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PROCESS CHOICE

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TOPICS
 B U S I N E S S I M P L I C AT I O N S O F P R O C E S S C H O I C E -
P R O J E C T, J O B B I N G , L I N E , B A T C H , C O N T I N U O U S
 H Y B R I D P R O C E S S - B AT C H R E L AT E D A N D L I N E
R E L AT E D
 T E C H N O L O G Y S T R A T E G Y- F L E X I B I L I T Y, P U S H v s
PULL, TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES.

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PROCESS CHOICE
The way a business decides to make its products is a
choice many executives believe to be based on the single
d i m e n s i o n o f t e c h n o l o g y. A s a c o n s e q u e n c e , t h e y l e a v e
this decision to engineering/process specialists on the
assumption that they – the custodians of technological
understanding – are best able to draw the fine
distinctions that need to be made.

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When choosing the appropriate way in which to
manufacture its products, a business will take the
following steps:
 D e c i d e o n h o w m u c h t o b u y f r o m o u t s i d e t h e c o m p a n y,
which in turn determines the make-in task.
 Identify the appropriate engineering-technology
alternatives to complete the tasks embodied in each
product. This will concern bringing together the make-
in components with the bought-out items to produce the
final product specification at agreed levels of quality
conformance.
 Choose between alternative manufacturing approaches
to completing the tasks embodied in providing the
products involved. This will need to reflect the market
in which a product competes and the volumes
associated with those sales. The present processes in
many existing factories are often not ideal. This issue
i s d e a l t wi t h l a t e r i n t h e c h a p t e r, wh e n t h e i m p o r t a n t
insights into process choice have been covered.

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BUSINESS IMPLICATION OF PROCESS CHOICE
 Market characteristics and product volumes are the
underlying factors in choosing the appropriate process.

 The nature of the product is also a factor in terms of two

e x t r e m e s n a m e l y, p r o j e c t a n d c o n t i n u o u s p r o c e s s i n g .

 The first process is assessing the market/volume

dimension.

 The Engineering dimension provides initial set of

alternatives concerning the ways to meet technical
requirements of the product.

 The next dimension is Business dimension.

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 Phase 1:
Links market/volume to the process choice
i.e., A1 and B1
 Phase 2:
It automatically picks up the corresponding
point on each of the various manufacturing and
business implications i.e., A2 and B2.


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 The
Click Business
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of Process Choice
 P R O J E C T,

 JOBBING,

 LINE,

 B AT C H ,

 CONTINUOUS.

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PROJECT
 Project used for one-off products which have to
be built on site because it is difficult or
impossible to move them once they have been
made.
 C o n s e q u e n t l y, t h e r e s o u r c e s i n v o l v e d n e e d t o b e
brought to the site and released for re-use
elsewhere when they are no longer needed.

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JOBBING
 Jobbing used for one-off products which can be moved
once completed.
 The responsibility for making the product is normally
given to a skilled person who decides how best to
make it and then completes all or most of the
operations involved including checking the quality at
each stage.

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BATCH
 Batch with an increase in volumes and the repeat nature
of products, companies select batch as the effective way
to meet the requirements involved.
 Because the products are repeated, companies can
consider investment at each of the manufacturing steps
necessary to make them.
 This includes engineering time to decide how best to
make a product, jigs and fixtures to facilitate the
completion of certain operations, and equipment
purchased with an eye to making these and other
products with similar characteristics.

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LINE
 Line when demand is sufficient to justify dedicating
equipment solely to making a specified range of
products, then a line process is normally chosen.
 The operations necessary to complete a product are
linked together so that each product goes from one
operation directly to the next and so on.
 The operations necessary to complete a product in this
instance are said to be coupled.
 As a line is designed to handle all products allocated to
it, there is no need for set-ups.
 To t h e l i n e a l l p r o d u c t s a r e t h e s a m e a n d t h u s i t c o p e s
with product differences without having to stop the
process.

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CONTINUOUS
 Continuous processing when the demand for a product is
such that the volumes required necessitate a process
being used all day and every day then further investment
is justified.
 The equipment in this instance is designed to transfer
the product automatically from one stage to the next,
check the quality within the process and make
a d j u s t m e n t s w h e r e n e c e s s a r y.
 H o we v e r, t h e t r a n s f e r r i n g o f p r o d u c t s t h r o u g h o u t t h e
process limits its application to materials which can be
easily moved, for example liquids and foodstuffs.
 The investment associated with this is warranted by the
volumes involved.

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Hybrid Processes
 Hybrid production processes are also defined as the
combination of effects that are conventionally caused by
separated processes in one single process at the same time.

 Many companies have developed hybrid processes, in order to

provide a process which better enables them to support the
characteristics of their markets.

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Batch-related developments and hybrids
1) NC machines

An NC system describes a process which automatically

performs the required operations according to a detailed set of
coded instructions. As mathematical information is the base used,
then the system is called numerical control.

The operation of machine is from numerical data stored on paper

or magnetic tapes, tabulating cards, computer storage or direct
information.

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NC machine is a development of a batch process and one which
is low-volume in nature. It is batch because the machine stops
at the end of one process and is reset for a new job or new
program being loaded.

It is low volume because the set-up times are short hence

providing an acceptable ratio between set-up times and the
length of the run-time before the next set-up .

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2) Machining centres

 Machining centres, which first appeared in the late 1950s,

combine NC operations previously provided by different
machines into one machining centre .

 A machining centre typically embraces several metal-cutting

facilities (for example, milling, boring and drilling), which
are applied to a given piece of work in a predetermined
sequence which the NC program reflects.

 Machining centres are a hybrid between batch and line and, as

a consequence, the position on some trade-offs changes.

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3) Flexible manufacturing systems

 If a machining centre is best suited to low volumes, a flexible

manufacturing system (FMS) is appropriate for midvolume
requirements.

 This too is designed to complete a given number of operations

on an item before it leaves the system.

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 Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are a combination of

standard and special Ne machines, automated materials handling
and computer control in the form of direct numerical control
(DNC).

 FMS are designed around families of parts. It is the increased

volumes associated with the range of products which justifies the
investment on the one hand and the inherent flexibility of the NC
equipment on the other which combine to create the rationale of
FMS in this mid-volume segment of demand.

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4) Group technology

 The first three hybrid processes concerned the use of NC

equipment as the basis for the process change.

 However, ther e ar e al te r native hybr i ds which c a n b e adopte d

using conventional or non-NC equipment.

 The first concerns a batch/line hybrid known as group

t e c h n o l o g y.

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 The underlying difference between the choice of batch
and line processes is one of associated volumes.

 What group technology does is to gain for batch

processes some of the advantages inherent in high
volume, line situations.

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5) Linked batch

 Linked batch is a hybrid of batch and line.

 However, l i nked batch does n o t need to enco mpass a l arge

number of processes.

 In some instances, only two or three sequential processes

may be linked, in others (for exampIe, food packing) the
whole of the process may be coupled.

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Line-related developments and hybrids
(A) Mix-mode assembly lines

 By investing in order to broaden the range of products with

which a line process can cope without stopping, companies
purposefully move towards what is known as a mix-mode
assembly line.

 However, the te r m ' mix - mode' has been used to ref lec t proce sse s
where systematic and purposeful investment has been made to
increase the product range accommodated by the process, whilst
typically programming the line to make small quantities of
different products in a predetermined sequence.

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(B) Transf er f ines

 The last hybrid process is transfer lines , Where the volume

demand for products is very high, further investment is
justified.

 Tr ansf er lines are a hybrid between line and continuous

process ing . However, th ei r root p rocess is s ti ll line bec ause
it can be stopped without major cost being involved.

 The process is numerically controlled in part or in full which

provides the systems-control afforded, in part at least, by the
operator in the line process.

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Technology Strategy
 Te c h n o l o g y s t r a t e g y i s a f u n c t i o n o f q u a l i t y a n d q u a l i t y o f
technological capabilities and competences.

 Experience obtained from exacting technology capability

a n d t e c h n o l o g y s t r a t e g y.

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Flexibility
 The flexibility of technology that supports business process
can greatly influence the organizations capacity for change.

 Flexibility in manufacturing means the ability to deal with

slightly or greatly mixed parts, to allow variation in parts
assembly and variation in process sequence, change the
production volume and change the design of certain product
being manufactured.

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Push Strategies
 A push strategy reflects the position where the rationale
for process investments come from technology based
arguments.

 The technology push approach attempts to interest the

market in new products based on new solutions.

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Pull Strategy
 A push strategies reflect technology investments based on
defined market needs.

 Pull technology refers to clients that make requests to

servers.

 Such investments must be evaluated on their own merits.

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Technological Opportunities
 Current process innovations present an important opportunity
for companies to compete effectively in worldwide business.

 A business must link investments with a well argued

understanding of its markets if it is to avoid inappropriate
major capital expenditure.

 Te c h n o l o g y alternatives is essential, as it form part of

manufacturing strategy developments.

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THANK YOU

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