The Three Basic Systems

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

The batch system: In this system general equipment and techniques are used to produce goods and services with different specifications that make each batch vary greatly one from the next. The production system involves moving a specified quantity of material as a batch from the beginning to the end of the production cycle e.g. how processed food is manufactured.

The continuous system: that normally uses specially designed equipment and methods. This lowers the production cost. Large volumes of output are normally expected from continuous production systems. Items produced in a continuous production system flow through steps that are similar to other products that are being processed. Factors determining the output expectations include the capacity of the system, quality of products to be produced, the objective standards such as appearance, performance characteristics, serviceability, durability, costs, documentation, supporting material and others.

The "one-shot" system: this is for one type of product ( e.g  a ship, Helicopter).  In this production system, all the resources required are bought at once. In order to maintain the production costs at good levels, special techniques of managed are developed and implemented.

The are other decisions to be made concerning production systems including the design and technology to be used; the workers, the equipment, the tools, the layout of the system all chosen by specialists in that field. In addition, the capacity of the production system should be decided wisely, based on factors such as capital, the demand of the goods in the market, the availability of raw materials adaptability of the production volume to meet the changing market demand patterns. This can be adjusted by increasing work hours, increasing or decreasing human capital by hiring or firing workers, adding or shutting down machinery in the production line or changing, with reasonable limits, the rate of production.

Production systems utilize resources such as materials, funds, and labor to produce the required output in form of goods.  As shown in Figure 1, the production system consists of 3 main components. These are the inputs which include raw materials, machines, workers, person-hours, paperwork, instruction and other components. The second component is the conversion system with other components such as process planning control, procuring raw materials, receipt, storage and issue of materials, inspection of parts and work-in-progress, testing of products, quality control, warehousing of finished products etc the conversion system also includes the actual production operations, either manual, automated chemical  or mechanical processes. Last component is the outputs in form of finished goods or services

components of production system

Fig.1. Components of production system

Production Control System

The production control system (PCS) lies at the heart of any manufacturing system to link all of its parts such that system objects communicate with each other to synchronize their concurrently executed activities. The system should ensure co-ordination of production and distribution activities in a manufacturing environment to achieve specific delivery reliability at minimum costs. Production Control System is mainly a computer program based system that provides some form of artificial intelligence, which consists mainly of a set of rules about behavior and material flow control in a manufacturing system. These rules are a basic representation of automated planning and action selection. The function of a production control system should fulfill the following conditions:

Continuity of information flow from the concept to the final product.

Transferability of the automation between the products.

Independence of resource inputs from related production process

At the same time, when implementing Production Control System, consideration must be taken of strategic corporate objectives such as efficiency, quality, flexibility and innovation. Therefore, the production control system not only incorporates information flow, but also control of the internal material flow and the development, provision and supply of materials and tools. Production control also be defined as "the process of planning production in advance of operations; establishing the exact route of each individual item, part of assembly; setting and finishing dates for each important item, assembly and the finished products, and releasing the necessary orders as well as initiating the required follow-up to effective the smooth functioning of the enterprises." (Ballard, 2000a).  It involves the use of various methods control methods to ensure that production goals and objectives are met as planned. The challenging bit about production control is synchronizing material, machines and men in order to meet the set objectives. It also regulates the sequential flow of raw material; semi finished products and finished products. Production control processes conducted on production systems requires workers. The number of people conducting these controls depends largely on the size of the production system and its complexity. The purpose of production control is to achieve set targets, to ensure the efficient use of allocated resources, to maximize on profits through better productivity, and an increased output of goods and services. For the successful running and operation of a production system, there needs to be a sound organization structure, professional personnel, a high degree of standardization of procedures and reliable information from reliable sources (Ballard, 2000b).

Objectives of Production Control System

The development of a control system begins with set goals and objectives; set targets that the company wishes to meet (Ballard, 2000a). The professionals come up with a strategy of how the objectives are to be met. The three levels of production control which are programming which plans the expected output, ordering which plans the final products from the supplier and different production departments and dispatching that considers the different processing departments and plans the final product from the tools, work centers and machines in order to complete all the orders by the promised date. The production control system ensures the following:

Acquisition and proper allocation of raw materials, labour, equipment and machines

Proper organization the production program according to the market or forecast demands.

Minimized production costs, on-time delivery of goods and services.

Co-ordination of all sections of operation required for the production of goods in question.

To carry out inspection of raw, semi-finished, and finished goods, to ensure that all goods are of the required specifications, through standardized quality control techniques.

Regular and on-time supply and delivery of raw materials, at the specified place, of the right quality and quantity to ensure timely production.

Production control systems are also in control of the design, development and maintenance of the production system.

So briefly , the basic objective of production control is to standardize, control and manage  the various production processes in a way that there is  sequential flow of raw materials, ascertained at the different levels of the production process and that the output, goods or services, are of the right quality, in the appropriate quantity , at the expected time and with minimum cost and efforts (Berry & Whyman, 1979)

Advantages of a Production Control System

A good production control system ensures the efficient operation of a manufacturing plant. It ensures fast, accurate and on-time delivery of goods and services, giving a positive completion. This goes a long way in developing customer trust and goodwill. A production control system also brings order to chaotic and haphazard production processes (Koskela, Lauri,  Ballard, & Veli-Pekka, 1997). Many employees prefer to work under organized and orderly supervisors, and in a well-planned area. Not only does this improve the efficiency of a production company but it also ensures a good work environment for the personnel; improving morale, and thus ensuring meeting of set production objectives. Efficient production controls allows for saving in resources such as material and labour, maintaining them at a minimum manageable level, letting the company operate at the lowest possible costs.

Factors Determining Production Control Operations

The size of the company determines the control system (Valckenaers, Kollingbaum, Van Brussel, Bochmann & Zamfirescu, 2001). As a company grows in size, it needs to decentralize its control system depending on the complexity and scope of the operations and the new location of the decentralized activities. A centralized control system ensures co ordination and efficiency of activities in the production process. The type of manufacturing varies from organization to organization. Continuous manufacturing systems have a simpler control system, which is common for all the products (Valckenaers et al., 2001). Challenges may come in making inventories for the materials required for the processes. Custom manufacturing systems and mixed stock have a complicated control system as the production occurs simultaneously, each requiring different control systems.  Job oriented manufacturing for example, focuses on particular order which may not be ordered for again. Here, the production requires more time; to design, test and run the machinery involved and control systems to be used. The nature, sequence and duration of operations varies between different manufacturing operations thus requiring different control procedures adjusted and maintained to comply with the on-going process.