Imt Case of Study Tech Essay

CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTIONBackground of the StudyEvolution of Fort Wayne PlantThe Fort Wayne mark facility, originally from WILMEC, was constructed in mid-1960s specifically to manufacture the type of custom elevator car called a large vertical. In 1985, WILMEC moved its medium plain production capability to Fort Wayne, Indiana. After 5 years, GE Inc. abandoned its custom machine business and sold it to WILMECs. GEs production equipment was then moved to WILMECs Fort Wayne plant, however, the GE technology is very different from the 2 custom machines which WILMEC produces, it is called large horizontal. With the 3 machine types, Fort Wayne go on its production until in mid-1995 WILMECs sold all of its custom machine engineering, manufacturing and sales operation to IMT.The Fort Wayne Plant transitioned from a busy single-product, focused manufacturing plant to a factory that was nearly closed (imputable to a lack of orders) andemployed only a few hundred workers. It then evolved into a facility that support three technically different products (large-horizontal, large-vertical, and medium-horizontal custom machines) that had originated from three different factories with three different engineering design systems.In mid-1993, IMT closed the Cleveland site and transferred the engineering and merchandising staffs to either Fort Wayne or Chicago. As the Fort Wayne plant evolved to support multiple product lines, numerous informal procedures emerged to handle day-to-day situations. These undocumented processes worked despite the incompatibilities among the three different technologies, which used three separate drafting systems as well as unique manufacturing processes. Very little capital had been invested to upgrade the operations during the last several years of WILMECs ownership. Not until IMT had completed the purchase of the technology and the factories in 1995 had a major capital upgrade program in time been considered. Low margin and capital budget limits had prevented world-shaking upgrades.In early 1996, the plant was reorganized into three product lines. Each of the three machine types was considered a separate product line and profit center.The Hardware Platform of the IS DivisionThe IS partition uses IBM processorsIBM model S/390- The current mainframeIBM AS/400- inherited from familiar Engineering during the acquisition. The MIS personnel attempted to facilitate these mainframes, transferring data between the two systems. However this was non easily achieved due to information security issues. Since 1996, the heaviest use of the mainframe was from the computer-aided drafting ( hound) and engineering users. Its usage was approximately sixty-five percent (65%) of the current mainframe and about fifty-four percent (54%) of the S/390s CPU capacity. avouchment of the ProblemIn this try out the major problem is how to find a good decision and direction for IMT development Systems without the need of exerting too much confine ment and money in the hardware platform or systems upgrade.Cited below are some of the specific problems of the case study How will the guild balance the need for technological changes to continue accomplishment of routine task? What are the problems encountered by the current IS environment?ObjectivesGeneral ObjectiveThe objective of the study is to propose a new and latest hardware platform that will suit best on the applications needed by the Fort Waynes culture System.Specific ObjectivesTo improve the software used by the company for several years. To evaluate the managerial issues of computing, including the centralization and decentralization of computing. To make an assessment of which of the three (3) inclined options by Browning are more appropriate for the company to use.CHAPTER 2METHODOLOGYResearch DesignThe study used qualitative research at the beginning of the design process to uncover innovations. This results with the advantage of being serviceable when budgetary decisions have to be taken into account. This research design is also useful even if you know little about the topic. It uses plain observation as a main source of data. Naturalistic observation was used since the objective is to get wind each division for root causes of problems.Sources of DataThe study acquires data simply through observations, existing studies and documentations.Research InstrumentsSince the research design has limited means to fit data, the only research instrument used in developing the entire system was the case itself and some readings from the internet.Data Gathering ProcedureData were collected through data mining, which is much easier than the survey and interview techniques. The proponents simply took time in going to the school library and surfing the net collecting divers(a) information from books, websites and new(prenominal) documentations which is required to begin and to finish the study.CHAPTER 3DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTSIn this chapter, the data acquired through the query of the different subunits under(a) the Information Systems (IS) division are further discussed.Figure 2.1 Data Flow among Functional Areas of IMT CMCIs Information SystemFigure 2.1 presents the flow of significant data among the different subunits under the IS division. From the different division the following findings below were notably consideredMarketing This unit uses a mainframe negotiation program write in COBOL where results from the technical description of judicial admission for a new machine of a customer were interpreted and has a Query System used to psychoanalyze data from ongoing negotiations as well as contracts won or lost.Admin and Finance The purchase order, accounts payable and accountsreceivable were the three (3) systems, which were custom positive by GEs MIS staff on the AS/400.Engineering This subunit was responsible for handling three (3) separate design systems for the three (3) types of custom machine that Fort Wayn e produces.Drafting At Fort Wayne, CAD applications ran on the IBM mainframe and consisted of eighty-five (85) seats of CAD. (A seat was one hardware CAD setup with a high-resolution screen, keyboard, function exactlyton box, and a pointing device that functioned like a mouse.) The development of the automatic drawing progress was very convenient with both CAD and the custom machine design program on the same platform.Manufacturing When all the drawings for a custom machine were completed, the BOM (Bill of Material was manually transferred from the drawings into the BOM database system, called DBOMP. With the three (3) types of custom machine, DBOMP could not handle the large drawing numbers and no one at Fort Wayne knew the DBOMP code well enough to make changes. In this case, the MIS group was backlogged in supporting the rapid changes that were occurring at the Fort Wayne Plant.Test Test information was written on a form that was interpreted and copied from the customers spec ification in marketing and engineering. Test department had several PCs connected to local area network.Human Resources There were no plans to connect the LAN with Fort Waynes mainframe due to security corners over the confidentiality personnel records residing on the HRs computers. Besides, the HR organization was not even considered a local support issue because its applications were back up from the corporate MIS group in New York.After acquiring the findings above, the group cited specific problems encountered on some of the subunits of the IS, and they were as follows 1.The Admin and Finance is the only subunit which is not under the currentmainframe of the Fort Wayne. The systems for this department are developed in the IBM AS/400 mainframe. 2.At the Manufacturing Department, when a computerized system failed to provide needed functionality, paper systems were created to support the information needs. This is due to the large number of drawings in CAD that DBOMP could not h andle. 3.PCs in the Test Department are connected to the mainframe but only used occasionally. Furthermore, electronic test result data were not shared on the mainframe but remained in the test department LAN only.Below are three (3) major options presented by Charles Browning 1.Centralized Computing. Commit to staying with the current mainframe for all important applications such as the CAD and the DBOMP though it would be a long-term venture. Discourage the use of UNIX work stations and eliminate the AS/400 and place the Admin and Finance along with the other department systems in one mainframe.2.Workstation Computing. A strategy that will discard the mainframe, make significant investments in the UNIX workstations, PCs, hordes and LANs and will architect a full client/server environment. Install high-speed network to link all computers via LAN and install gateways to bridge between networks. One database would serve the entire UNIX network system. And CAD and other major applica tions will be shifted off the mainframe to dedicated UNIX workstations. But the process is expected to take approximately 10 years before mainframes could be downgraded and migrated to workstations. 3.Watch Carefully. Do not act yet. Wait and see what develops and decide only as circumstances force key issues. This means that each decision would be made in response to immediate demands and on lowest risk and least expensive alternative at decision time.CHAPTER 5SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS sum-upThe case study was conducted to propose an intelligent strategy for the Information Systems Department of the Fort Wayne Plant, which is asubsidiary company of International Machine and Tool (IMT-USA).The IS division made several proposals of incremental solutions for the needs of their system, however, they could not acquire the specific solution which will show them what modifications should be done and how would it be done.The proponents examined different units under the IS departments and se arched for the root problems existing in the division. The third option, Watch carefully. Do not act yet. was chosen by the group as the best among the options presented and strategically developed the plans to solve the problems.ConclusionsAfter the study has been conducted, the proponents concluded that to be able to plan a working solution for an existing system. A careful observation and examination of functionality of units under the system must be done in order to trace the root causes of problems and to provide direct solutions to it.