Riordan Manufacturing Service Request

Essay by amaxey45University, Bachelor'sA+, November 2008

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IntroductionOrganizations that maintain a competitive edge recognize the role information systems play in achieving business goals. Careful planning must take place to ensure the information systems' goals are in line with the business goals. Once the goals have been articulated, IS departments call upon outside consulting firms to formulate a plan that may involve modifying the current system or a complete overhaul of the system. The following essay will make use of the systems development life cycle to explain how an IT consulting firm works with an organization to realize its business and IT goals.

Company BackgroundRiordan Manufacturing, Inc. is a global plastics manufacturer. Riordan's products include plastic beverage containers produced at its plant in Albany, Georgia, custom plastic parts produced at its plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and plastic fan parts produced at its facilities in Hangzhou, China. Research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose.

Riordan's clients include: automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers, bottlers, and appliance manufacturers.

Business Processes Identified for ImprovementRiordan Manufacturing is looking to improve its inventory and manufacturing processes and become more efficient. The current inventory and manufacturing processes for Riordan Manufacturing involve little technology assistance. From the moment the raw materials arrive, hard copy documents are the main source of information. The hard copy documents move from station to station up to the end product and shipping. The final stage for all of the documents is the inventory clerk's office where that individual enters all the information into the inventory system. The main problem with the current system is the amount of time taken for the documents to pass through the system and the amount of time it takes to update Riordan Manufacturing's inventory. The additional time and manpower is costing Riordan...