Case Write-up #1 National Cranberry

Based on the National Cranberry Cooperative, 1996 Case (available on

Moodle)

Team membership: You must work in your assigned group and submit one report for the group.

Mechanics: Page length limitation: Not more than Title + 8 pages, laid out as follows:
 Title page: fill in the template on following page with your section # and authors’ names.
 Page 1: A memo addressed to Hugo Schaeffer following template format, single spaced,
stating your findings in the categories listed.
 Pages 2-8: Detailed analytical support for your Page 1 memo including figures, tables (if
any).
 No additional appendices

Please delete this first page, fill in your names on the cover page that follows. In the pages
that follow, keep the section headings, but replace the instructions with your own content
that addresses the issues called for in the instructions. In your writing, please pay attention to
layout for readability (bulleting, use of white space, figures/tables, etc.). When introducing
analytical calculations, provide explanations that help the reader quickly and easily
understand your approach (e.g., a step-by-step sample calculation with accompanying logic).

Good luck!
National Cranberry Case Report

Operations Management - I

Team Name:

Authors:

Section:

September 2021
To: Hugo Schaeffer
From: <<team>>
RE: RP#1 processing

Memo

One-page (single-spaced) memo that summarizes key findings of analysis and recommendations
(citing economic justifications and evidence) for RP#1. This should clearly state the strategic
objective of the co-op and explain how current operations do or do not support it. While it
should not include detailed calculations, it should give the reader a clear sense of how you
logically arrived at your conclusions concerning the causes of problems and your
recommendations for actions with which to address them.
Supporting Analysis

Your analysis should address the issues below.

Note: You may make use of the following information and assumptions about National
Cranberry:

 On an average “busy” day there are 17,280 bbl arrive over the 12-hr period (7 am to 7
pm). This is based on a “typical” busy day in September.
 All operations at RP#1 start at 7am.
 Holding bins 17-24 are dedicated to wet berries.
 Leasing a truck and driver costs $100/hr. Rates for RP#1 employees are given in the case.
 Further, for your analysis, you can end the process with separators and assume that
berries go to bulk and bagging which has sufficient capacity.

Causes of Delay with Two Scenarios

Consider two scenarios that vary in the composition of wet and dry berries: a) 75% wet berries
and b) 25% wet berries.

Present process flow diagrams for RP#1, labeled with relevant capacities and utilizations on a
busy day in September 1995. Indicate different processing flows for wet and dry berries. Clearly
identify the bottleneck.

Describe the situation during a typical busy day by constructing an inventory build-up diagram
for bins and trucks. Your diagram should include build-up and draw-down rates, inventory
levels, and times.

Analysis of Investments for Only Scenario (a) with 75% wet berries

Provide an economic analysis of at least two of the following three investment options:

 Add 1 new dryer.

 Add 2 new dryers.
 Bin conversions.

Conclusions

Describe the main insights from this case by identifying the flows, variability and buffers in the
National Cranberry system and their relevance to the problems at RP#1 and your
recommendations to address them.