MNO2601 ASSIGNMENT 6 2024 SEMESTER 2 KLM CATERING SERVICES KLM Catering Services is the largest provider of aircraft catering and supply at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam. Every day the company, which employs 1,200 people, prepares around 30,000 meals

MNO2601 ASSIGNMENT 6 2024 SEMESTER 2 KLM CATERING SERVICES KLM Catering Services is the largest provider of aircraft catering and supply at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam. Every day the company, which employs 1,200 people, prepares around 30,000 meals and 'services' 250 flights for KLM and other operators. It is now far more than just a food-preparation operation; most of its activities involve organising all on board services, equipment, food and drinks, newspapers, towels, earphones and so on. It also places considerable emphasis on working in unison with cleaning staff, baggage handlers and maintenance crews to ensure that the aircraft are prepared quickly for departure (fast set-ups). Normally, no more than 40 minutes are allowed for all these activities, so complete preparation and a well-ordered sequence of working is essential. These requirements for speed and total dependability would be difficult enough to achieve in a stable environment, but there is a wide range of uncertainties to be managed. Although KLM Catering Services is advised of the likely numbers of passengers for each flight (forecasts are given 11 days, 4 days and 24 hours in advance), the actual minimum number of passengers for each class is fixed only six hours before take-off (although numbers can still be increased after this, due to late sales). The agreed menus are normally fixed for six-month periods, but the actual requirements for each flight depend on the destination, the type of aircraft and the mix of passengers by ticket class. Finally, flight arrivals are sometimes delayed, putting pressure on everyone to reduce the turnaround time and upsetting work schedules. An additional problem is that, although KLM uses standardised items (such as food trolleys, cutlery, trays and disposables), other airlines have completely different requirements. The inventory of all this equipment is moved around with the planes. Some gets damaged or lost and it can easily accumulate at a remote airport. If an aircraft arrives without a full inventory of equipment and other items, the company is obliged to fill the gaps from its local inventory, which amounts to over 15,000 different items. Source: Slack, N. Chambers, S. and Johnston, R. 2007:417. Operations Management. 5th edition. England: FT Prentice Hall: Pearson Education 1.2 Explain five sequencing rules {10} and explain which sequencing rule would be more applicable to KLM as per the case study example {1}. (11)