Morton Salt (1A17) [PDF]

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CASE STUDY: MORTON SALT Chapter 6: Process Selection and Facility Layout DATE: MAY 29, 2020  |  SECTION: 1A17



VISION, DRIVE AND A BIG HEART



About the Product



Morton Salt is an American way of life. Since 1848, we have been improving lives and enhancing every day moments – at home, at work and virtually everywhere in between. Still today, we are widely recognized for our iconic Morton Salt Girl who has remained the face of our brand for over a century. And our products remain staples in the hearts and homes of millions of Americans. That’s because we’re a company with vision, drive and a big heart.



CASE STUDY: QUESTIONS



QUESTION 1



QUESTION 2



QUESTION 3



QUESTION 4



QUESTION 5



QUESTION 6



QUESTION 1: SALT PRODUCTION Briefly



describe



production,



from



production



to



round cans.



salt brine



finished



QUESTION 1: FROM BRINE TO ROUND CANS Salt production starts with injecting water into salt caverns. In the process, the salt deposits dissolve in the water, the resulting mixture is called the brine. The brine is pumped to the surface where it is converted into salt crystals. And then, the salt crystals are stored in silos until it is needed for production.



QUESTION 1: FROM BRINE TO ROUND CANS One of the production areas is the round can production where the salt is moved. The round can production involves two parallel, high speed production lines that aid in producing cans. The cans are cylinder in shape, made of cardboard, except for a plastic pour spout in the top.



QUESTION 1: FROM BRINE TO ROUND CANS The cylinder portion is formed from two sheets of chip board that are glued together and then rolled into a continuous tube. After the can is finished, it is then filled with salt and the pour spout is added. Finally, the cans are loaded onto pallets and placed into inventory, ready to be shipped to distributors



QUESTION 2: ROUND CAN PRODUCTION Briefly describe quality assurance efforts in round can production.



QUESTION 2: ROUND CAN PRODUCTION The quality assurance of round cans in production is checked primarily through visual inspection by: - Verifying of the correctness of assembly operation; - Checking the correctness of the weight of filled cans; - Inspecting cans for properly aligned labels; and, - Checking the correct attachment of plastic pour spouts.



QUESTION 3: OLD VS. NEW What



are



some



of



the



possible reasons why the company continues to use the



old



equipment buying



new,



processing instead and



modern equipment?



of more



QUESTION 3: USING OLD EQUIPMENTS In the article, it mentions the equipment's condition, such as reducing productivity, causing delays in production, and it is ancient that some parts of the material can be no longer replaced. First reason is that the plant has its own tool shop where skilled workers repair the parts



or



even



make



new



parts



as



replacement so that they can enhance their equipment even if it is already a vintage.



QUESTION 3: USING OLD EQUIPMENTS Having skilled workers reduces the cost and can make good use of the productivity of



the



equipment



if



fair



amount



of



maintenance. Lastly, the company may not have updated its equipment because of the high cost of investment in new machinery even if it upholds many benefits.



QUESTION 4: PRODUCT-PROCESS SPECTRUM Where would you place salt production in the product-process spectrum?



QUESTION 4: PRODUCT-PROCESS SPECTRUM Salt production can be placed in the repetitive production. It was stated that they produce salt for multiple clients. They produce for water conditioning,



grocery,



industrial,



and



agricultural markets. But, it can be said that they only produce the same kind of salt product for all of these businesses.



QUESTION 4: PRODUCT-PROCESS SPECTRUM And since they have many businesses and markets to cater, they need to produce more quantities of salt per production cycle. This



encompasses



the



repetitive



or



assembly production. Also, it was stated the workers are lowskilled and performs repetitive tasks. Mainly, the Morton Salt production shows low variety of products with low unit cists and high volume operations.



QUESTION 5: TONS OF SALT Determine the approximate number



of



tons



of



salt



produced annually. HINT: one ton is equal to 2,000



pounds,



and



one



pound is equal to 16 ounces.



QUESTION 5: TONS OF SALT PRODUCED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Morton Salt can produce annually an average of 3,800,000 round cans of salt. One round of production cycle consists of 26 oz. (ounces). COMPUTATIONS: (Step 1) Determine the ounces of salt produced annually. 3,800,000 cans x 26 ounces per can = 98,800,000 ounces of salt per year



QUESTION 5: TONS OF SALT PRODUCED COMPUTATIONS: (Step 2) Convert ounces of salt produced every year into pounds. 98,800,000 ounces of salt ÷ 16 ounces per pound = 6,175,000 pounds of salt per year COMPUTATIONS: (Step 3) Convert pounds of salt produced every year into tons. 6,175,000 pounds of salt ÷ 2,000 pounds per ton = 3,087.50 tons per year



QUESTION 5: TONS OF SALT PRODUCED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Morton Salt can produce annually an average of 3,800,000 round cans of salt. One round of production cycle consists of 26 oz. (ounces). FINAL ANSWER: Morton Salt can produce approximately 3,087.50 tons of salt annually



QUESTION 6: IMPROVEMENTS What improvements can suggest for the plant?



you



QUESTION 6: IMPROVEMENTS Since the company uses 1950's equipment, they



can



introduce



new



modern



technology, to reduce both production cost and production time. However, it might cost them a lot of investment, but it will be a great advantage to utilize modern equipment. It doesn't require much maintenance, and can sustain the company's operations in the long run.



CASE STUDY: GROUP MEMBERS (1A17)



DIMAKUTA



GONZALES



GUILLEN



SANTOS



TAJO



TAPERLA