Process Design
Dr. Priya Singh
The design of processes essentially consists of various choices
that we make with respect to the flow of parts in a
manufacturing system.
TYPES OF PROCESSES AND
OPERATIONS SYSTEMS
Continuous Flow Systems
Continuous Flow Systems
A continuous flow system is characterized by a streamlined flow of
products in the operating system.
The conversion process begins with the input of raw material at one end.
It progresses through the system in an orderly fashion to finally become
finished goods.
The production process is sequential and the required resources are
organized in stages.
Continuous flow is largely a result of technological constraints and a high
volume of production.
In the manufacture of petrochemicals, steel, pharmaceuticals, cement,
and glass, the reason for continuous flow is technological constraint. For
example, in a glass manufacturing unit, once the manufacturing process
begins, it cannot be stopped until finished glass components come out of
the system.
The high volume of production of very few varieties results in a
streamlined flow. Consider the case of manufacturing of spark plugs. Due
to fewer variations and the large volume of production, the production
system is configured in such a manner that an orderly flow is possible.
Process Industries
Process Industries
Process industries have a closed manufacturing set-up and finished
goods are typically obtained at the end of the manufacturing process.
In some cases, it is possible to derive products during the
intermediate stages of the process in the form of by-products.
The need to keep the production facilities continuously running in a
process industry directly translates into a need to be good in
maintenance management. Therefore, process-industry firms invest
more time in developing good maintenance practices.
Sometimes process industries benefit vastly from the vertical
integration of their operations as well as from the addition of
several secondary conversion facilities. This is because, at certain
intermediate stages of the processing, by-products are released
from the manufacturing system. Having the facilities to process
them into useful products will lower the overall cost of the
production system and increase revenue generation opportunities.
The other alternative will be to transport the by-products to
another point of demand at an extra cost.
Mass production
It is another example of continuous and streamlined flow in the
manufacturing system.
In a mass production system, the volume of production is very high
and the number of variations in the final product is low. Therefore, it is
possible to organize the entire process by dedicating the required
manufacturing resources for each product variant and arranging the
resources one after the other, as per the manufacturing sequence.
Such a structure is typically known as a product-line structure. Due to
this arrangement, a streamlined flow is possible.
Mass production
Automobile manufacture, the manufacture of electrical
components (such as switches), and that of healthcare
products (such as disposable syringes)—all are typical
examples of high-volume production.
Intermittent Flow
When variety increases, the volume of production for each variation
will be less compared to a mass production system. Therefore,
dedication of manufacturing resources for each variation may not be
a feasible option.
Discrete and process industries have alternative ways by which they
can address the flow complexities arising out of a mid-volume, mid-
variety scenario.
In the case of process industries, one way to minimize this flow
complexity is to operate the system in batches. In one batch, one set
of variations is manufactured and in the next batch, another set of
variations is manufactured.
In between these two batches, the necessary set-up and changeover
of resources are made to facilitate smooth production and maximize
productivity. Such an arrangement results in intermittent flow
systems.
In the case of discrete manufacturing systems, the entire
manufacturing set-up can be split into units in which similar
processing requirements can be combined and manufacturing
resources arranged to cater to these requirements.
One batch of components may be produced in one of these units and
another batch in yet another unit. In each batch, components of
different product variations will be combined since they share the
same processing requirement.
Jumbled Flow Systems
It occurs on account of non-standard and complex flow patterns
characteristic of certain manufacturing systems.
The flow pattern is non-standard and complex because there are
unique process designs for each and every customer order.
Customer orders are typically for one-off items and organizations
cannot benefit from any batching and repetitive manufacturing
practices, unlike continuous flow and intermittent flow systems. This
adds to the complexity of the flow.
The operational complexity arising out of such a jumbled flow is high.
The most significant issue is one of capacity management.
Considerable time is lost due to the repeated set-up of processes.
Since each customer order requires different levels of capacity, the
estimation of capacity that is already committed and that which is
remaining is very hard to make.
The other significant issue is managing operations in the system. Due
to jumbled flow, criss-crossing of jobs in the system results in poor
visibility. Problems are often hidden and a build-up of work in the
process inventory takes place. Therefore, good process inventory
management practices are essential.
Product process matrix
Design of Service Systems
Designing operations systems typically involves making choices with
respect to the location, technology, capacity, and layout of the
system. However, designing a service system is vastly different from
designing a manufacturing system. It requires the designer to
incorporate the customer as an integral element in the design
process
Attributes of service delivery system
Customer contact
Complexity in service system
divergence in service system
CUSTOMER CONTACT IN SERVICE
SYSTEM
The degree of customer contact is a design choice that a service
organization has, and different choices would result in different impacts
on the design and operation of the service delivery system.
At the two extremes of the degree of customer contact, we find certain
distinctive characteristics of the service system. When the degree of
customer contact is very low, the system could be highly mechanized
and firms can pursue efficiency goals very well. On the other hand,
when the degree of customer contact is high, it is difficult to pursue
efficiency goals.
Satisfying the customer requires clear trade-offs between the efficiency
and the effectiveness of service delivery.
Based on the degree of customer contact, one can visualize
three types of designs for service processes:
Low degree of customer contact: quasi-manufacturing
Medium degree of customer contact: mixed service
High degree of customer contact: pure service
Customer contact is an important decision variable in the
service process design problem. It affects several aspects of a
service system.
Efficiency of operations
Capacity choices
Location of facilities
Operational control
Complexity in the service
The degree of complexity of a service refers to the steps and
sequences in the process, measured by the number and
intricacy of the steps
Divergence in the service
The executional latitude or variability of the steps and
sequences in a process represents the degree of divergence.