Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence 9th Edition by James Evans,William Lindsay

Exercise 12

The process of making a batch of paint at the Awesome Paint Products (APP) paint factory consists of the following steps: First the correct amount of raw materials must be mixed in the proper sequence. The operator must follow specified safety instructions. After mixing, a sample is drawn and taken to a laboratory, where it is tested to ensure conformance to customer requirements and specifications. Next, the mixing tank is taken to a filling station and verified to be the correct one prior to filling individual cans of paint. The filled cans go to the packing department where labels are printed and applied to the cans. They are inspected to ensure that the labels are correct and the proper quantity was produced for the customer's order. The cans are packed in boxes and moved to shipping.
a. Develop a flowchart that maps out APP's process.
b. Enrich the flowchart by adding detailed steps, which may not have been described in detail.
c. Determine if any opportunities exist for improving APP's process using the questions posed in the chapter.