| dc.description.abstract | The focal Company A in this study is a producer of specialty chemical products in the midstream of the petrochemical industry. The major materials are highly volatile and prone to explosion. As a result, logistics is a major concern. Thus, the supply chain has to be regional and frequently employed pipelines for transportation. A key managerial task is to optimally allocate production resources, including materials, storage space, production capacity, labor, etc., to maximize economic benefits. Another characteristics of specialty chemicals is high-mix, low-volume production mode, which creates another challenge in the resource allocation problem, resulting in heavy reliance on experienced staffs.
Lately, Company A’s management team is faced the problem of stagnations in profit growth. On top of these, Company A is faced with a staff aging problem that over half of the staff will retire in the next five years. This results in a potential crisis in the fault of human resources.
This study carried out a comprehensive diagnosis of major managerial functions, and discovered that among many process cycles, the quotation process is one of the most important areas worth tackling. This study aims to propose a set of solutions in improving the quotation process, including redefinition of goals, and changes in execution and control of daily operations.
Data were collected through reviews of internal documents, interviews and discussions with key employee. Analysis of the existing processes reveals operational bottlenecks and opportunities in improvement through the use of information systems, such as ERP.
The proposed solution aims at improving the profit margin through a better quotation process, taking into account of past experience, and internal and external information that were previously unavailable to the staffs. Key components of the proposal includes a profit analysis frame, process changes in renewed standard operations procedures, and introduction of information systems to institutionalize the changes. These include eight major suggestions in two areas. The proposal will hopefully improve the effectiveness of Company A’s operations, resulting in transformation of the business, and achieve sustainable operations and growth in profit. | en_US |