Assignment/Case Study #1

Sew Sew Sweet analysis

By: Adam Richard

For Parveen Goel

ENMN 427 - Operations Management

Word Count: 1012

Royal Roads University
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
2022/09/04
 Question One:

Sew Sew Sweets, Primary operations (Inputs, Outputs, Transformations) are as follow.

Inputs
 Customer Data - Ink for printers

 Customer Address - Screen Stencils

 Order date - Squeegees

 Method of payment  Automated continuous belt dryer

 Order details (Size, Colour, Quantity,  Sewing machines

Design) - Serger Sewing machine

 Equipment - Industrial Sewing machine, with Collarette

 Storage Racks attachment (2 different styles)

 Layout Machine  Fabric used to design Onesies

 Silk Screens - Various Supplies used in production

 Camera of Onesie.

 Tables  Straight Knife cutting machine

-Light table - Blades

 Stud and Button Press  Production Floor

 Electric Infrared Oven - Rented garage space.

 Plastic Mould for each onesie size  Direct Labour

 Screen Printing tools  Packaging Supplies to ship finished

- Printing Machine x2 (1 & 4 colour) products.

 Transformation Processes
(Related to the production of Onesies)

 Art Design Procedures (Moore, 2015)  Processing Order, verify order data

 Inspiration to ensure accuracy

 Percolation (Refining ideas).  Fulfilling the order.

 Preparation (Blueprint).  Sewing Procedures (Sewing Beginner,

 Creation (Development). 2018)

 Printing Procedures (Illinois Library,  Prepare Fabric.

2020)  Cut out pattern.

 Pre-Press: Prepress operations  Layout Fabric.

include composition and typesetting,  Layout Pattern.

image assembly, and image carrier  Cut Fabric.

preparation.  Development/ Arrangement Procedures

 Press: refers to actual printing  Shop Layout/ Setup to ensure

operations. maximum output.

 Post Press: the assembly of printed  Packaging Procedures

materials  Packaging Fulfilment

 Packaging Assembly

 Shipping Procedures (ShipBob, 2022)  Packaging transportation or Pickup.

 Receiving Order, ensure inventory is

available.

Outputs
 Children’s Onesies

 Manufacture by Sew Sew Sweet.

 Available in sizes ranging from Infant to three years old.

 Six design options.

 Four base colour options.

 Shipped and delivered in four-to-six-week time frame.

 Baby blankets

 Purchase from domestic supplier out of Toronto.

Sew Sew Sweet Strengths

 Key strategies that make SSS appealing to consumers.

 Price: Priced competitively at 12 and 15 dollars, Sew Sew Sweets offers a quality product

competitive with other onesies for a significantly lower price

 Variations: With multiple base colours and customizable designs, Sew Sew offers a wide range

of onesies that meet the differing needs of each consumer. 

 Locally: Built on " Made-in-Canada" marketing, Sew Sew, connects with Canadians by offering

a product designed and produced locally in Canada.

 Quality: Customers can rest assured the product meets the highest standards in terms of product

development (stitching, zippers, buttons) and adheres to strict order accuracy, which helps

achieve quality results and an on-time delivery promise. 

 Professionalism

 The efficacy of the product is supported by the founders who are both seasoned graphic

designers and seamstresses, suggesting the product will be of high quality.

 Roots

 Having secured both manufacturing space, and funds (Capital) Sew Sew’s has set itself up to be

profitable with a proper business strategy.

 Control

 Control over production and distribution due to backward and forward integration.

 International Prescence

 Utilizing Facebook, Groupon, eBay, and Etsy gives them access to an international market

allowing them to achieve maximum market exposure.

Sew Sew Sweet Weaknesses

 Imitability 

 A business model that is easily copied and replicated.

 Dependencies

 Major dependencies on domestic market.

 Space & storage

 Limitations on space and storage. Small manufacturing hub can lead to bottlenecks and affect

the ability to meet demand. Equally, a small manufacturing hub hampers SSS ability to expand

inventory levels.

 Workforce

 The design process requires an adept workforce, meaning higher training costs.

Sew Sew Sweet Competitive Priorities

 Stabilization

 Stabilizing emerging markets by opening new stores and developing new products.

 Expansion
  Expansion into international markets.

 Costs

 Focus on achieving target profit margins, while remaining competitive. This can be achieved by

ensuring cost remain low and labour productivity remains high.

 Quality

 Built and marketed on a quality, superior, and domestic product, delivered in a specific time

frame, meeting this promise must remain a priority, to meet the expectations of consumers.

 Increased demand

 An increased demand means Sew Sew must remain flexible in terms of meeting consumer

demand, expanding product variety, and ensuring a trained workforce can keep up with orders.

To meet these competitive priorities, SSS must develop flawless operational procedures, including

optimizing the machines and workforce to ensure all orders are fulfilled. As demand increases, a decision must

be made to expand to a larger manufacturing hub or invest in newer, high-tech machinery. Equally meeting

consumer expectations means that ongoing inspection reviews, complaints and pain points must be a top

priority

Question Two:

SSS employs a make-to-order production style with a customizable product. This strategy helps SSS

capitalize on low storage space, keeping inventory levels to a minimum. Despite this strategy contributing to

longer production times, at the current stage in SSS business development, this is the choice strategy for a start-
up company. SSS has been transparent and open with consumers and still sees positive engagement, which

suggests this is the appropriate plan. Customizing each order to customer specifications and constructing

onesies from multiple production elements means that Sew Sew employs job-shop and batch production

methods. The figures below show a visual blueprint of workflow and machine layout. The machine layout

incorporates an assembly line model, so work is continuously flowing in one direction in a pre-defined

sequence.

Sew Sew Sweet Layout

Figure One: Workflow Blueprint

Project Layout Sector

Sewing Sector

Printing Sector Storage Sector Shipping & Receiving Sector

Figure Two: Machine Blueprint

Inspection Table Serger Button Collarette Collarette Straight Knife

Machine Press Machine Machine Design/ La
Cutting Machine

PRINTER
Project Layout Sector
Sewing Sector
 Printing Bulk fabric Storage
Inspection Order Preparation shelf
Dryer Conveyor Belt Mould and Equip
storage

Printing Sector Order Storage

Storage Sector Order Storage
Shipping and Receiving

Shipping and
OVEN Receiving Desk

Order Storage

Question Three:

Layout Process Operation 5 Workers

Cutting Machine (4 Employees) Layout Station (Cutting) 0.37

Collarette Machine Collar design (Cut & Trim) 0.06

(1 Employee)
Total 0.43
 Sewing Process Operation 4 Workers
Serger machine (1 Employee) Seam, Label and Shoulders 0.6
Seam, Shoulder construction 0.29
Seem remainder 1.3
Total 2.19
Collarette Sewing (1 Employee) Neck, Sleeve and Legs Collarette 0.46

Button Press (1 Employee) Attach crotch snaps 0.37

Inspection (1 Employee) Folding, Piles of 10 0.30
Total 3.32

Printing Process Operation 4 Workers

Printer (4 Workers) Print/ Silk Screen 0.25
Inspection Drying/ Packing Finished Product 0.45
Total 0.70

Total Production Time (0.43 + 3.32 + 0.70) = 4.45

(.45 x 60 sec) = 27 Seconds
4:27 Seconds per onesie
Given Sew Sew’s predictions of individual machine usage, the maximum production time would amount

to 4 minutes and 27 seconds per onesie. However, this projection does not account for the downtime concerning

the movement of the onesie along the “production line,” nor does it account for additional employees to

optimize output. The processing bottleneck occurs during the sewing production of the onesies (2.19),

highlighted above. As consumer demand increases, SSS must decide between moving to a larger production

facility or changing the functional layout of the current space. A change would see Sew Sew Sweet adopt a

make-to-assemble strategy, thus streamlining the production process and increasing the output potential. Given

limitations on production space, It will be tough to meet increased demands under the current model.

References

Illinios Library. (2020, August 23). LibGuides: Printing -- Lithography Topic Hub: Printing Process Overview.

Retrieved September 3, 2022, from

https://guides.library.illinois.edu/litho-topic-hub/background/printing-process
Moore, J. O. (2015, October 25). The 5 Stages of Making Art Every Artist Goes Through. Craftsy. Retrieved

September 3, 2022, from https://www.craftsy.com/post/making-art/

Sewing Begginer. (2018, November 21). Preparations before sewing. Sewing Beginner. Retrieved September 3,

2022, from https://sewingbeginner.com/preparations-before-sewing/

Shipbob. (2022, May 24). Shipping Process 101: Shipment Workflows Explained. Retrieved September 3, 2022,

from https://www.shipbob.com/ecommerce-shipping/process/#3-stages