The forecasting department, traditionally reporting to the sale manager, has historically seen a forecast accuracy of about 60%, and this in turn causes problems for the following departments:

• Purchasing: What should we buy and how much?

• Production: What should we really build?

• Inventory management: We keep building the wrong thing.

The sales manager asked you to write her a memo, specifically addressing the following:

• How could you suggest that your new system would achieve any better levels of forecast accuracy?

• Why is forecast accuracy itself not as important under traditional methods?

• Create a chart or timeline that includes all of the following:

• Which purchase orders have to be placed, and when

• When manufacturing needs to begin, to have products delivered to a customer

• Approximate dates for all of the following:

• When the product must be shipped to meet the customer’s due date

• When the application of the cover and packaging must take place to meet the customer’s due date

• When the manufacturing of the widget must begin and end

• When the raw material for the widget must be ordered

• When the plastic cover must be ordered

• When the cardboard box must be ordered

• Includes notes explain your timing calculation

• Assumes all of the following conditions:

• The factory has two departments: manufacturing and packaging

• Product X consists of 3 components

• a widget manufactured in the factory with a total manufacturing lead time of 1 week

• a plastic cover purchased from vendor A with a procurement lead time of 3 weeks

• a cardboard shipping box purchased from vendor B with a procurement lead time of 4 weeks

• The widget itself is made from steel (whose lead time from vendor C is 4 weeks).It takes 1 day for the cover to be applied to the product and for the product to be inserted in the box in the packaging department.

• The shipping time to this customer is in 3 weeks, and you do not want it to be late or early. Assume you received the customer order on 3/31/2011

• Ignore any holidays

• Assume a 5-day work week

• The customer requires the product to arrive at his location on 3/31/2011