PRODUCTION TYPES

Definition of production system

Production system may be defined as “the means by

which we transform resource inputs to create useful
goods and services as outputs.
MATERIALS

LABOUR

MACHINES Transformation or conversion process

FACILITIES Operation management Outputs

System design Product &
ENERGY services

INFORMATION &
Operation planning and
TECHNOLOGY Control

Information feedback concerning

outputs for process control
 PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Intermittentn
Continuous production
production system
system

Job Batch
production production

Assembly
Mass Process production
production production

Analytical Synthetic
 Continuous/Flow
Production System
 Meaning of Continuous/Flow
Production System
Production process in which the processing of
the product is continuous and progressive
Broken operations
Large production
Single product or less variety
Eg: Automobile plants, chemical plants, oil
mills, sugar mills and steel mills.
Definition of Continuous/Flow
Production system:
“Continuous flow production situation are those
where the facilities are standardized as to routings
and flow since inputs are Standardized. Therefore,
a standard set of process and sequences of
processes of processes can be adopted”.
 Features of Continuous/Flow
Production System
 Product flows unit by unit through the plant.
 Large production in anticipation of demand.
 The plant layout is of product type, and machines are arranged
according to product layout pattern.
 Specialized machine tools and equipment.
 Well balanced capacities of machines.
 Heavy expenditure on tools and plants.
 Conveyor system for handling production materials.
 Supervision on the production system is in the hands of personnel
well trained.
 Machine set-ups remain unchanged for a considerably long
period.
 Advantages/Merits of Continuous/
Flow Production System
Accuracy of the product design. Product quality is superior
Direct labour cost is reduced
Work-in-progress is at the lowest cost.
Limited material handling
Weakness in materials or methods is quickly highlighted.
Transformation of investment in materials into income is
relatively rapid.
Delay in the production process is automatically detected
Control over costs, materials and output is simplified.
Overhead cost per unit is reduced considerably.
 Limitations of Continuous/Flow
Production Method

It is a rigid method of production.

It is always necessary to avoid inventory of
work in progress.
 Requirements of Continuous/Flow
production System
 Regular and continuous demand.
 Standardized product.
 Availability of materials.
 Effective preventive maintenance.
 Proper balanced stages of production system.
 Well defined operation.
 Effective in-line inspection of the plant
 Work as per quality standards laid down.
 Suitability of Continuous/Flow
Production System
Limited variety of products on large-scale in
a continuous manner.
Flow production method can be applied to
the following conditions:
Regular and uniformed demand for the products.
High volume of production required to meet market
demand.
Product to be marketed is standardized.
Well balanced production process which avoids any
disturbance in the process.
 Mass production system

• A large quantity of one or two standard products follows the

system called mass production system.
• The demand for the products is large and continuous.
• Flow of material is in straight line
• Standardization is the key note of mass production
• The degree of mechanization and automation is high the
production process is also continuous
• A product wise layout and balanced production line are two
significant features of mass production system
Example:-
Automobile assembly, TV assembly and so on.
 The assembly line of mass production system is as give below:-

WORK STATION WORK STATION

A K

Inputs
Assembled
products

WORK STATION
B

Note: - The assembly line of operations of material can be manual or through

conveyor belts.
Mass production system is generally employed in industries where the
production is carried on without interruption.
The quality of production is superior and uniform due to standardization
and mechanization.
Merits of mass production system:
• There is smooth flow of material for production
purpose.
• Less storage space is adequate for temporary storage
and WIP (work in progress).
• There are small WIP inventories as output of one
process becomes input of the next process
• Production planning and control PPC is simple and
easy.
• No expertise is required to operate the system.
Demerits of mass production:
• One machine failure results in whole stoppage of the
whole production line.
• Assembly lines are not flexible.
• Production speed is determined by the slowest
machine.
• Capital intensive system due to the duplication of the
machines along the production line.
Process production system:-
Process production system is an extended form
of mass production.
• Goods with continuous and high demand are
suitable to be produced through process product
system e.g., medicines, plastic goods, petroleum
products, chemicals and so on.
• A single raw material is transformed into
different products at different stage of production
process e.g., crude petroleum is processed into
petroleum, kerosene, diesel oil and gasoline.
• The flow of production under process system
may be classified into analytical production
process and synthetic production process.
Assembly production system:-
• Assembly production system developed in
the automobile industry in the USA.
• It is convenient when a limited variety of
similar products is to be manufactured on
a mass scale or in large batches on a
continuous basis.
Intermittent production system:-
• The goods are manufactured specially to fulfill orders made
by customers rather than for stock. Here, the flow of
material is intermittent. Under intermittent production
system, the basic product design changes from time to time.
Features of intermittent production system:-
• The flow is not continuous but intermittent
• A wide variety of products are manufactured
• The volume of production is small
• General purpose machines are used
• One specific sequence of operation is not used in the
production process
• The components are produced and assembled as per
customer orders
• Functional or process layout is used
Intermittent production system is more complicated
as compared to continuous production system as
different products are to be manufactured by using the
available production facilities.
Continuous v/s intermittent production:-
Continuous production Intermittent production

1 product: same product is The product design

produced continuously. changes as per batch/job.
Same product is not
produced continuously
2 production process: lacks flexibility Production process is
flexible.
3 nature of production: large scale production of Small scale production of
standardized products wide scaled goods
4 capital investment: it is substantial It is limited/low
5 standardization: product and process are Product and process are
standardized not standardized
6 storage requirement: only at limited locations Storage is required at
each operation.
7 use of equipments: regularly Equipments are used for
limited time
8 production cost : : per unit cost is low Per unit production cost is
high
Job production method/system (job shop):_

Job order production means manufacture of products

to meet specific customer requirements of special order.
It is always non-standardized.

Examples: - Bridge building, dam construction and ship

building are common examples of job order production
industries.
Features of job production method:-
 The plant layout of the factory / production unit is of
process type.
 Varieties of general purpose machines and equipment are
installed
 Large quantity of inventories
 Large storage space and adequate extra machines
 The flow of material is complex
 A permanent staff of highly skilled employees
 Specialized labor
 A sales organization with competent and technically
qualified persons
 Accurate store keeping
Merits of job production method:-
Limited investment in machinery
Flexible organization
Production process is not disturbed

Demerits of job production method:-

Most complex system of production
Inventories are high
Material handling costs are high
Speed of work is slow
Work loads are unbalanced
Inefficient utilization of labor
 Batch production method:-
Definition: - The manufacture of product in batches (small
or large) or lots by a series operations, each operation
being carried out on the whole batch before any
subsequent operation is undertaken.
Meaning of batch production method: -
Batch production is the production of a number of
identical articles, either to meet a specific order or to
satisfy continuous demand.
 The whole production system is flexible
 The production takes place periodically
 A batch consisting of a certain quantity is made on a
machine
 In batch production limited quantity of one type of
product is manufactured at a time
 Batch production method is used extensively
 Production problems are complex in the batch
production method
 Scheduling of production becomes more complex.
Features of batch production method:-
 The manufacturing plant should be well equipped with
machines and equipment with capacity to undertake
production of wide variety.
 The general purpose machines and special purpose
machine are used in the production process
 The machines and equipment are arranged according to
the sequence of operations i.e. process layout is used
 Tooling arrangement are comparatively extensive as
provision needs to be made for interchangeability of
each part produced from the same drawing
 A large variety of products are manufactured in lots or
batches
 There is absence of proper balance in the work load of
different departments
 Stock of work in progress is high and the product design
department is comparatively large
Merits of batch production method: -
 The features of flow production and job production
are combined in batch production method.
 Capital investment is comparatively low
 There is job satisfaction to operatives
 Specialized supervision is possible
 Flexibility with respect to personnel and equipment
 Breakdown of single process does not affect
complete production activity.
Demerits of batch production method: -
 Work-in-progress inventory is high
 Standard sequence of operation is absent
 Machine and tooling arrangements need frequent
changes.
 Job production Batch production

Meaning Manufacture of goods Production of no of

as per specifications identical articles either
given by the customer. to meet a specific order
It is special order or to satisfy continuous
production. market demand.

Examples Bridge building, dam Manufacturing of switch

construction and ship gears, heavy motor
building. vehicle and electric
motor.

Method of production Manufacture of single The work content of

complete unit by an each unit is broken into
operator or a group of a number of operations
operators. and the operators are
divided into groups for
the completion of work-
group wise.