Designing

of

processes

is

an

important

and

early

step

in

operations

management. The designing of manufacturing processes essentially consists of certain choices we make with respect to the flow of parts in a manufacturing system. For instance, we need to decide on the types of machines to use, the number of machines of each type, and the manner of their placement on a shop floor. As a prerequisite to this, a detailed analysis of how each component will be manufactured is required. This would mean determining the number of steps involved in manufacturing, the machines used, and the time spent in each of these steps. It is more commonly referred to as process planning. technical and is mainly a production engineering activity. rocess planning is

!hen 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. "anufacturing resources will be shared by a group of products. #ince each product may have different processing requirements and sequence of operations, the flow will become complicated. These systems are characteri$ed as mid%volume, mid%variety systems and process design for this type of system must address issues arising out of intermittent flow. &perations management issues in intermittent flow systems are very different from those of continuous flow systems. The notion of flow balancing or capacity balancing is of great importance in a continuous flow system and is not an issue in the case of intermittent flow systems. 'owever, capacity planning for catering to the overall requirements of the various varieties is important. (apacity estimation is comparatively difficult in an intermittent flow system as compared to a continuous flow system. The ma)or issue pertaining to capacity as well to the overall working of an intermittent flow system is the issue of changeover from one variety to another. roduction planning and scheduling must critically analy$e the impact of alternative changeovers and develop an

optimal changeover sequence while planning for production.

Jumbled Flow Systems *umbled flow occurs on account of non%standard and comple+ flow patterns characteristic of certain manufacturing systems. The flow pattern is non% standard and comple+ because there are unique process designs for each and every customer order. "oreover, customer orders are typically for one off items and organi$ations cannot benefit from any batching and repetitive manufacturing practices as continuous flow and intermittent flow systems do. This adds to the comple+ity of the flow and provides very little opportunity for the operations personnel to benefit from learning effects of past pro)ects. All these characteristics demand different operations management practices unlike the previous two categories of flows. In reality, two types of manufacturing systems have )umbled flow. This includes pro)ect organi$ations and customi$ed manufacturing systems. Project organizations (onsider a turnkey pro)ect e+ecutor such as ,'-.. The pro)ects that they undertake are typically large scale, involve high levels of customi$ation and have long lead times. !hen the product or service offered is of very large scale, it introduces problems that are not encountered in normal operating systems. In sucha case, multiple entities are involved /architect, engineers, government regulatory bodies, construction workers, local community and society and so on0. It also involves multiple stages of the process /design of building, foundation, and superstructure, electrical systems, heating and air% conditioning system, fabrication activities, and acoustics0. The flow not only becomes )umbled but also comple+ and managing such a large set of activities requires different methods of planning and control. Due to high degree of customi$ation, the degree of uncertainty is likely to be significant. lanning tools that incorporate uncertainty are essential in managing such situations. #econd, the number of entities involved in accomplishing the various tasks is numerous. Furthermore, these entities have several comple+ interactions amongst themselves. The performance standards of one entity and deviations from the specifications at one part of the system have a significant impact on the other. 1irtually no process design is possible in such a situation. 'owever, operations management principles are required to manage situations arising out of the )umbled flow inherent in pro)ect organi$ations.

#cheduling of various activities and control of these is an essential requirement and appropriate tools are required. #imilarly, handling uncertainty and decision making in the conte+t of uncertainty is also an important requirement. Customized manufacturing systems A highly customi$ed manufacturing system such as a tool room operation is another e+ample of )umbled flow. The number of customer orders in such a system could be very large, resulting in large variety. #ince each customer order could potentially demand unique process requirements, the resulting flow in the system becomes highly )umbled. There are several e+amples of customi$ed manufacturing available in practice. These include (, fabricators, a variety of sheet metal fabricators, tool room operators and printing and publishing. In operations management, such shops are referred to as )ob shops. *ob shops typically have a functional layout in which machines of the same type are grouped together. This is inevitable because no single customer order can )ustify dedication of resources, on account of its low production volume. The operational comple+ity arising out of such a )umbled flow is high. The most significant issue is one of capacity management. (onsiderable time is lost due to the repeated setup of processes. #ince each customer order requires different levels of capacity, estimation of capacity already committed and that which is remaining is very hard to make. 2ood scheduling practices could minimi$e such capacity related problems. The other significant issue is managing operations in the system. Due to )umbled flow, crisscrossing of )obs in the system results in poor visibility. roblems are often hidden and build up of work in process inventory takes place. Therefore, good process inventory management practices are essential. (ost accounting and estimation systems are crucial for )ob shops as there is a constant need to quote for specific customer orders.