- Characteristics of production systems
- Flows in the process
- Elements of a production system
- Supplies
- Conversion process
- Final products
- Types of production systems
- Production by orders
- Batch production
- Mass production
- Continuous production
- Advantages and disadvantages
- - Production by orders
- Advantage
- Disadvantages
- - Batch production
- Advantage
- Disadvantages
- - Mass production
- Advantage
- Disadvantages
- - Continuous production
- Advantage
- Disadvantages
- Examples
- Production by orders
- Batch production
- Mass production
- Continuous production
- References
The production systems can be defined as the methodologies containing all necessary operations to collect the required inputs, process these inputs and ship the final products for sale.
These systems use materials, heritage, infrastructure and labor to obtain the required production in the form of goods. Therefore, everything that is done to produce products and services or to achieve the production objective is called a production system.
Airbus production termination. Source: pixabay.com
All production systems, seen at the most neutral level, are transformation processes, in which resources are transformed into useful goods and services.
Economists call these resources factors of production and generally refer to them as labor, capital, and land. Production managers refer to them as: men, machines, methods, materials, and money.
Characteristics of production systems
- The system is responsible for transforming the various inputs into useful products.
- There is a feedback on the activities, which is essential to control and improve the performance of the system.
- Production is an activity with an organization. Therefore, each production system pursues a particular objective.
- It does not work in isolation from other systems of the organization.
Flows in the process
A production system can also be determined by the physical flows within the process, such as the flow of materials, the semi-product in manufacturing activities and the finished product, as well as the information flows with all the necessary procedures that accompany to physical flow.
Physical flows are subject to the limitations of the capacity of the production system, which also limits the capacity of the system to meet production expectations.
The information flow capacity of the production system may also be an important indicator about the production of this system.
Elements of a production system
Tractor production system
Supplies
They are the raw materials, in addition to other components or parts, the different production agents, the methods, the production area and the time.
Production agents include the people in charge of the product, machines, tools, and other production equipment to assist them.
Methods are the means by which activities are performed, such as work instruction templates, designs, procedures, manuals, and other paper work.
The production area is where the activities take place, along with the different locations from and to which the objects are transported. Time is the moment when the work is carried out and how long is the duration that each activity takes.
Conversion process
It includes the operations that make up the actual production process. These operations can be manual, mechanical or chemical. Operations convert inputs into final products.
The conversion process also includes support activities, which are the tasks that help the process of converting materials into final products.
Support activities include production planning and control, purchase of raw materials, receipt, storage and dispatch of materials, inspection of parts and work in process, product testing, quality control, storage of finished products, etc.
The processing system must have a balanced capacity and load, as a condition of a good process.
Final products
They include finished products, in addition to finished parts or parts, and customer dispatch services.
Types of production systems
Textile factory
Production by orders
It is characterized by the manufacture of a great variety of products with little volume, designed and produced according to specifications given by customers, within a previously set time and cost.
It is made up of general-purpose machines, which are located in different departments. Each order demands unique technological requirements, in addition to requiring that the processing in the machines be in a certain sequence.
Their characteristics are:
- Use of machines and installations for general use.
- Large variety of products and low volume.
- Large inventory of materials, tools and parts.
- Highly qualified operators.
- Detailed planning is essential to be able to sequence the requirements of each product, the capabilities of each work center and the order priorities.
Batch production
It refers to a way of manufacturing where the work passes in batches through the different operating departments, each batch being able to have a particular route.
It is identified because a limited number of products are manufactured, which are produced at regular intervals of time to be stored awaiting sale.
Their characteristics are:
- The plant and machinery are flexible.
- There are shorter production runs.
- The configuration of the plant and the machinery is used to produce a batch of the item, requiring a change in this configuration in order to process the next batch.
Mass production
It refers to the manufacture of pieces or articles by units through a continuous process. This production system is characterized by having a large production volume.
The machines are arranged in line or according to the product design. There is a standardization of products and processes and to obtain all the final products the same route is followed.
Their characteristics are:
- Dedicated machines for a special purpose, generating higher capacity and production rate.
- Standardization of the product and the process sequence.
- Shorter production cycle time.
- Large volume of products.
- Perfectly balanced production lines.
- Lower in-process inventory.
- Production planning and control is simple.
- The flow of materials, components and parts is continuous.
Continuous production
It can be differentiated from mass production by a single element: the amount of mechanical work involved. In mass production, both machines and humans work together. However, in continuous production most of the work is done by machines, rather than humans.
The production facilities are organized in a precise sequence of operations, all the way to the finished product. Items flow through this sequence with the help of material handling devices such as conveyors, transfer devices, etc.
Their characteristics are:
- The handling of materials is fully automated.
- Fully dedicated facilities and equipment, without any flexibility.
- Planning and scheduling is a routine action.
- The process follows a predetermined sequence of operations.
Advantages and disadvantages
Below we review the advantages and disadvantages of each type of production system:
- Production by orders
Advantage
- The full potential of the operators can be used.
- Operators will become more and more skillful and competent as each order provides learning opportunities.
- There is an opportunity to get creative methods and innovative ideas.
Disadvantages
- Increased quantity and cost of inventory at all levels.
- Higher cost due to frequent configuration changes.
- Requirement of larger spaces.
- Production planning is complicated.
- Batch production
Advantage
- Lower investment in plant and machinery.
- Better use of the plant and machinery.
- Flexibility to accommodate and process a number of products.
Disadvantages
- Production planning and control are complex.
- The handling of the material is complex because the flows are irregular and longer.
- Higher setup costs due to frequent configuration changes.
- Mass production
Advantage
- Greater utilization of the production capacity due to the balance of the line.
- Higher production rate with a reduced cycle time.
- Low inventory in process.
- Less skilled operators are required.
- The manufacturing cost per unit is low.
Disadvantages
- The design of the line will need a major change when there are changes in the product design.
- The breakdown of a machine will stop the entire production line.
- The cycle time is determined by the slowest operation.
- High investment in production facilities.
- Continuous production
Advantage
- No labor is required for material handling, because it is automatic.
- Standardization of the product and the process sequence.
- The unit cost is lower due to the high production volume.
- People with limited skills can be employed on the production line.
Disadvantages
- A very high investment is needed to establish the flow lines.
- There is no flexibility to process different products.
- Differentiate the product is limited.
Examples
Let's see examples in each type of production system:
Production by orders
It is used mostly by small companies such as restaurants, although it is also used by Premium companies, such as Harley Davidson or Dell.
Harley Davidson has many accessories that can be customized and that are tailored for each individual. Similarly, you can design your own DELL laptop on the website by giving the specifications.
Other examples are a building, ship, or the prototype of an airplane or computer, where resources are only gathered once.
Batch production
It is used in systems to produce machines, tools, heavy equipment for construction, technical chemicals and processed food products, such as cookies, sweets, packaged foods, etc.
It is also used in drugs, hardware products, consumer durables, and many similar industries.
Mass production
One of the best examples of mass production is the manufacturing process adopted by Ford. Used in the automobile industry to assemble automobile and automobile engines as such.
In addition, it is used in industries where continuous production is required, such as other consumer products such as televisions, washing machines and personal computers.
Continuous production
In brewing beer, production is carried out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This is because this is time consuming and production is important.
As a result, there is a continuous supply of raw materials such as malt or water, and there is a continuous output in the form of beer or other alcoholic beverage. The key factor is that the brewing and fermentation process itself takes a long time.
References
- Gaurav Akrani (2012). What is Production System? Definition, Meaning, Examples. Kalyan City Life Taken from: kalyan-city.blogspot.com.
- Wisdom Jobs (2020). Production System - Production and Operations Management. Taken from: wisdomjobs.com.
- Toyota (2020). Toyota Production System. Taken from: global.toyota.
- William K. Holstein (2020). Production system. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Taken from: britannica.com.
- Hitesh Bhasin (2018). Four types of production. Marketing91. Taken from: marketing91.com.
- The Elsmar Cove (2020). Elements of Production. Taken from: elsmar.com.