Improving Business Operations: A Report on Watson Engineering Company

This report examines the operational strategies of Watson Engineering Tooling Company, founded in the early 1980s and known for its high-quality structural and civil engineering products. It emphasizes the importance of generating clear operating standards, making informed decisions, adopting lean principles, and utilizing modern technology to enhance business operations. The report further discusses focusing on quality, improving forecasting, initiating customer-centric approaches, reengineering outdated business processes, and enhancing process efficiency systems. It also highlights the development of three-level administrative procedures, the importance of an active managing committee, supply chain improvements, and the implementation of a continuous improvement approach. The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of how Watson Engineering can optimize its operations for sustained success and customer satisfaction.

Introduction to Business Operations and Services
1

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Operational Strategies of Watson Engineering Company to Improve Business.............................4
Generate Clear Operating Standard.............................................................................................4
Take Right Decisions...................................................................................................................4
Go Lean.......................................................................................................................................4
Use of Modern Technology.........................................................................................................5
Focus on Quality..........................................................................................................................5
Improve Forecasting....................................................................................................................6
Initiate Customer-Centric thoughts..............................................................................................6
Reengineering Old-Fashioned Business Process.........................................................................7
Improve Process Efficiency System............................................................................................7
Development of Three level Administrative Procedures.............................................................7
Active Managing Committee.......................................................................................................8
Improve Supply Chain.................................................................................................................8
Implement Continuous Improvement Approach.........................................................................8
Recommendation.............................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11
2

Introduction
The report focuses on the operation strategy of Watson Engineering Tooling Company. The
Watson Engineering Company was founded in the early 1980’s in the north East part of England
to supply Structural and civil engineering products. The company is famous for its high quality
products and loyal workforce. The founder of the company was a young graduate engineer so
that he gave emphasis on the quality to establish its position in the local engineering industry.
The main objective of the company is to supply high quality services to the customers using
engineering rules and best quality raw materials. On the other hand, the company maintains the
range of its products so that it provides products in reasonable price. The company has specialist
to make products for the society so that the products are long lasting. Therefore, Watson
Engineering Company uses high class materials and skills to produce precise and long lasting
objects (Danforth et al., 2017). The company is well known as the manufacturer of various
structural works such as bridges, buildings, dams, pump stations, roadways, and pumping
stations. The Company follows innovative and new technology to design the structures
successfully and effectively. The company provides services both for the industry and private
clients. Watson Engineering Company always gives focus on the quality of products and for this
reason the engineers of this company use modern technology and skill during product making.
The company appoints employees from the school or university so that the workers can work
enthusiastically to achieve the goal. On the other hand, the financial condition of the Watson
engineering Company is well so that the company spends more to get best quality resources from
the suppliers. The operation strategy of this company has been discussed successfully (Eastman,
2018).
3

Operational Strategies of Watson Engineering Company to Improve Business
Every company should follow an innovative operation strategy to improve the business of the
company. Operation strategies define the methods, which are used by the company to obtain the
expected goal. The company can develop the systems to use resources, personnel and work
forces effectively. On the other hand, the company develops the process of work by increasing
operational strategies. Watson Engineering Company will take some operational strategies to
improve the overall business. Therefore, the company should follow some steps to improve the
operation strategies effectively and successfully (El-Halwagi, 2017).
Generate Clear Operating Standard
It is essential for every company to maintain the operating standard because of operating
standard is useful to improve the performance of the company. The operating standard provides
the expectation for getting success. Therefore, Watson should maintain the standards to get better
performance from the employees. If the company, fix a standard for the employees, the
employees will provide best services for the company. Hence, the civil engineering company
should create a standard in the operating system so that employees give their best to execute any
work (Eriksson, 2017).
Take Right Decisions
The main step to improve operation strategies is taking of better decision for the business of the
company. Therefore, Watson should take right decision during the manufacture of products. As
Watson is a company of civil and structural engineering, the company needs experts, who give
right directions to the workers during the making of bridges, dams and buildings. The company
should give emphasis on the safety and security of the society. The management team of the
company organizes meeting for discussion to take the final decision for a project. Sometimes,
Watson Company gets the tender from the government to build bridge, dam or building.
Therefore, the company works as the service provider of the whole society. Hence, the company
should take right decision during work in a government project to satisfy the whole society
(Gosling et al., 2017).
4

Go Lean
Lean is considered as an operational viewpoint, which gives focus on the improvement of
activities, which lead products delivering and customers’ services. So, the engineering company
invents modern technology in their business to provide high quality services to the customers.
The engineers of the company should use innovative and modern technology during the
construction of bridges and buildings so that people get long lasting items. The company should
use green innovation technique to reduce the level of pollution from the society. On the other
hand, Watson Company gives emphasis on the use of recycling resources as raw materials for
their production. The company should appoint experts, who will check the quality of products
before delivering to customers. Therefore, quality managers of the company play a vital role
during products delivering. The company is conscious about the safety and security of customers
so that the company appoints experts as tester of items such as bridges, dams and buildings
(Hartley, 2017).
Use of Modern Technology
In this era of digitalization, every business depends on the modern and innovative technology.
Being a civil engineering company, Watson provides services for the society maintain safety and
security of the customers. Therefore, the company should use modern technology and
equipments for the high quality production. Smart inventory control scheme helps the company
to reduce inventory levels and increase profit of the company. Watson will use modern and high-
quality machines during the productions of buildings or bridges. On the other hand, Watson
should invent customer –developed applications to satisfy the customers. For example, the
company will open a website for the customer feedback so that company can improve the quality
of products by analyzing feedbacks of the customers. Besides, the company will use different
hardware and software to develop the quality of their services. Technology helps the company to
increase productivity by the help of latest innovation. Watson should follow Trade Shows to use
modern and latest technology for their business. The company should use green innovation to
reduce the emission of carbon and green house gas (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017).
Focus on Quality
Quality management is an effective strategy for any company to achieve the highest goal.
Watson produces civil engineering products so that the main priority of this company is quality
5

maintaining of products. The experts of this company always give focus on the quality of the
products. There are various versions of quality management in the business such as statistical
process control. Statistical process control is a total quality management process, which gives
emphasis on the overall quality maintenances. Therefore, the company should appoint a quality
management team to maintain the quality of products. The company should use high quality
materials and work forces to make long lasting buildings, bridge and dams. Reliability of the
customers is necessary for any company to get the success. In case of civil engineering
companies, assurance and trust are essentials so that customers get safety and security from the
company. Therefore, it is the main duty of this company to achieve faith of the customers about
their services. If the company maintains quality in the products, customers will get better quality
products and this is enough to achieve trust for the customers. On the other hand, it is necessary
to improve the quality of employees. The company appoints fresher from the school or university
as the employees and for this reason proper training is necessary to increase the quality of the
employees (Marsh, 2017).
Improve Forecasting
To establish a remarkable position in the industry, proper forecasting is necessary for every
company. Therefore, Watson needs to improve the strategy to forecast capability and demand
effectively. The company should appoint experts to understand the demand of the customers and
as well as the capability of the company to fulfill the demand. The company always tries to
analyze the local market to define customers’ demand for products. Therefore, the company
should give emphasis on the requirements of the customers for delivering products and services.
Watson provides services to the industry and as well as personal client. Hence, the company
should follow different strategies and techniques during dealing of different types of customers.
The engineering company faces different types of requirements from different types of
consumers so that Watson should improve the forecasting process to satisfy customers (Neill et
al., 2018).
Initiate Customer-Centric thoughts
Customers are the main component of every company so that company should focus on the
satisfaction of customers. Therefore, Watson should invent new strategies and techniques to
satisfy customers. The company always tries to produce better services so that customers get
6

satisfaction. On the other hand, Watson Engineering Company always gives importance on the
safety and security of the customers. The company should start customer-centric thinking by the
help of innovative technique and strategies to give full satisfaction to the customers during
choosing this company as their building maker. On the other hand, the company also works for
the government to make bridges or pumping station. Therefore, Watson should follow rules and
regulations to work in a government project (Rietbergen et al., 2017).
Reengineering Old-Fashioned Business Process
Watson uses some old-fashioned business processes to run business in the engineering industry.
These cold-fashioned business processes are proved as harmful for the company. Therefore, the
company should restructure the old business process to improve the business strategy of the
company. In this ever changing society, company should improve the old fashioned business
process to adapt new innovation and technique. For example, Watson use old fashioned machine
to mix raw materials to make building or other structures and as a result the wastage of raw
materials is increasing day by day. Therefore, Watson should use modern mixing machine for the
mix of raw materials to reduce the wastage of raw materials. On the other hand, the company
still uses old technique to design the building and this old technique is time consuming.
Therefore, the company should invent new idea and plan to design building or other structures
(Singh, 2017).
Improve Process Efficiency System
The company should improve the process efficiency system so that the company gets better
output by using effective input during production. Therefore, Watson develops the whole
management process of the company to improve the overall systems of the company. The
company should appoint efficient employees in different departments to develop the overall
process of productions. For example, the company should appoint efficient civil engineers,
labors, managers, technician to improve the overall structures of the company to get better result.
Watson Company needs assign best civil engineers to guide and control the overall projects. On
the other hand, civil engineers of the company require efficient labors to conduct the works
effectively and successfully. Besides efficient technicians are needed to handle the technical part
of the business successfully. Therefore, effective workers are necessary to improve the overall
process of the business (Tatum, 2018).
7

Development of Three level Administrative Procedures
It is essential for every company to maintain the three levels administrative procedures. These
three levels procedures are effective for the development of any company. In the first higher
level, there are high ranked people who implement functions related to planning and thinking, in
the second level, there are employees, who are engaged in checking and in the third level there
are employees, who are in charge of executing. Therefore, the three level administrative
procedures consist of decision makers, controllers and makers. The civil engineering company
should improve the three stages to develop operational strategies of the company because of
these three types of people are necessary to run the operation of the company (Titarenko and
Titov, 2017).
Active Managing Committee
The management is the backbone of every company because of it controls the whole business
actively and passively. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the system and strategy of
management to achieve the success. Watson Company needs to restructure the managing
committee to get better result. The managing committee of this company consists of most of the
family members of the founder including his daughter and son. Therefore, the company needs to
include some experts in the managing committee to take right decision for the business. As,
management takes the final decision for the company then it is necessary to appoint efficient
members in the managing committee to run the company successfully. For example, in case of
Watson Engineering Company, it is necessary to include civil engineers in the managing
committee to take right decision in any project (Xu and Zhao, 2017).
Improve Supply Chain
The supply chain defines the process, which mentions the overall systems from making of
products to delivering. Therefore, it is essential to improve the supply chain to develop the
operation system of the company. The engineering company should improve the supply chain
system to get better input and produce better output for the customers. The company should
maintain good relation with the suppliers of raw materials so that they get raw material in
affordable price. Besides, Watson should invent recycling process to get resources in low cost.
The management of the company should establish a healthy relation with the employees to use
them effectively. On the other hand, the company should use innovative and modern strategy to
8

run the overall process of the business. At last, the company should produce good quality
products in reasonable price to satisfy the customers. Therefore, Watson Engineering Company
should improve the supply chain to develop the business process. For example, this civil
engineering company will make bridges, buildings and dams by using high quality raw materials
and innovative technology to give satisfaction to the society (Koch and Bennett, 2017).
Implement Continuous Improvement Approach
Watson Engineering Company should take a continuous improvement approach to improve the
operation strategy of the company. The company needs to improve products quality to increase
more customers. Besides, Watson should improve the system inside the company to increase
productivity. On the other hand, the company should appoint specific team to solve specific
problem. The company should invent a formal suggestion system for the employees so that the
employees can work in an effective environment. The company provides services in a vital field
of the society. As the company makes building, bridges and dams, it is necessary for the
company to give focus on the safety of people. Therefore, the company should follow rules and
regulations to provide services to the customers. The company should develop some policies to
provide compensation if any devastation is happened (Vovchenko et al., 2017).
Recommendation
Watson Engineering Company is a reputed civil engineering company of England. The company
lacks some strategies and systems to expand the business globally. Therefore, some effective
strategies have been recommended for the overall improvement of this civil engineering
company. The company needs improve the decision making process so that the management take
right decision to choose any work project. Therefore, proper decision making is important for the
company to avoid risk factors. If, the company is able to take right decision, the company can
produce safety to the customers reducing risk factors. On the other hand, the civil engineering
company needs to use ‘go lean’ philosophy to develop the internal and external activities of the
company so that the company can run the business successfully. The company should give
emphasis on the product delivering process and customer service to satisfy the customers. The
other important recommendation for the company is to improve quality of raw materials to
9

produce high quality products. The company needs use best quality building materials to make
buildings, bridges or dams (Hitt et al., 2017).
On the other hand, it is recommended that the civil engineering company should use green
technology to reduce the emission of carbon and green house gas. Actually, the company is not
conscious about the environment and as a result they do not use any innovative technology to
reduce the level of pollution. Therefore, the use of green innovation is effective for the company
to improve its concern for environment. Besides, the company needs use recycling process to
reduce the cost of raw materials. The managing committee of the company is not efficient to take
right decision so that it is essential to appoint efficient members in the management. The supply
chain system of the company is not well organized and as a result the company faces some
problems in the time of products delivering. Therefore, some strategies are implemented to
improve the supply chain system of the company. The company still uses some old fashioned
business strategies to provide services. These old fashioned business strategies increase cost and
time of the production. Therefore, it is necessary to use new equipments to reduce the cost and
time. The company should improve the relationship between employees and customers to
provide better services. It is shown that the company cannot deliver trust to the customers so that
the company lacks to increase the amount of customers. Therefore, the company should use new
technology and strategies in their production to establish trust in the mind of employees. The
company works in some government projects and this time the company should follow laws and
legislations to conduct the project successfully. On the other hand the civil engineering company
needs design some policies to avoid risk factors in the society. In this way the company can
increase the customer loyalty. Therefore, the company should develop customer-centric approach
to give satisfaction to the customers. When, the company works in any government project, the
company should give emphasis risk factors. The company cannot use human resources in all
levels effectively. Therefore, the company needs implement strategy and plan so that they can
use all the resources to get better output. Watson Engineering Company should organize proper
training to improve the skill of the employees so that they can produce better services for the
company.
10

Conclusion
Thus, it is necessary to improve the operation strategy of the Watson Engineering Company to
achieve the highest goal. The company produces services for the industry and as well as
individual customer. Besides, sometimes the company works in the government project to make
bridges or dams. Therefore, the company deals with different customers to run their business.
Hence, innovative and modern operational strategies are necessary for the companies to deal
with different types of customers. The innovative operational strategy helps to reduce the overall
cost and wastage of the company. Watson Engineering Company is a construction company so
that the company should provide safety and security for the customers. The company should
develop some policies to provide support in time of devastation. On the other hand, Watson
needs to contact with any insurance company to provide insurance to the customers if any
damage is happened by chance. Therefore, the overall strategies are essential to improve the
operational strategy of the civil engineering company to provide better services to the society.
11

References
Danforth, E.M., Weidman, J.E. and Farnsworth, C.B., 2017. Strategies Employed and Lessons
Learned by Commercial Construction Companies during Economic Recession and
Recovery. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(7), p.04017027.
Eastman, C.M., 2018. Building product models: computer environments, supporting design and
construction. CRC press.
El-Halwagi, M.M., 2017. Sustainable design through process integration: fundamentals and
applications to industrial pollution prevention, resource conservation, and profitability
enhancement. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Eriksson, P.E., 2017. Procurement strategies for enhancing exploration and exploitation in
construction projects. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 22(2),
pp.211-230.
Gosling, J., Hewlett, B. and Naim, M.M., 2017. Extending customer order penetration concepts
to engineering designs. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 37(4),
pp.402-422.
Hartley, J.R., 2017. Concurrent engineering: shortening lead times, raising quality, and lowering
costs. Routledge.
Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H.R., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning,
scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Marsh, P., 2017. Contracting for engineering and construction projects. Routledge.
Neill, S.P., Angeloudis, A., Robins, P.E., Walkington, I., Ward, S.L., Masters, I., Lewis, M.J.,
Piano, M., Avdis, A., Piggott, M.D. and Aggidis, G., 2018. Tidal range energy resource and
optimization–Past perspectives and future challenges. Renewable Energy.
Rietbergen, M.G., Opstelten, I.J. and Blok, K., 2017. Improving energy and carbon management
in construction and civil engineering companies—evaluating the impacts of the CO 2
Performance Ladder. Energy Efficiency, 10(1), pp.55-79.
12