Inflate-a-Dome Innovations Case Study

Description

Details of the Case:

Two years ago, two college roommates – Pat Kelly and Jeff Speer – returned to their tailgating site after a football game only to find a troubling situation. A brief thunderstorm occurred during the game and it turned their tailgating tent into a twisted, unfixable mess. They had only used the tent for two games and now it was headed to the dumpster.

Frustrated, Pat created a tent that eliminated the typical fail point of the product – the aluminum frame. His prototype tent was supported by air-filled tubes that could quickly be inflated with a small battery-operated pump. Jeff created a marketing plan and the two entered a campus competition for new product innovations.

The team won $50,000 and rolled it int a venture called Inflate-a-Dome Innovations (IDI). They hired a friend to build a Web site, purchased the materials needed to build 50 inflatable tents, and were in business. Using social media and online advertising, IDI began to generate sales and soon had a sustainable business. A few catalog retailers offered to feature Inflate-a-Dome tents in their publications and sales grew.

Needing to gain operational control, Pat and Jeff hired a friend with supply chain experience. Vic Catella quickly assessed the situation and decided that to grow, IDI needed to better control its inventory, production, and transportation. Vic found some Excel-based freeware and IDI soon had a slightly better handle on its supply chain. Catalog retailers could transfer orders online, via email, or by phone and IDI was able to create basic production schedules, plan materials needs, and support fulfillment. An online link to their small package carrier made it easy to schedule pickups and track in-transit freight.

The company was growing at a manageable pace and then life changed overnight. Unknown to the IDI owners, ESPN used ten Inflate-a-Dome tents for its Superbowl pregame show. Bad weather quickly rolled in but the tents performed well, saving teh broadcast from disaster. The story of IDI’s unique tent went viral on social media and soon Pat and Jeff were being interviewed on national morning shows.

Soon thereafter, inquiries began to arrive from sporting goods retailers, the NCAA licensing group, and Amazon. The IDI owners were elated that volume was about to explode.

In contrast, Vic was greatly worried that inventory variety was about to greatly expand with tents in new colors and emblazoned with college logos. Also, order size and shipment would no longer be one to four units but 50 to 500. He sensed that the simple SCIS tht he had built for spare change would no longer suffice. It was time for a strategic planning meeting with Pat and Jeff about buying a real SCIS that could support major clients.

Case Questions:

As its customer base grows and becomes more diversified, how will the information requirements of the IDI supply chain change?
Given its anticipated volume growth and inventory variety expansion, what supply chain technology capabilities will IDI need?
In preparation for the strategic planning meeting, what technology risks must Vic think about?
What types of SCM software are needed to managem the growth of IDI’s inventory, product variety, and customer demand?

Case Deliverables for this Assignment:

Assume that you have been hired as a consultant by Pat Kelly, CEO of Inflate-a-Dome Innovations, to assist them in answering the concerns listed in the case questions, above.

Case Report Requirements

Assume the role of consultant and present your recommendations in a professional Executive Memo format, addressed to Mr. Pat Kelly, CEO of Inflate-a-Dome Innovations, Inc. See detailed Executive Memo format requirements for case study assignments within the Writing Resources navigation button in Blackboard.
The memo should include a brief summary of the required tasks and a discussion of your recommendations as they relate to the questions posed. The concluding paragraph should contain your recommendations for this company. Do not forget to conclude your memo with a professionally-formatted closing.
You should exhibit professionalism in your writing: all sentences should exhibit proper English grammar, sentence form, and paragraph structure.
Present your memo response in a Microsoft Word document, which you will submit here.