PROCESS CHOICE

The impact of manufacturing designon performance objectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES

…to identify the types of process choice available

…to understand the strategic considerations influencing the process choice

THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Cost vs. service level Lead-time, flexibility and speed Production variety and

volumes

THE TRANSFORMATIONPROCESS OUTPUTINPUT CUSTOMERS

TRANSFORMED RESOURCES Materials Information Customer Involvement Intellectual skills Facilities Staff

STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS Volume and Variety

Level of product standardization Responsiveness and Speed

Time to market, Demand fulfillment Demand Variability and Visibility

Manufacturing flexibility, Customer integration Cost

TYPES OF PROCESS CHOICE Project Jobbing, Unit or One Off Batch Line Continuous

PROJECT

Customized products Generous time span Low volume/high variety Adaptable but complex network of activities Coordinate resources

E.g. shipbuilding, movieproduction, installations, team suits

JOBBING/UNIT/ONE-OFF Highly customized Generous time span Low volume/high variety High skills required Specialist knowledge Often less complex than project

E.g. furniture restorers, bespoketailor, wedding dress manufacturer

BATCH Larger volumes/less variety Similar process on a repeat basis Range of batch sizes Flexible and structured network of

activities Often short time span

E.g. high street fashion

LINE/MASS High volumes/low variety Repetitive process Predictable demand Product life cycle concerns Range width determines type of line

E.g. DVDs, most food, commodity/lowfashion products such as white T-shirts

CONTINUOUS High volumes/low variety Lengthy process Inflexible Technical process considerations Predictable flow Conversion to one or more products

E.g. brewery, paper making, dyeing and finishing

THE TYPOLOGY OF OPERATIONS

Low repetition, Each staff memberperforms more than one job, Lesssystemisation, High unit cost

Flexible, Complex, Match customerneeds, High unit cost

Changing capacity, Anticipation,Flexibility, In tough with demand, High unit cost

Short waiting tolerance, Satisfaction governed by customerperception, Customer contact skillsneeded, Received variety is high,High unit cost

High repeatability, Specialisation,Systemisation, Capital intensive,Low unit costs

Well defined, Routine, Standardised, Regular, Low unitcosts

Stable, Routine, Predictable, High utilisation, Low unit cost

Time lag between production andconsumption, Standardised, Low contact skills, High staff utilisation,Centralisation, Low unit cost

- VOLUME +

+ VARIETY -

+ VARIATION -

+ VISIBILITY -

Bespoke tailorGourmet restaurant

Bespoke tailorUniversity tutorialsDepartment store

Project productionEmergency service

Most services“Cook at your table” restaurant

Value retailerFast food restaurant

Off-the-peg suit plantUniversity lecturersJeans shop

Mass productionTanning studio

Most manufacturingPre-packed sandwich maker

- VOLUME +

+ VARIETY -

+ VARIATION -

+ VISIBILITY -

EXAMPLES EXAMPLES

THE TYPOLOGY OF OPERATIONS

DISCUSSION

For each different process choice write down an example of a textile product. Explain why you have made each selection.