Riordan Manufacturing Executive Summary

Riordan Manufacturing Executive Summary

Ryan Schnabel

The University of Phoenix

CIS 319 Computer & Information Processing

Dave Karpinsky

March 24, 2005

Executive Summary:

As a Fortune 1000 enterprise, and an industry leader in the field of plastic injection molding, Riordan Manufacturing, offers state-of-the art plastics design capabilities through its facilities in San Jose, California; Albany, Georgia; Pontiac, Michigan; and Hang Zhou, China. Currently, Riordan's COO, Hugh McCauley, and the executive team have requested changes to the current information system used to maintain inventory and manufacturing processes. Evaluation of current Sales, Inventory, and Manufacturing processes will be required as well as the evaluation of current hardware and software. The present networking system requires improvements and, thanks to today's technology can easily be upgraded. The outdated information system and methods could potentially place Riordan Enterprises at a competitive disadvantage in the near future. The present computing process is a time consuming, labor intense process of consolidating the General Ledger in order to produce monthly income statements and balance sheets. Riordan Enterprises currently spends fifteen to twenty days to generate and deliver these reports to the corporate office, which causes an overall inefficiency. Because there have been major developments in information systems technology that Riordan Enterprises has yet to utilize, the corporate headquarters in San Jose, California, Finance, and Accounting have authorized improvements to the existing information system for all Riordan Enterprise locations. New and improved hardware and software networking solutions will be required for this company to move into the 21st century as an industry leader. In addition, while looking for an effective and efficient database application and database use, a Windows based application would be preferable for use by all areas of the organization to allow for an easy information flow. The new hardware and software networking systems would also be beneficial to this organization because a database with a large storage capability as well as having a timely running process would improve day to day operations of this organization. However, important consideration would have to be given to improvements on security issues, focusing on unauthorized access detection via the Web and at the organizational level.

Purpose of project

The sole purpose of this project is to advance and streamline Riordan Enterprise's inventory and manufacturing processes by introducing a new cost effective way for all company locations to communicate and deliver their critical data in a timely efficient manner. Riordan Enterprises should explore and then utilize available technological advancements in system tracking products in order to remain competitive in today's marketplace.

Stakeholders involved.

The main stakeholders involved with this project will include the following departments and personnel. The Finance and Accounting division will participate in the organizing the General Ledgers and monthly income statements. The Sales, Marketing and Inventory divisions will participate in communicating the needs and processes of ordering, material supply, and product delivery. The IT department will make recommendations based on department needs and corporate demands to improve eficientcy and advance the current computing system with a re-engineering plan and appropriate time lines.

Business requirements of service request:

The main request is for Riordan Enterprises to implement a computer system which would improve company performance and become more efficient. The current system is outdated and in desperate need of repair and replacement. By upgrading to a new computerized platform, Riordan Enterprises will be in a better position to compete in today's marketplace. It is imperative for the survival of this company to catch up with the technology of today and allow it to work for them.

This request also demands specific suggestions on improving the company's inventory and manufacturing process. The current process takes too many hours to complete the required tasks, so the new updated system must be fast and efficient. All of Riordan Enterprise's locations will move to the new accounting and inventory system; therefore, it must also comply with the existing technology. "Companies are recognizing that not only is the aftermarket profitable, but it also can drive significant competitive advantage as a customer-service differentiator" (Kevin O'Brian 2005)

An initial evaluation of accounting and inventory systems for all the Riordan Enterprise locations is required. We need to know what software is currently in use and how effective it is. If our evaluation determines that, the existing software is not performing all of the needed requirements it will be necessary to upgrade them as well. Next, we will need to evaluate their existing hardware to determine its integrity. If the hardware is also outdated, another evaluation will be necessary to determine what will replace it. If the evaluation of the hardware determines that the existing equipment is adequate, then we can proceed with the software upgrade. The request specifically asks for a complete system that is faster and interrelated into all of the locations. After the evaluations are complete a list of additional hardware will be generated and a timeline of what to be installed / upgraded where.

The timeline will be a critical part of this upgrade. We must have accurate information regarding the network and Network Servers regarding location and current use. To disconnect a server and inadvertently shutdown a complete location could be a fatal mistake for the business.

Inventory

Centralizing and improving the inventory and inventory tracking system is another primary concern at the forefront of this proposed project. "Motorola Inc. did it to cut the cycle time for material sourced in China by 37%. Altera Corp. did it to shave off two months of inventory and save 5% in product costs. Woodward Industrial Controls did it to improve inventory turns. The "it" in each case was the company's decision to tear open its supply chain management systems and optimize the