QUESTION ONE (20 MAR

[answerhappygod]

QUESTION
ONE
(20 MARKS)
With hundreds of competitors in the boat business, Victory
Marine must work to differentiate itself from the flock. Victory
continuously introduces innovative, high-quality new boats. Its
differentiation strategy is reflected in a product line consisting
of 22 models.
To maintain this stream of innovation, and with so many boats at
varying stages of their life cycles, Victory constantly seeks
design input from customers, dealers, and consultants. Design ideas
rapidly find themselves in the styling studio, where they are
placed onto computer-aided design (CAD) machines in order to speed
the development process. Existing boat designs are always evolving
as the company tries to stay stylish and competitive. Moreover,
with life cycles as short as 3 years, a steady stream of new
products is required. A few years ago, the new product was the
three-passenger $11,000 Rush, a small but powerful boat capable of
pulling a water-skier. This was followed with a 20-foot
inboard–outboard performance boat with so many innovations that it
won prize after prize in the industry. Another new boat is a
redesigned 52-foot sports yacht that sleeps six in luxury
staterooms. With all these models and innovations, Victory
designers and production personnel are under pressure to respond
quickly.
By getting key suppliers on board early and urging them to
participate at the design stage, Victory improves both innovations
and quality while speeding product development. Victory finds that
the sooner it brings suppliers on board, the faster it can bring
new boats to the market. After a development stage that constitutes
concept and styling, CAD designs yield product specifications.
The first stage in actual production is the creation of the
“plug,” a foam-based carving used to make the molds for fiberglass
hulls and decks. Specifications from the CAD system drive the
carving process. Once the plug is carved, the permanent molds for
each new hull and deck design are formed. Molds take about 4 to 8
weeks to make and are all handmade. Similar molds are made for many
of the other features in Victory boats—from galley and stateroom
components to lavatories and steps. Finished molds can be joined
and used to make thousands of boats.
Required