SMB Production Scheduling Blog

What is flow shop scheduling vs job shop scheduling?

Written by Elmar Karlowitsch | September 25, 2020

Following the debate about all the different scheduling approaches it is inevitable
that you are faced with two kinds of conceptuality: “flow shop scheduling” vs. “job
shop scheduling”. The final intention of this blog is to give an understanding that
the scheduling challenges and approaches of both worlds are so different, and why
this is the case.

Therefore I first point out the different characteristics of flow shops and job shops
as such. Based on this I derive the differences that come along with this in terms of
scheduling. Finally, I give an outlook on what impact the differences have on tools
to productively schedule flow shops and job shops.

How to characterize a flow shop and a job shop?

The first look into the current debate gives you a rough – because short – definition
of both kinds.

Flow shop - short characterization  

In a flow shop, the manufacturing process follows a fixed linear structure. That
means that all orders need to be manufactured in the same way on the same
machines.
Job shop - short characterization

In a job shop, the routing of each job can be individual. That means that all orders
(potentially) need to be manufactured differently on the same machines or a
certain part of the same machines.

This gives a good first impression of the significant diversity of both manufacturing
environments.

But in my eyes the best way to fully comprise the diversity, it is very useful to further
characterize a flow shop and a job shop based on common criteria of the
manufacturing industry.
 To keep this as easy to understand as possible in the following I refer to
the most extreme forms of flow shops and job shops possible.

In terms of a flow shop, this would be a manufacturing site with 100%

standardization operated in an assembly production line. On the other hand, a job
shop would be a business with 100% customization with a typical batch size of 1,
which implies that every finished product is unique.

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Characteristics to differentiate flow shops and job shops

Volatility of demand

Typically the demand in flow shops is steady and predictable. This means that
the volatility of data is low.
On the other hand, the demand in job shops is not as predicable at all but
depends on the irregular occurrence of customer orders. So the volatility of
data is very high as the environment is very dynamic.

Product variety

The product variety in flow shops typically is low as there are just a few – and
very standardized – products in the portfolio.
On the other hand, the variety of products in a job shop can be – literally –
unlimited. Hence the standardization is lowest as the added value of the
business comes from the ability to customize.

Amount of setups
 In this sense setting up machines does not take place very often in flow shops
as there is not a high variety of products and as there is the possibility to
“easily” bundle equal operations into one batch to maximize capacity
utilization.
On the other hand, setups are necessarily daily business in a job shop as a
result of the high customization and the focus on on-time delivery of customer
orders.

Complexity of workflow & plant layout

As the initial definition implies the workflow of a flow shop is simple because
linear and standardized. As the processes are stable and predictable plants of
a flow shop are structured in lines or following fixed work cells. That means
that the spatial arrangement of machines is following the linear flow structure.
On the other hand, the workflow of a job shop is complex because different for
every job. There is even a quite high likelihood that the workflow of a job shop
can change during the execution. Hence a job shop layout is structured
functional. This means that a job shop is divided up into certain work centers
that are capable to fulfill the same operation alternatively.

Flexibility of machinery equipment

In a flow shop, the machinery equipment is geared to operate low flexibility

due to the high standardization.
On the other hand, job shop machinery is imperatively geared to be highly
flexible due to the high customization.

Workers skill requirements

In a flow shop, the skill requirement of the employees is quite low. The high
standardization does not require highly educated workers. Also, it is quite
likely that workers are firmly assigned to certain work cells within the
manufacturing process.
On the other hand, the skill requirement for operators in a job shop is
comparably high. Furthermore the likelihood that educated operators have the
 skill to operate several different machines within different work centers is also
very high.

Volume

The volume – means the total output of units of end products in a given time
window – of a flow shop tends to be high.
On the other hand, the volume of job shops is comparably low.

Importance of stocking policy

In a flow shop stocking is a core aspect of successfully running the business.

This means that make to stock production is the default way of managing the
production.
On the other hand, the strategy of job shops is mainly make-to-order driven.
Due to the high level of customization holding up stock is not a productive
approach.

Amount of resources & company size

Flow shop companies tend to be bigger in terms of employees, machines, and

revenue.
On the other hand, job shops are comparably smaller in terms of employees,
machines, and revenue.

The graph below sums up the diversity of flow shops vs. job shops:
As we now have an understanding of the significant differences of both
manufacturing environments the next step is to evaluate what impact the diversity
has on scheduling.

Or in other words:

What does this mean for scheduling a flow shop vs. scheduling a
job shop?

If we translate these characteristics into scheduling requirements it is obvious that

flow shop scheduling and job shop scheduling also differ significantly. Let's start
again with handy summaries:

Flow shop scheduling - short characterization

As the required data is not volatile and the planning environment is very stable and
not dynamic, reliable input data can be generated. This is true for the demand as
well as for the duration of operations.

In the case of an assembly production line, the challenge of scheduling can even be
boiled down to optimizing the cycle time of how the line moves forward. In general,
the output of flow shop scheduling is when to operate which task in which batch
size.
To calculate such a schedule mathematical heuristics (like a genetic algorithm or
simulated annealing) are very appropriate and common approaches to find the
optimum solution for the given planning field. The respective - centrally determined
- occupancy plan is then the firm instruction for the shop floor.

Job shop scheduling - short characterization

As the planning environment of job shops is not stable at all but very dynamic the
estimation of planned duration comes along with a high degree of fluctuation.
Furthermore, the demand is not calculable upfront as it is 100% customer order-
driven.

So mathematical approaches are not appropriate as the high inaccuracy of the data
would only pretend to deal with an optimum. Also, the ongoing need to reschedule
due to daily incidents makes the flexibility to easily deal with this dynamic more
important than the calculation of an alleged optimum.

The consequence is: for job shops visual scheduling approaches with
automated scheduling support are most appropriate to answer the
dynamic and productively generate schedules that then serve as a
guideline for execution. 

This again gives a good overview of the significant diversity of the scheduling
challenges of both manufacturing environments. To work out the individual
differences even more precisely, I now analyze the following based on common
planning parameters.
Planning parameter to compare flow shop scheduling and job shop
scheduling

Scheduling targets

Due to the stable situation, maximizing the machine capacity utilization is

likely the highest prioritized target of flow shop scheduling and simultaneously
leads to the highest throughput possible.
In job shops scheduling is mainly order focused. This means that on-time
delivery is the highest prioritized scheduling target while idle times of
resources in certain time windows even can be intended.

Visibility

As the workflow is linear in a flow shop visibility is pretty much given

automatically.
This does not apply to a job shop at all. As routings can be all individuals, it is
very hard for the planner to gain visibility. Or in other words: getting visibility of
the shop floor activities is the key to successful job shop scheduling.

Generating planning data

The demand for a flow shop can be derived based on evaluating historical
data statistically. The same applies for quantifying the duration of operations.
Estimating durations for the several – highly customized – operations is a
core challenge of job shop scheduling. The evaluation of past data is helpful,
but additionally bringing in the individual experience of the production planner
is even more essential, and generating planning data generally is a process of
continuous improvement.

Planning horizon & planning accuracy

The predictability of data determines the planning horizon of flow shop

scheduling. This can easily be one year. The planning accuracy has the same
(high) level within the entire planning horizon.
 The order backlog determines the planning horizon of a job shop. This is most
likely less than one year. Furthermore, the planning accuracy differs in the
schedule of a job shop: due to shop floor progress information, the accuracy in
the very short run is higher than for the rest of the schedule.

Capacity of employees

In a flow shop, the shop floor manpower can most likely be disregarded, and
scheduling can be based on the assumption that unlimited/sufficient
manpower is available always.
This does not apply for job shop scheduling. Here the shop floor workers'
capacity is a limiting factor and must be considered in scheduling as well as
the machine capacities. The normal case to schedule a job shop operation is
to find the best available combination of a needed machine and a worker that
has the skill to operate it.

Strategy of execution

The favorable planning environment of a flow shop allows following a top-

down approach of execution. This means that the given schedule serves as an
irrevocable basis for the operational execution. The shop floor gets just a
minimum scope of making its own decisions.
The dynamic environment of a job shop makes it essential to authorize the
shop floor in making decisions in the short run. Hence the schedule should
always function as a guideline including a productive range of making
decentral decisions. Furthermore, the progress of the shop floor must be
integrated into the schedule regularly as the dynamic progress of one job has
a significant impact on the entire schedule and all other jobs.

Importance of MRP (material requirement planning)

As a flow shop is mainly make-to-stock driven the availability of material and

especially the level of stock of semi-finished goods to balance the demand of
production stages is a very important aspect of scheduling. Hence material
requirement planning like BOM-orientated backward termination of material
 requirements as well as productively managing stock level form an essential
symbiosis with the actual scheduling process.
As a job shop is mainly make-to-order driven material and stock do not have
the same importance. In general, the demand for material can be directly
derived from the income of the customer order.

To wrap up the scheduling requirements:

The planning environment of a flow shop can be designated to be more

favorable due to the stability of the decision-making field. On the other
hand, the planning environment of a job shop comes along with more
dynamic and more complexity.

What does this mean for scheduling tools for flow shops vs. job
shops?

As written above flow shop scheduling can be described in mathematic models,

that – fortunately – are solvable with modern technology. So flow shop scheduling
tools consist of a heuristic engine that is capable to consider all flow shop
parameters and then calculate the optimum of the given input.

Specifying a scheduling tool for job shops is not as favorable and finding an
appropriate scheduling solution can be a herculean task.

But because of the knowledge gained from this blog post, the following four
requirements must be met to successfully to face the special challenges of the job
shop environment:

1. Visual approach: to gain the visibility it is a must that a scheduling tool has a
component that visualizes the schedule. Gantt chart oriented planning board
applications prove to be particularly successful.
2. Flexible & easy to use: the software tool needs to enable the planner to easily
change the schedule to effectively fight the ongoing incidents.
3. Automatic assistance: due to the high complexity a purely visual approach
with drag and drop only would not be sufficient. Hence a scheduling engine
that automatically considers all job routing structures as well as the given
 finite capacity – manpower & machines simultaneously – is also an essential
feature of an appropriate job shop scheduling tool.
4. Execution functionality: tracking the shop floor progress and easily bringing it
into the schedule regularly is a must. Furthermore, this needs to include the
ability of the shop floor staff to have space for decentral decisions.

And, if you still do not know how and where to start: Here is a blog post how to
successfully start with job shop scheduling.

In summary, it can be said that flow shops differ so significantly from job shops
that one can even speak of diametrical opposites. This contrast is not only
noticeable in the comparison of characteristics, but also concerning the planning
parameters.

Also it becomes clear that the requirements of job shop scheduling are much more
extensive and complex to handle. While flow shop scheduling can be done by a
mathematical algorithm, job shop scheduling essentially requires to consider the
human factor.

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