What is process design?
- “…A group of resources and activities which add value by turning specific inputs into outputs…”
- At its simplest the design of a process involves:
- Identifying all the individual activities that are needed to fulfil the objectives of the process.
- Deciding on the sequence in which these activities are to be performed.
- Who is going to do them or how will they be done?
What is layout and flow?
- Process made up of transforming resources.
- These are arranged in layout.
- Various tasks allocated to these resources.
- Work flows through layout from resource to resource.
If layout is poor, in what ways will work not flow properly.
- Customer queues
- Long process times
- Inflexible operations
- Lost work
- Inventories
- Unpredictable flow
- High cost
What are the 4 layout types?
- Fixed-position layout
- Functional layout
- Cell layout
- Product layout
What are the 5 manufacturing process types?
- Project processes
- Jobbing processes
- Batch processes
- Mass process
- Continuous process
What is project processes?
One-off, complex, large scale ‘products’ with high work content; many different skills have to be coordinated e.g. a power station.
What is jobbing processes?
One-off, or only a few required; high variety, low repetition; skill requirements are usually very broad e.g. special tooling.
What is batch processes?
Standard product, repeating demand, but can make specials; specialised, narrow skills e.g. bakeries.
What are manufacturing types and their definitions?
- Mass (line) processes: Higher volumes than batch; standard, repeat products; Low and/or narrow skills e.g. cars.
- Continuous processes: Extremely high volumes and low variety: often single product; standard, repeat products; difficult and expensive to start and stop the process e.g. petrochemicals.
What are the 3 service process types
- Professional services
- Service shops
- Mass services
What are professional services?
Service processes that are devoted to producing knowledge -based or advice -based services, usually involving high customer contact and high customisation e.g. management consultants, lawyers, architects, GPs.
What are service shops?
Service processes that are positioned between professional services and mass services, usually with medium levels of volume and customisation e.g. banks, high street shops, holiday tour operators.
What are mass services?
Service processes that have a high number of transactions, often involving limited customisation e.g. Supermarkets, airports, libraries, telecoms services, call centres.
What is the volume variety process diagram?
If we consider this volume-variety spectrum as a continuum from high volume/low variety to low volume/high variety, we can place a process in a certain point in this continuum based on its volume/variety characteristics.
What is the product process matrix?
- A product-process matrix is a tool that helps companies analyse and improve their processes throughout the product life cycle.
- It’s a two-dimensional matrix that plots the product life cycle on the horizontal axis and the production process on the vertical axis. The matrix helps companies identify the best production approach for a product based on the volume and customisation needs
What is the fixed position layout?
- Recipient does not move.
- Equipment, machinery, plant and people who do the processing move as necessary.
- Too big to move.
- Building site, ship.
- Too difficult to move.
- ‘At-home’ services.
- Carpet cleaning.
- Too delicate to move.
- ‘Mary Rose’.
- Mainframe computer maintenance.
What are the characteristics of fixed position layout?
- Extremely flexible.
- Wide variety of skills required.
- Requires mobile resources.
- Costing can be a problem. Resources must match in with the programme.
- Contractors need space.
- Storage of materials Access to projects.
What is the functional layout?
- Conforms to needs and conveniences of the functions performed.
- Also known as process layout.
- Similar processes or resources grouped together.
- Hospital.
- Traditional engineering machine shop.
- Retail outlet.
- University.
- Transport interchange.
What are the characteristics of functional layout?
- High flexibility of resources.
- Single skilled workforce.
- High traffic flow between resources.
- Many different routes through.
- Lost work.
- Resource failure can be accommodated.
What is the cell layout?
- Resources are arranged in cells.
- Cell is a group of different resources grouped to produce a family of products.
- Family of products are products with similar features.
- Can be produced by similar resources.
- Grouping products into families is known as Group Technology.
- Manufacturing.
- Marks and Spencer Dine In For Two £10.
What are the characteristics of cell layout?
- Reduced flexibility of resources.
- Multi-skilled workforce.
- Reduced traffic flow between resources (But not between cells?).
- Susceptible to resource failure.
What is the product layout?
- Also called line or flow layout.
- Resources used entirely for production of a single product.
- Everything follows a pre-arranged route.
- Very predictable.
- Easy to control.
- Car production and Brewery.
What are the characteristics of product layout?
- No flexibility of resources.
- All products have the same processing requirements.
- Low skilled workforce.
- Minimal traffic flow between resources.
- Susceptible to resource failure.
What does selecting a layout type depend. on?
- Depends on volume and variety characteristics.
- Low volume – high variety.
- Flow not a problem
- High volume – low variety
- Flow becomes an issue
- High volume – high variety
- Difficult because different flow patterns
- Low volume – low variety
- Flow irrelevant – custom goods, cottage industries.
