Manufacturing Process: Technical Analysis and Optimization
Technical Feasibility Study
The aim of this study is to verify the technical feasibility of manufacturing a product or delivering a service. It intends to accomplish this with the project, analyzing and determining the optimum size, location, investment, and organization required for production.
Production Process
The production process is the technical process used in the project to obtain goods and services from inputs. It is identified as the transformation of a series of inputs to turn them into products by a particular production function.
The manager must select a specific technology of production (set of knowledge, equipment, and processes) to develop a specific production function. When selecting the technology, consider the market survey results, as this will dictate the standards of quality and quantity required. Another important aspect to consider is the flexibility of processes and equipment to process various kinds of inputs, thus helping to avoid “dead time” and more easily diversify production. Procurement of equipment and machinery is the primary factor.
Description of the Production Process
The type of production process depends on the type of project or business, as it can be a productive project, a business, or a service. Independent of the type of project, there is a general outline of a production process:
- Initial State: Supplies
- Transformer Process: Process, productive team, and organization
- Final Product: Products, byproducts, waste, or scrap
Key Definitions
- Inputs: Items on which the transformation is performed to obtain the final product.
- Supplies (factory overhead): Resources needed to implement the transformation process.
- Process: Set of operations performed by the staff and machinery to produce the final product.
- Production Team: All plant and machinery needed to complete the transformative process.
- Organization (labor): Human element necessary for the production process.
- Products: Real end result of the transformation process.
- Byproducts: Goods obtained that are not the main objective of the transformation process but have an economic value.
- Waste or Scrap: Result from the process with or without value.
Production Management
These are tools or techniques that facilitate good management, decision-making, and optimal plant layout, as well as the procurement of equipment and machinery.
Technical Analysis of the Production Process
There are two objectives: to facilitate the distribution of building floor space and to improve the times of men and machines.
To represent and analyze the production process, several methods exist, among which are the block diagram, the process flowchart, and the course analytical program.
Block Diagram
It is the easiest method to represent a process whereby each unit operation exerted on the raw material is enclosed in a rectangle, followed by arrows indicating the sequence of operations and the direction of flow.
Process Flowchart
This method possesses more detailed information using internationally accepted symbols to represent such transactions:
- Square = Inspection
- ⇒ = Transport
- O = Operation
Course Analytical Program
This technique is more advanced than the previous ones, since it presents a more detailed process that includes the activity, time spent, distance traveled, type of action performed, and a space to write comments.