A.C Gilbert Company Case Study
A.C Gilbert Company is firm that specialized in toy production in the 1990s. It was respected and adored by its customers because of its high-quality products. The firm was founded by Gilbert who headed it until his death where his son took over. The company began to fail since it was not able to meet the market needs. Jack Wrather, later bought the company. He had good strategies, but the company failed due to continued losses. He introduced various products in the market including the dolls that did not fare well in the market; it did not possess what the children desired. He also introduced 50 other lines in the toy company (Tibballs, 1999).1. Describe the key systems and processes used by A.C.Gilbert: Supply ChainThe supply chain at A. C Gilbert is relatively simple yet effective.
After the manufacturing process is complete, toys are stored at a warehouse from where the sales team takes over. The sales’ team mandate is to source for orders for the manufactured products. The team then informs retailers of the available stock of toy products and their numbers for them to make informed decisions on the number and type of toy products they want. The team thereby takes the orders and together with the contact address of the retailer to facilitate delivery. Toys are then distributed as per the orders to the retailers. Retailers, in turn, sell individual toys to the final customer. Operational SystemsOperational systems are the processes and procedures that an organization follows in its daily activities. At A. C Gilbert, ideas on new products to add to the product lines and modifications to make on existing products comes from the designers. The designers then pass their designs to the planning department for analysis. During analysis, the feasibility of the products is determined and resources needed to manufacture the products identified. Production schedules are determined to make sure the product is made available to the consumers at the right time. The purchasing department then makes arrangements for the raw materials and packaging materials to be purchased. Once the necessary raw materials have arrived, the manufacturing process begins. The finished products are kept in a storehouse ready for distribution.
Product/Service DeliveryProducts from A. C Gilberts were of high-quality standards and durable. The company used metallic packaging materials for safe storage of the toys. Since customers prefer quality products, the company was preferred by many. The toys are distributed to the retailers directly enabling the company to regulate price and consumption. The sales team performed product promotion activities as they make deliveries and source for orders. The target consumers are mainly boys of age 7 to 14. Customer satisfaction at the time was high due to the quality and long-lasting products. The opportunities to expand their customer base by creating products for the girl child were available, but nothing was done. 2.Analyse the three key systems and processes and develop the elements of your review …
