A CASE STUDY OF WWW.TIMBUK2.COM

A Case Study of www.timbuk2.com

A Case Study of www.timbuk2.com

Timbuk2 is a San Francisco-based company that specializes in manufacturing ready-made and custom-made messenger bags. A messenger bag is also called a courier bag. It is a type of sack, usually made out of some kind of cloth worn over one shoulder and often used by bicycle messengers. To its owner, a Timbuk2 bag is a dependable, everyday companion. Many Timbuk2 bags are worn daily for a decade, or more. It is common for a Timbuk2 bag to outlive jobs. Timbuk2 messenger bags commonly incorporate certain technical features that make them suitable for cycling such as specialized fittings for loosening and tightening the main strap, reflective materials, compression and stabilization straps, and waterproof lining.

Timbuk2 is popular among bicycle messengers and cycling enthusiasts. Over the years, Timbuk2 messenger bag has outgrown its working-class roots. It is now increasingly adopted by a growing number of urban, students, and young professionals as a stylish alternative to the ever-present two-strap day pack and the formal black briefcase.

Timbuk2 remains faithful as ever to its working-class urban roots, while expanding its city-bred sensibilities to a broader range of products and a wider audience. All its new products share a sense of style, toughness, attention to detail and dedication to quality. Messenger bags are often used as a fashion accessory. Timbuk2 messenger bags are often commonly employed by men to carry bulky items that do not fit into pockets, or a large number of items, while doubling as a fashion accessory. While the pride and satisfaction of producing in San Francisco was ingrained in Timbuk2's culture, and moving production elsewhere would be a huge change for a small company with local roots, Timbuk2 needed to remain profitable. Hence, Brennan knew there was no easy answer to the question on the table:

Should Timbuk2 outsource some (or all) of its production to a Chinese firm? Lean manufacturing's emphasis on eliminating waste and improving quality through smaller batch sizes and streamlined product and information flows had been particularly critical. Brennan recalled that the efforts to reduce batch sizes were much more difficult than they had made it sound in business school. After much analysis and experimentation, the team purchased many additional sewing machines, greatly reduced setups at nearly every step of the manufacturing process, and altered the layout and organization of the factory floor in order to handle batch sizes as small as one item. In addition, they altered the process so that the information associated with a specific order, such as colors and add-on ptions, was available to workers as they worked on individual bags. A customer order was printed for each bag to accompany it through the manufacturing process. www.timbuk2.com

Through experimentation, Timbuk2 found that it was most effective to have work cells of five employees manufacture bags from start to finish as they filled individual customer orders. As each cell operated, there would be five bags in process, one for each ...