With the coming of summer, I started my internship at Panasonic Automotive Systems of North America at Peachtree City, GA as an Operations and Supply Chain Management Intern. My internship lasted for 18 hebdomads and offered me graphic challenges and experiences in the field of Supply Chain, Operations Management and Process Improvement. I worked with the Purchasing section which is responsible for planning, scheduling and procurance of more than 6000 active parts for fabricating units in Mexico and China. These parts are procured from over 170 Sellers which are located across the universe. This complex procurance for two major fabricating units involves a great trade of planning, analysis and coordination.
Before I dwell into the inside informations of my experiences and recommendations, I personally thank Board of Directors who created this place and offered me the chance to work in this great company with such gifted people.
During the internship, I worked closely with the Purchasing Manager and Chief Procurement Officer to work out many jobs and streamline and standardized many procedures. These jobs challenged my abilities and accomplishments learned at the Business School and provided me with an first-class platform to implement my acquisition and use my past work experiences to happen out the solutions to these jobs.
I started with an Inventory Management undertaking which involved placing critical parts and ciphering safety stocks for these parts. The designation of critical parts were based on non merely on the restraints such as demand of these parts or handiness of parts but besides on subjective standards such as whether surrogate provider exists or limitation of supply of parts from the provider or how hard it is to secure the portion from a different provider if needed. This complex rating is applied to place critical parts out of more than 6000 active parts. Input signals are taken from the purchasers which involve in securing the parts in footings of their experiences. Once parts are identified safety stocks degrees are calculated while taking into consideration the current safety lead times present in the system. I designed templets to supervise the stock list degrees of these critical parts to hold a better control and to forestall stock-outs.
In order to cut down the cost of procurance and the sum of work-load of the purchasers, I initiated an analysis of the Order policy and Delivery policy of some of parts which have low cost and volume. After the analysis, I proposed to alter the Order policy of some of the parts which used to be ordered every hebdomad into monthly orders. The demand is accumulated for the month and the parts are ordered one time a month instead than hebdomadally. As most of these parts are of low cost such as prison guards, solder paste etc, telling every month does non increase the keeping cost. However, it reduces the telling cost by 25 % and besides reduces the sum of work for the purchasers as now they need to put PO of all time month instead than every hebdomad.
After understanding the procedures, I involved myself in many procedure betterment undertakings which involved root cause analysis of the jobs and so look intoing assorted solutions to cut down these jobs. One of these undertakings was Part Price Variance which in simple footings was about disagreement of PO monetary value with the Invoice monetary value. These instances were acquiring reported in big Numberss and because of this disagreement payments are freezed to the provider which restricts the following cargo. I consulted the assorted parties involved and explored assorted grounds to the job. After look intoing the root cause I discussed a new procedure flow with the Purchasing Manager to cut down the figure of these Price Discrepancies. It besides helped us to cut down the rework and waiting at different degrees.
I designed many new study templets for the higher direction to hold a better control and coverage system at topographic point. I tried to automatize most of these studies so that they do non take a batch of clip and attempt to dwell the information in these studies. I extensively used Excel Macros and other tools to transport out the mechanization.
One of the major procedure betterment undertakings I undertook was heightening the current Shipping Expediting Database. I and another team-mate explored assorted characteristics that can be incorporated in the current system. After finalising the characteristics, I incorporated the needed alterations and introduced many new studies which can be generated from the database. Assorted security characteristics are besides added to curtail unauthorised entree and updations. I documented the new alterations and provided cognition transportation to assorted sections.
In add-on, I worked with Advance Purchasing section for some clip with alumnas of our Business School to animate the Supplier Evaluation Criteria. The Suppliers are rated on assorted criterions and a concluding mark is calculated depending upon which the higher direction decided whether to go on with the Suppliers or happen an surrogate Supplier. Panasonic besides rewards the top 20 providers every twelvemonth following this evaluation.
Apart from the great experience working at Panasonic, I enjoyed populating in Peachtree City. It is a alone town with its alcoholic green vicinities and 80 stat mis of golf waies or “ multi-use ” waies which connects every vicinity and encompasses many pools and calm lakes.
Panasonic Corporation being one of the largest electronic contraptions fabricating company with more than 640 companies in its umbrella provided a alone internship experience. However, the current economic crisis has proved to be hard times for Panasonic Automotive Systems Company. With monolithic reorganisation and lay-off the company is under tough restraints. But now with the bettering economic environment, it is once more picking up and future chances are looking good. The latter subdivision of the paper describes in inside informations about Panasonic Corporation and Panasonic Automotive Systems Company and briefly describes the current environment.
Panasonic Corporation
Panasonic Corporation is one of the largest electronic merchandises fabricating group in the universe. Founded in 1918 by Mr. Konosuke Matsushita as Matsushita Electric Devices Manufacturing Works, the company expanded many-folds. Started with a work force of 3 people ( Mr. Matsushita, his married woman and brother-in jurisprudence ) , Panasonic now comprises of a diverse work force of 384,586 employees around the universe. It is a pudding stone of over 680 companies which are involved in huge concern procedures such as place contraptions, environmental systems, automotive systems, webs systems, nomadic communications and semiconducting materials.
Panasonic Automotive Systems Company
Headquartered at Kanagawa, Japan, the Automotive Systems Company develops, industries and sells auto pilotage, auto Audio/Video equipments and systems. The company is founded in Jan, 2003 and presently employees 10,035 employees across the Earth. The company was formulated to incorporate a figure of concern units to hold a better control over these units and offer consumers new merchandises by using the synergisms of the single concern units. The automotive electronics concern publicity centre and corporate automotive electronics selling division are combined with the automotive systems concern, automotive multimedia company, and auto pilotage systems concern to unite the development, production and gross revenues of auto pilotage and audio-visual systems.
With altering consumer demands, the company focused on supplying better merchandises for in-vehicle amusement and on the same clip happen solutions to environmental and safety concerns. The company included the American operations in order to provide the immense American auto industry.
Panasonic Automotive Systems of North America
Matsushita was already a major participant in the auto wireless market when it decided to open the first production installation at Peachtree City, GA in 1987. Two old ages subsequently, another fabrication installation was opened at Southfield, MI. This led to the birth of Panasonic Automotive Systems of North America which catered to the North America automotive industry. With a focal point on R & A ; D and a strong technology and design squad, the company came up with many radical merchandises and introduced American consumer to an advanced merchandise line of in-vehicle amusement and pilotage system. In 1997, the company introduced universe ‘s first DVD auto pilotage system. With the bend of the millenary, many advanced merchandises were launched which included an Internet-ready portable auto pilotage system, the universe ‘s first auto sound with constitutional SD participant, and a auto pilotage system equipped with high-resolution, broad VGA proctor. Panasonic pioneered in the rear-seat auto amusement systems and introduced the car-mounted on-vehicle exigency call system ( HELPNET ) and the car-mounted electronic toll aggregation unit.
With the early success of Panasonic in the auto amusement industry, many major auto makers such as GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan and Honda became its valuable clients. Panasonic worked closely with GM and supplied factory-installed equipments to about all the auto theoretical accounts of GM. JD Power and Associates rated Panasonic as figure one on client satisfaction for the progressively popular vehicle option of rear-seat amusement systems.
Panasonic Automotive Systems Company non merely insured the quality of their merchandises but besides concerned about environment. The company pledges in their environmental statement that it insures a “ prudent, sustainable usage of the Earth ‘s resources and the protection of the natural environment. ” [ 1 ] It promotes the usage of “ Green Products ” which are designated merchandises with decreased environmental impacts. The procedures in the fabrication units are specifically designed to do the mills clean that coexist with the local communities and environment. The Peachtree City fabrication unit was considered as one of the most environmentally witting concern in the Atlanta country. The company emphasise on cut downing VOCs ( Volatile Organic Compounds ) and recycling of the fabricating waste such as solder stuff, metal and plastics.
Peachtree City, GA Unit
Peachtree City, being ranked as the 8th best [ 2 ] topographic point to populate with exuberant green landscapes and carefully planned and controlled vicinities, it is hard to conceive of a big fabrication installation in this town. However, the doctrine of the laminitis of our company, Konosuke Matsushita, that “ a company is a public establishment. Hence, it exists for the society, is supported by the society and has to walk manus in manus with the society ” , helped us prolong this fabrication installation in harmoniousness with the environment.
However, the current economic crisis proved to be rather lay waste toing for the Peachtree City unit. With the downswing of the American car industry which led to drastic autumn of major maker like GM and Chrysler the demand for merchandises of Panasonic Automotive Systems crashed to a great extent. The high cost of labour and overall production in United States could non be sustained with this reduced demand. Management was forced to take some drastic steps to prolong the company. The whole fabrication was moved from Peachtree City to Reynosa, Mexico in prevarication of high cost of production. This led to immense lay-offs at Peachtree City unit. The work force was cut to one tierce and even employees who have served the company for more than 15-20 old ages were laid away.
Presently, Peachtree City houses the Engineering, Accounting, Purchasing and Quality sections which are supported by IT and Human resource sections. The Engineering section takes attention of planing and new merchandise development. It supports the fabrication processes chiefly at Reynosa, Mexico and Daliyan, China and other fabricating units across the universe.
Now, with the economic system on the route to recovery and increasing consumer disbursement, the car industry is picking up once more. This has increased the demand for Panasonic Automotive Systems merchandises and many new undertakings from all major auto fabrication participants are coming to Peachtree City. The company has started engaging the people it laid off before and steadily the gross revenues are increasing. We are rather optimistic about the hereafter of Panasonic Automotive Systems of North America and with the inflow of new undertakings from GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota etc ; the company will shortly recover its lost glorification.
[ 1 ] Panasonic Automotive Systems Company, Tuning in. ( n.d ) . In Manufacturer. Retrieved 18th Aug 2010 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.themanufacturer.com/us/detail.html? contents_id=2939
[ 2 ] hypertext transfer protocol: //money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2005/index.html
Learning ‘s
The internship provided me with a platform to use my concern accomplishments and acquisition ‘s at the concern school. As it was a Supply Chain & A ; Operations Management internship, it challenged a assortment of skill sets and offered an chance to get new accomplishments.
The Inventory direction undertaking offered me the chance to use the acquisition of Operations Management class. It extensively utilised basic Supply Chain Management accomplishments of placing the critical parts by making an ABC Classification. In order to hold a leaner stock list and cut down stock-outs, constructs of safety stocks are applied.
Analysis of Material Resource Planning ( MRP ) which straight dealt with Order policy and Delivery policy utilized the acquisition from Operations Management class. I prepared legion trial instances to happen out the best combination of Order policy and bringing policy to hold a leaner stock list degree.
Supplier evaluation standards undertaking which dealt with heightening the standards used to rate the providers, challenged my analytical accomplishments. The statistical constructs and tools learned in Data Analysis class such as normal distribution, constructs of standard divergence and discrepancy were applied in this undertaking.
New provider choice procedure involved analysis of fiscal statements and company profile of these providers. The new provider ‘s financials are besides compared with the current provider ‘s financials which supply the related parts. This used to be an extended analysis to see that the new provider is fiscal stable. I analyzed many providers ‘ fiscal statements, ciphering assorted fiscal ratios, most of which is learned in Financial Accounting class.
I enhanced and added new characteristics to the current Shipment Expediting Database. The database was based on MS Access and I added legion studies and did functional degree alterations in the signifiers. It involved strict VBA scheduling and utilised many constructs I have learned in Information Systems class.
As explained earlier, I undertook many study mechanization undertakings which involved Excel Macros and other tools I learned in the Data Analysis class.
The procurance of parts from strategically selected Sellers, depending upon location, quality, monetary value and handiness, this kineticss is clearly understood with the constructs learned in Global Strategic Management class. Corporate degree Strategic confederations with planetary Sellers to see better control of monetary values and quality of the parts is portion of the Corporate Strategy employed by Panasonic Corporation.
The direction of fabricating units across different locations in the universe which transcends the demand to set up mills in low cost fabrication states with abundant low-priced labour and to work out the jobs in pull offing these units employed nucleus constructs learned in International Management class. I understood the clash between different civilizations and the demand for the director to accommodate to the norms of different civilization and how people work in different locations is cardinal to pull offing many jobs.
At Panasonic, we have a diverse work-force with many Nipponese employees who work otherwise than their American opposite numbers. Nipponese concern issue class helped me to understand the cultural facet of working wonts of Nipponese people.
To sum up, the internship was wholly aligned with my future aspirations and ends. It helped me to further new accomplishments and gave me the chance to work in a diverse environment.