P
ProHub
English 简体中文 繁體中文
Easy Business Improvement Operations Optimization Operations Optimization

Made to Measure

#Manufacturing #Luxury Goods
ProHub Comment

This case tests the candidate's ability to identify process inefficiencies within existing resources rather than seeking external solutions. The key insight is recognizing that specialization, not technology or hiring, can optimize production by leveraging existing employee skill sets uncovered through data analysis. The case rewards candidates who quickly move from understanding the exhibit data to calculating financial impact.

Estimated Time 15 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Source NYU
50 / 100
Our client owns a designer shoe-store that makes high end made-to-measure shoes for customers. The high-quality product has gained popularity rapidly and the client wants to ramp up production. However, the highly-skilled labor that our client employs is hard to come by. Our client wants us to help them figure out how to increase output without adversely affecting quality and the company’s potential profitability.

Clarifying Information

  1. There are no additional skilled shoemakers available in the market
  2. The shoe-making process has 3 stages, cutting, stitching and finishing
  3. Currently there are 15 workers, each of whom take an average of 12 hours to produce one pair of shoes
  4. Each shoemaker performs all three steps of the process under the current system
  5. If the candidate asks whether the process can be changed to one where shoemakers perform specific tasks, say yes