Process selection

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 Contents
1- What is process?
2- Factors determined process selection
3- Types of processes:
(A) - Project.
(B) - Job shop.
(C )- Batch.
( D) - Assembly line, and
(E) – Continuous
4- Flexible manufacturing systems -(FMS)

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1-What is process ?

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 What is the process?

 Process (or process technology or production process) is a

specific combination of machines, operators,
work methods and systems, materials, and
environmental factors that together convert
inputs to outputs.
 or Process technology refers to :
equipment, people, and systems used to
produce a firm's products and services.

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2 -Factors affecting process selection

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 Factors affecting process selection
 Process selection refers to deciding on the way production of goods or
services will be organized.
 The selection of a process structure is determined by many factors.
 Five of the most important are these:
1. The expected volume and demand pattern for the products.
2- The number of different products to be made by the system and the types
of processing each requires. (how much variety in products or services will the
system need to handle?)
3- The customer order type, which defines whether the product is made to
stock (the product's characteristics are set by the producer, and the product is
normal made in advance of orders), or made to order (the product is made on
receiving customer's order, and its characteristics may be specified by the
customer).
4- The physical characteristics of the products and the specific
technologies require to produce them.
5- Process flexibility: the degree to which the system can be adjusted in
processing requirements due to such factors as changes in product or
service design, changes in volume processed , and changes in technology
(What degree of equipment flexibility will be needed?)

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3-Types of production systems

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Types of processes

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 Process selection in manufacturing- Types of processes

1- Project process:

 Process that focuses on making one-of-a-kind

products.
2- Intermittent process::

 Process that produces products in small lot sizes (e.g.,

job and batch operations)
3- Line-flow process:

 Continuous process that produces high

volume,
highly standardized products (e.g.,
assembly-line and continuous operations).

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 Types of production systems

 Five types of process technologies are:

1- Project.
2- Job shop.
3- Batch.
4 - Assembly line, and
5- Continuous.
 Each is more or less suited to different product/market situations,
and each has its unique operating characteristics, problems, and
challenges.
 As we move from project production process to continuous flow,
variety decreases, and volume increases
(high variety - low volume)

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(A) -Project

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 (A) -Project

 Project technology deals with one-of-a-kind

products that are tailored to the unique
requirements of each customer (a unique and
usually large and complex item is produced ).
 Since the products cannot be standardized, the
conversion process must be flexible in its equipment
capabilities, human skills, and procedures.
 The major strength of a project-type process is
that it is totally flexible to meet the individual
needs of the customer

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 (A) -Project
 Examples here include the production of a movie ,
building , a customized car, , launching a new product or
service, publishing a book, building a dam or a bridge.
 Variable costs in this category are comparatively very high.
 On the other hand, fixed costs are negligible or even
nonexistent.
 Highly skilled personnel are usually required for this type
of process, as they often must work independently, with
minimal guidance and supervision.
 In addition, workers here need to be well trained in a
variety of tasks. (Labor skills and costs are generally high)

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(B) - Job shop

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 (B) - Job shop
 Job-shop production processes produce a wide variety and
small quantity of specialized products.
 Processing is intermittent
 Products are generally customized; they may be
produced by entirely different sequences of
operations.
 Job shops are essentially make- toorder systems,
whereas continuous flow, mass, and batch production
processes are generally make-to-stock processes.
 More general-purpose equipment is used, and there is less
opportunity for specialized, automated equipment.
 The labor force must be highly skilled and able to
perform a wide variety of tasks on different jobs.
 Unit production costs are higher than for other production
processes.

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 (B) - Job shop
 Job shop technology is appropriate for manufacturers of small
batches of many different products (high variety - low volume) ,
each of which is custom designed and,
consequently, requires its own unique set
of processing steps, or routing, through
the production process.
 Some prefer to define job shop production as a process
where a specific quantity of a product is produced only
once.
Each job or product is different from the others and no repetition
is involved. Therefore, each job is individually planned.
- painting, programs for concerts, and T-shirts commemorating
specific events are good examples of products made in a job shop
process

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 Job shop -advantages

1- Flexibility to respond to individual demands

 (can be adapted easily to changes in product design,
because of general purpose machines and facilities
variety of products can be produced)
2- Less vulnerable to equipment breakdowns
(a fault in one operation does not result into complete stoppage of the entire process)
3- Less expensive general purpose equipment used
4- Operators will become more skilled and competent,
as each job gives them learning opportunities

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 Job shop - Disadvantages

1. General-purpose equipment is usually less efficient

at processing materials.
2. More skilled, higher-paid employees are needed to
set up and operate general-purpose equipment and
to modify work methods to make a variety of
products.
3. Work-in-process inventories are needed to keep
the work centers operating during equipment
setups, as well as to provide the scheduling
flexibility needed to coordinate the variety of
products and job processing times.
4. The large in-process inventories and flexible
material-handling systems require more space

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 Job shop- Disadvantages

5. The variability in process sequencing, lot sizes, and

processing times, as well as possible uncertainty about
order receipts and due dates, make scheduling and
coordinating jobs and equipment very complex.
These factors, along with the large in-process
inventories, result in long throughput times.
(average time for a unit to move through the system)
6. The variety of products and their processing requirements make it
difficult to assign costs to each product, so it is more
difficult to determine the profitability of
individual products.
7- Much time is spent waiting for access to equipment; some
equipment is overloaded while other equipment is idle,
depending upon the mix of jobs at hand.
8- Speed of work is slow and unit costs are high.

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(C) -Batch

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 (C)-Batch
 Batch technology is a step up from job shop
technology in terms of product standardization,
but it is not as standardized as assembly line
technology.
 Within the wide range of products in the batch
facility, several are demanded repeatedly
and in large volumes.
 These few dominant products differentiate
batch facilities from job shops.
 Batch production processes are used for
producing small lots of similar products.

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 (C)-Batch
 Batch production is a stage in between mass
production and job-shop production.
 The products are made in batches with short production runs, and the
same sequence of operations is generally followed.
 Such processes usually differ from mass (assembly )production in the
materials used, machine setups, and layout.
 More labor skills are necessary to set up machines and perform a wider
variety of tasks during production. These differences increase
unit costs.
 Each batch contains identical items but every batch is different from the others.
 A particular operation on a batch is performed by one group and
then it is passed on to other groups for subsequent operations.
 Batch production is popular in bakeries and in the manufacture of
shoes, pharmaceutical ingredients, inks, paints and adhesives.

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 Batch – advantages

 Some degree of specialization is possible and capital investment

is comparatively low .
 It is cheaper to produce a number of each item in one go
because machines can be used more effectively, the materials can be
bought in bulk and the workers can specialize in that task.
It can reduce initial capital outlay because a single production
line can be used to produce several products .
 Batch production system is generally adopted in
medium size enterprises( Batch production can be
useful for small businesses who cannot afford to run
continuous production lines)
 Batch production is useful for a factory that makes seasonal
items or products for which it is difficult to forecast
demand
 Cost per unit is lower as compared to job shop production

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 Batch- disadvantages
 The main problem in batch production is the idle time between one
operation and the other. The work has to wait until a particular operation
is carried out on the whole batch (machines and workers may be idle while
waiting for a whole batch to finish its previous operation)
 In this system, capacity is generally higher than demand
 WIP is high, and large storage space is required. (Money is tied up in work-
in-progress since an order cannot be dispatched until the whole batch has
been completed)
 Due to frequent changes in product design no standard sequence of
operations can be used.
 Machine set-ups and tooling arrangements have to be changed
frequently. Often machinery must be cleaned and adjusted and this
takes time.
 The workforce tend to be specialized so they may be less motivated as
they have to repeat operations on every item in the batch so quality
may be effected.
 If batches are small then unit cost will remain relatively high.
 Production planning & control is complex
 Material handling is complex because of irregular and longer flows
 Costly, slow, difficult to manage

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(D) - Assembly line (mass production)

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(D) - Assembly line (Mass production)

 Assembly line (or simply line) technology is for

facilities that produce a narrow range of standardized
products. (Usually only a small variety of different
products are produced)
 Mass production processes are used for high-volume
production
 product designs are relatively stable,
 As with continuous- flow production processes,
specialized equipment and automation are common.
 Machine setups are infrequent, labor skill
requirements are low, and as a result, unit
costs also are low.

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 (D) - Assembly line (Mass production)

Mass production is used under the following circumstances:

 Standardization of product and process sequences
 Dedicated special purpose machines
 Large volume of product.
 Shorter cycle time of production (time required to produce one
item on an assembly line)
 Perfectly balanced production lines
 Flow of material , components and parts is continuous .
 Material handling can be completely automatic.

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 Mass production advantages

 Production planning and control is easy

 Material handling can be completely
automatic.
 Higher rate of production with reduced cycle
time
 Higher capacity utilization due to line
balancing
 Less skilled operators are required
 Low WIP inventory
 Manufacturing cost per unit is low.
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 Mass production disadvantages

 Breakdown of one machine will stop an entire production line.

 Line layout needs major change with the changes in the
product design.
 High investment in production facilities

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(E) -Continuous

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 (E) - Continuous

 Continuous production processes are characterized

by:
 High production volume and a high degree of product
standardization.
 Such processes use highly specialized and dedicated equipment
and often a high degree of automation. (Special purpose automatic
machines are used to perform standardized operations.)
 Since the equipment is highly specialized, there is little need to
change machine setups for different products or for a highly
skilled work force.
 Because of the high volume, unit costs are generally low.
 Goods are produced in anticipation of demand.
 The product design, the conversion process, and the operations
sequence are standardized,

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 Continuous - advantages
 Work-in-progress inventory is minimum. As the processing of material is continuous
and progressive, there is no waiting period.
 Each work is passed to the next stage immediately after the previous operation is
complete without waiting for the completion of work on the total batch.
 As a result costs of materials handling are minimized and full use can be made of
automation.
 Few job instructions are needed and less storage space is required.
 Cost per unit can be minimized by investing in specialized equipments.
 The quality of output is kept uniform because each stage develops skill through
repetition of work.
 Handling of materials is reduced due to the set pattern of production line.
 Control over materials, costs and output is simplified. The repetitive nature of processes
make production control easier.
 There is quick return on capital employed
 Standardization of product and process sequence.
 Higher rate of production with reduced cycle time
 Higher capacity utilization due to line balancing
 Manpower is not required for material handling as it is completely automatic.
 Unit cost is lower due to high volume of production
 24 hours-365 days

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 Continuous - disadvantages

 Flexibility to accommodate and process

number of products does not exist- difficult to
change.
 Very high investment for setting flow lines
 Product differentiation is limited (limited variety)

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PRODUCT SYSTEM
Internet Continuous
Drilling oil Project
Painting Job shop
Sugar Continuous
shoes Batch
supplying electricity to homes Continuous
publishing a book Project
CD Mass
pencils Mass
Movie Project
computers Mass
clothing Batch
flour Continuous
pharmaceutical ingredients Batch

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 Flexible Manufacturing Systems -(FMS)

CIM: computer- integrated manufacturing

CAD: computer-aided design
CAM: computer- assisted manufacturing
CAE: computer-aided engineering
CNC: computer numerical control
robotics and robots

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