Hershey's Production Process

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to identify the production needs of Hershey. Hershey’s facility layout will be analyzed and how to best address the production of their vegan chocolate bar will be proposed. Discussed first is an estimate of the process cycle time for the vegan chocolate bar introduction and this will be compared against estimated takt time. Next, process bottlenecks that may adversely affect cycle time of the product introduction will be determined. Next, principles of lean management that could be applied to the introduction of the new product will be explained and how it will account for adverse effect on cycle time. Next, a strategy will be recommended to align the principles of lean management that the company

This is a new product that will likely be successful, so Hershey will have to compensate for the increased demand. If they decide to introduce this product into the global market as well, this will increase the need for more laborers even further. The same would apply for equipment. They would need more machinery and equipment of this sort for the production of this new product. They would likely need new machinery to stay true to the vegan concept. Older machinery would be contaminated by past production practices. They would also require more raw materials for production. They would also need to begin investing in plant- based substitutes for ingredients, like dairy, to produce the vegan

It is also important to determine process bottlenecks, like the place where two conveyors merge in an assembly. There are five key principles of lean management that must be considered. These principles lead to the appropriate strategies to align these principles to improve cycle time. Some of these strategies include bottleneck analysis, KPIs, and just- in- time delivery. Labor, equipment, and materials are important aspects in the implementation of a new product. To keep up with increased demand, new materials will need to be readily available. They need more raw materials for the extra production, plus new materials to support the vegan lifestyle, like plant- based dairy substitutes. New equipment is also essential as the use of older equipment would be cross- contamination. To create a truly vegan product, Hershey needs to start production on the product from