles). We assume that ECHO maintain a number of suppliers to increase competition and to mitigate redundancy issues. 1. 3 Global vertical integration A global value chain is strengthened by the fact that shoes are relatively light compared to their value, have few local differences, are not complex to produce and have a long lifestyle. Operating a vertical value chain has advantages: 1 . Owning retail stores ensures access to consumer demand forecasts 2. Direct interface with customers helps with new product development. 3. Full control over the level of quality 4. Maintains shoe knowledge within company But also has challenges; 1 . Synergy advantage is only realizes if each discipline is performed better than competitors 2. The wide span of competencies required can dilute the focus of the company 3. Requires high investment and working capital levels 4. Increased costs of transporting materials around the world 5. A complex interlinked logistical process Page 4 of 13 A weakness of vertical integration is that it reduces the number of suppliers you can choose from (I. E. O must choose a company owned supplier), this lack of competition can lead to and increase in inefficiency. ECHO cleverly utilities multiple factories and tanneries to encourage internal competition and to keep quality high. 1. 4 Further operational execution examples . 4. 1 Manufacturing facilities Manufacturing in Asia provides low cost labor and the Slovakian facility serves the European market. ECHO made the Portuguese unit more hi gh-tech and this seems to deviate from the low cost labor strategy as its very capital intensive, this facility could be merged with the Danish facility. . 4. 2 Training centers The establishment of an education centre, research centre and the ECHO business that 80% of the companys leader should be recruited internally. 1. 4. 3 Faster lead times ECHO required faster lead times to serve the promising Russian market and the 3-4 eek transportation time from Asia was not acceptable. So a production facility was opened in Slovakia close to this new market, which also served to create extra capacity, and reduced the risk of delays from Thailand. 1. 4. Production cycle The speed of production is dependent on the flexibility and adaptability of the production system and the availability of the raw materials. Cocos tanneries in Europe and two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Indonesia and Thailand enable ECHO to control: Efficient leather processing The quality of the leather produced Faster production of the leather Cocos global supply chain ECHO fully integrated value chain from cow to shoe means managing global operations . 2 Tanneries, manufacturing and distribution functions are owned, managed and run by ECHO. Page 5 of 13 Rawhides Germany France Denmark Finland Netherlands Thailand Indonesia Portugal Slovakia China United States Outsourcing Thin soled products 2. 1 Tanneries Cocos rationale for owning tanneries are their high demands on quality and lead times; they operate one tannery in the Netherlands and another two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Asia. Locating tanneries close to manufacturing facilities means materials have less distance to travel and demand can be closely matched to supply. However the majority of the rawhides originate from Europe so have the additional cost to be shipped to the Asian manufacturing sites, which means ECHO are vulnerable to changes in transportation costs and it also increases the length of the working capital cycle. 2. 2 Manufacturing ECHO operate worldwide manufacturing facilities to achieving labor cost savings and to spread risk. Each production site specialties in a core competency (such as reduction of shoes or uppers), which allows for workers become expert at a particular part of the production process, which increases efficiency and lower the costs of production. The technology and knowledge intensive manufacturing functions (such as RD) are located in Europe whereas the labor intensive manufacturing is located in lower cost Asian countries. The downside to this configuration is that it may be harder to find high quality employees that match Cocos European values in Asia and also co-ordination the flow of information, materials, and people is much more difficult as the distance from corporate quarters increases. Locating manufacturing far away from retail markets increases lead times due to the inventory traveling time but also because of increased inspections and compliance at border crossings. ECHO had two main distribution centers one in the USA and one in Denmark, which feeds 26 sales subsidiaries. The majority of inventory travels through the distribution centre in Denmark, however only 6-9% of production is sold in Denmark so it then has to be shipped to the local distribution centers, some as far away as Japan. This extra travel increases lead times and costs and introduces a trade-off in terms of ERM of the cost and speed of transport methods; sea and road shipping is much more cost effective but slower and air transportation is very costly and should only be used for emergency shipments. Cocos global manufacturing facilities do not always match the retail markets it serves. In 2004 Cocos main retail markets were USA, Germany and Japan yet the majority of the production and distribution took place outside of these geographies. While we expect the Page 6 of 13 majority of manufacturing to be completed in low cost countries, in order to react to large changes in demand some manufacturing should take place close to large, important markets. 2. 4 Drivers and trends in the industry There are two main trends in the industry: 1 . Shoe brands are moving towards an outsourcing manufacturing model 2. The speed of consumer market trends is increasing Cocos competitors mainly outsource their production to manufacturing experts and use their extra resources to develop specialized sales and marketing competencies. In contrast ECHO need to develop a broader range of competencies that encompass manufacturing, materials, distribution and sales, which mean that they will not have the marketing strength of their competitors. Branding is important in consumer markets and global brands are created by large marketing budgets. Cocos integrated value chain requires large capital investments in manufacturing facilities, which means less capital to spend on marketing. As a brand it has huge awareness in Denmark (99. 4% brand recognition) but internationally this is much lower. Other benefits of outsourcing production include lower costs, a larger choice of suppliers and cheaper redundancy by having a network of suppliers. However their competitors also face downsides such as the substantial resources required to scrutinize the supplier network, monitor quality and maintain supplier relations. It can also make companies more vulnerable to the price increase in raw materials. In todays trend-driven consumer markets certain categories of shoes (such as trainers) are seen as fashion items, so the number of styles and new styles per year are more important than quality. 3 Therefore the higher levels of quality that ECHO provide are an extra cost that is not valued by the customer and provides no competitive advantage. 3 Supply chain risks and mitigation strategies We have focused on risks with the highest priority index and then discuss some dictation strategies that try to balance the risk reduction/reward trade-offs. Key Probability Cost of Mitigation High Medium Balancing capacity and inventory Impact Ezra only manufacture their clothes to worn 10 to 1 5 times, as they believe that after this the item will be out of fashion. The focus is on variety of their clothing lines and a reduction in quality. 4 The priority index is the severity x probability of occurrence x probabil ity of early detect

University of Nebraska at Omaha Admissions Data

University of Nebraska at Omaha Admissions Data University of Nebraska at Omaha Description: A metropolitan research institution, the University of Nebraska at Omaha is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a member of the University of Nebraska system. The University takes pride in both its graduate and undergraduate programs, and it is home to one of the finest computer science and engineering facilities in the area. Academics are supported by a 19 to 1 student / faculty ratio. With the growth of the universitys residential population, student life has likewise grown and now includes a radio station and several fraternities and sororities. On the athletic front, UNO is currently transitioning into the NCAA Division I Summit League. The universitys mens ice hockey team already competes in the Division I Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Admissions Data (2016): University of Nebraska Omaha Acceptance Rate: 86%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 460  / 590SAT Math: 470  / 620SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 19 / 26ACT English: 18  / 26ACT Math: 17 / 25ACT Writing: - / -What these ACT numbers mean Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 15,627  (12,536 undergraduate)Gender Breakdown: 48% Male / 52% Female79% Full-time Costs (2016- 17): Tuition and Fees: $7,204  (in-state); $19,124 (out-of-state)Books: $1,080 (why so much?)Room and Board: $8,916Other Expenses: $3,630Total Cost: $20,830  (in-state); $32,750 (out-of-state) University of Nebraska at Omaha Financial Aid (2015- 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 85%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 59%Loans: 40%Average Amount of AidGrants: $6,412Loans: $5,276 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Accounting, Biology, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Finance, Marketing, Psychology, Secondary Education Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 77%Transfer Out Rate: 32%4-Year Graduation Rate: 16%6-Year Graduation Rate: 45% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:  Soccer, Ice Hockey, Tennis, Basketball, Baseball, GolfWomens Sports:  Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Golf, Track and Field Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like the University of Nebraska at Omaha, You May Also Like These Schools: University of Kansas: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphMidland University: Profile  University of South Dakota: Profile  Clarkson College: Profile  Chadron State College: Profile  Bellevue University: Profile  Iowa State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCreighton University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphWayne State College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphKansas State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph University of Nebraska at OmahaMission Statement: see the complete mission statement at  https://nebraska.edu/history-mission/mission-statements.html?redirecttrue The University of Nebraska at Omaha, as part of the University of Nebraska, is a comprehensive university sited in Nebraska’s largest metropolitan area. Its distinguished faculty is drawn from the nation’s leading graduate institutions. UNO exists for the purpose of providing appropriate educational opportunities, discovering and disseminating knowledge through research and teaching, and offering public service to the citizens of the State, particularly the residents of the Omaha metropolitan area. Through these traditional, interdependent, and mutually-reinforcing functions, the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha enrich the lives of students; advance the frontiers of knowledge; and contribute to the social, cultural, international and economic development of the community, State, and region.

James F. OGorman and Vitruvius Architectural Ideals Essay - 3

James F. OGorman and Vitruvius Architectural Ideals - Essay Example Design of buildings has been computerized to incorporate software that will come up with perfect designs. The architect and the client come up with the most viable design after considering costs, space and other limiting factors that may operate in the building process. A building program will enable the architect to come up how best to erect the building while considering the needs of the client and the state rules to be followed. This paper will elaborate on how the architectural design of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities compares to the Architecture by James O’Gorman and Vitruvius ideals. James O’Gorman ideals explain that the foundations of a building need to be firm so that the building is stable. Weak foundations will mean that the whole building will be weak hence it may collapse or repair will be expensive in case of damages on the building. The building program will entail a written expression of the building, and from this, the builders will incorporate the ideas to erect a stable building. The architect will work on the program to change it to a three-dimensional figure, which is the building. The shapes and sizes of the rooms in the building will be determined by the needs of clients of the building. The shape is determined by the type of building type, its purpose and the timeline the building is built (Gorman, 21). The Gothic cathedral is an example of a building in the historical context that applies the use of planning on the space of buildings. Symmetry is used in the designs to come up with buildings that will stand out as works of superior archi tectural designs. For buildings to be excellent works of architecture, symmetry needs to be applied to make buildings appealing to the viewer's eyes. The University of Minnesota twin cities express the idea of, firmness, symmetry, beauty  and space in its design.