KIG4067

M A N U FA C T U R I N G
S T R AT E G Y

PROCESS CHOICE

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 PROCESS CHOICES

Consider the impact of people, facilities and physical layouts, and

information systems working together.

Consider the effect of the manufacturing processes on the overall

business strategy.

Consider the impact of many different types of manufacturing

processes working together.

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 SELECTING A
M A N U FA C T U R I N G P R O C E S S

What are the physical requirements of the

company’s product?

How similar to one another are the products the

company makes?

What are the company’s production volumes?

Where in the value chain does customization take

place (if at all)?

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 FA C T O R S I N V O L V E D I N M A K I N G
PRODUCTS

Categories of product
Special products e.g racing car, machine tools

Standard products e.g. high quality furniture

Mass products e.g. cars, domestic appliances

Product complexity

as complexity increases, the number of steps and difference

process increase

Volumes

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High

Special
products
• ocean-going
racing yacht
•Machine tools
•Formula one
cars
Product

Standard
variety

products
•Oil tankers
•High quality
reproduction
furniture
Mass
products
• domestics
appliances
•Automobiles
•Garden
accessories
•Garden
Low furniture

Low Volume High

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 T Y P E S O F M A N U FA C T U R I N G
PROCESSES
Fixed Position Layout or project

Batch

Job Shop

Production Line

Continuous Flow

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 FIXED-POSITION
L AYO U T / P R O J E C T

The position of the product is fixed.

Take very long time to complete, involve a large
investment funds and resources.
Produce one item at one time
Materials, equipment, and workers are transported to
and from the product.
Used in industries where the products are very bulky,
massive, or heavy and movement is problematic
E.g construction projects, ship building

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 JOBBING

Is designed to meet one-off (unique) requirements of

customers where the product involved is of an individual
nature and tends to be smaller size (thus transportable)
General-purpose equipment and broadly skilled workers
Functional layout: Work areas are arranged by function
Requirements can change dramatically from one job to
the next
Highly flexible but not very efficient

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 B AT C H M A N U FA C T U R I N G

Items are moved through the different

manufacturing steps in groups, or batches

Similar items on a repeating basis

Moderate volumes, multiple products

Sequence of steps is not as tightly linked as a

production line

Strikes a balance between the flexibility of a job

shop and the efficiency of a production line

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EXAMPLES

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 PRODUCTION LINE

High-volume production of standard items

with identical or highly similar designs

•Processes arranged by product flow

• Often “paced”

• Highly efficient, but not too flexible

•Resources are arranged sequentially

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EXAMPLES

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 CONTINUOUS FLOW

Large production volumes

High level of automation
Basic material passed along, converted as it moves
Usually cannot be broken into discrete units
Usually very high fixed costs and inflexible
The continuous flow manufacturing process is similar to
the production line, but the products that are
manufactured cannot be removed from the production
line and stored, but require to have been through each
process.

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EXAMPLES

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 P R O D U C T C AT E G O R I E S A N D
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
REFLECTIONS
1. Project for special and standard products

2. Project and continuous processing are specific to certain products

3. Most companies use combinations of processes

4. Most companies use jobbing, batch and line

5. Volume is one of fundamental factors in choosing appropriate

processes. Volume in term of its order quantity and order quantity x
unit time

6. Widening the product range to increase volumes

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7. The dimensions of flexibility
How companies can respond to changes (which processes can cope?)

Introduction of new products

Handling a range of volumes

Handling a range of products

Meeting demand spikes

8. The use of batch to best meet the requirements of most companies

Important to recognize 3 categorization process capacity related to
batch process
unproductive time

non-saleable productive time

Saleable productive time

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 H Y B R I D M A N U FA C T U R I N G
PROCESSES
A manufacturing process that seeks to combine the characteristics and
advantages of more than one classic process.
Batch-related hybrids

Line-related hybrids

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 H Y B R I D M A N U FA C T U R I N G
PROCESSES

Spindles Production
LINE for
putting together
Combining final product
the Arms and
characteristic Legs
s and
advantages
Batch for
of more than
fabricating
one process Seats
parts ...
to make
chairs.

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 B AT C H - R E L AT E D H Y B R I D S

Numerical control (NC) machines

Machines centers

Flexible manufacturing systems

Cells

Nagare production system

Linked batch

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 NUMERICAL CONTROL MACHINES

An NC systems is a process that automatically performs the required

operations according to detailed set of coded instructions

It can be a batch processes, low volume in nature

It is batch because the machine stops at the end of one process and is
reset for new job

E,g milling, boring, turning, grinding sawing etc

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 MACHINING CENTERS

Machining centers combine NC operations previously provided by

different machines into one machine centre

With tool changing automatically controlled by coded instructions and

carousel holding up to 200 tolls – combination of operations at a single
locations

What hybrid about it – several operations are completed before the

item of work is removed

So its line + batch (the process stops and resents itself not only
between operations but between one item and the next)

For low volume

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 F L E X I B L E M A N U FA C T U R I N G
S YS T E M S

For mid volume

It is designed to complete a given number of operations on an item

before it leaves the system

FMS contains several machining centres

Designed around families of parts

- by assembly

- by type

- By size and similar operations

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 CELLS

All operations to make each products within the family are completed
within groups of processes equipments

Use group technology technique

Can use conventional and non NC equipments

Still batch in origin as the processes will have to be stopped and reset
to handle product change

Mix of batch and line processes

To enhance volume

with reduces lead times and WIP inventory, but less flexible

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 N AG A R E P RO D U C T I O N S YS T E M

Developed by the disc brake division of Sumitomo Electric

Difference between this one and cells are

The sequence of steps reflects the flow of materials in making the
products

Operators move the part from one step to step and hence complete the
whole products

Operators typically produce JIT system using Kanban type arrangement

The quantity of products is small

Ideally making products that are similar to each other. Helps keep low level
of change and set up times are reduce

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 L I N K E D B AT C H

Hybrid of batch and line

Only two or three sequential processes may be linked

E,g food packing – filling and packing processes may be linked

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 D E D I C AT E D U S E O F G E N E R A L
PURPOSE EQUIPMENT

when the volume of specific part is sufficient, operations can justify the
allocation of a process to is sole use

It is hybrid because we cater change when received high volume

demand with no physical changes to the process itself

It is still a batch but general purpose in nature

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 M I X M O D E A S S E M B LY L I N E

A type of assembly line in which assemblers work on all different

models of a product in the same assembly line.

This is can solve product range problems

Are designed to cope with a range of products in any scheduled

combination

Use computer-controlled flow lines

This line process does not have to be stopped and reset to

accommodate the next products

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 T R A N S F E R L I N E ( A U T O M AT E D
PRODUCTION LINE)
For high volume

Hybrid between line and continues process

It is still line because can be stopped without major cost

consists of a predetermined sequence of machines connected by an

automated material handling system and designed for working on a
very small family of parts.

Parts can be moved singularly because there’s no need for batching

when carrying parts between process stations

The line can synchronous, meaning that all parts advance with the
same speed, or asynchronous, meaning buffers exist between stations
where parts wait to be processed.

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 T UTORIAL

1. What are the several dimensions of flexibility? Illustrate your

answers

2. Select three product/market business implications and discuss how

and why they differ across the generic processes

3. Select three operations business implications and discuss how and

why they differ across the generic processes

4. Select three investment and cost business implications and discuss

how and why they differ across the generic processes

5. Select three infrastructure business implications and discuss how

and why they differ across the generic processes.

for Q 2-5, read text book pp160-170

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