The case study describes a small furniture manufacturing company that began focusing on custom furniture designs but has since started producing standard furniture pieces for retail outlets. This diversification has led to issues in the company's internal manufacturing operations and its relationships with other functional areas. The manager must make both short-term decisions around scheduling, resource allocation and delivery times, as well as long-term decisions involving workforce levels, facilities and inventory investments. Producing standard pieces has caused conflicts over scheduling priorities and increased costs through rising inventory levels and warehousing needs, diminishing profit margins.