Design the Product and Operations of a Wholesale Boxed-Sushi Factory

Design a sushi factory whose business is selling boxed sushi to wholesale customers. ```hint Start from the buyer Who buys boxed sushi wholesale, and what they need on their shelves each morning, shapes every factory decision that follows. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Who are the wholesale buyers: grocery and convenience chains, caterers and corporate cafeterias, airlines, or a mix? - Am I building this from scratch, including the site and supply chain, or designing the product and operating model for a factory that already exists? - Which market and what scale should I plan for, for example one metro area or national distribution? - Should I focus on the physical operation, on the ordering and planning software around it, or on both? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A chosen customer segment and its needs: assortment, shelf life, delivery windows, pricing and order flexibility - The product line and packaging, designed around freshness and food safety - The production and supply chain flow from fish and rice sourcing to cold-chain delivery, with the main bottlenecks - How orders, demand forecasting and waste are managed for a product that expires within days - Success metrics and the biggest operational and food-safety risks ### Follow-up Questions - A major grocery chain wants daily deliveries to all of its stores starting next month. What breaks first in your design? - Would you take unsold boxes back from retailers, and how would that choice change your pricing and forecasting? - Where would automation pay off first, and what would you keep manual?