Process Flow, product-oriented layout - Essay Example

The term process flow structures can be defined as how factory organizes material flow using one or more process technologies such as conversion,factory, assembly, and testing process technologies (Chase & Jacobs & Aquilano, 2006). There are four types of process flow structures. The four process flow structures are job shop, batch shop, assembly line, and continuous flow. Job shop is the production of small batches of a large number of different products which require a different set of sequence of processing steps. Batch shop processing produces individual designs in small quantities. An assembly line puts fabricated parts together at a series of workshops. Similarly to assembly lines the continuous flow production follows a predetermine series of sequence of steps with a continuous rather than discrete flow. A continuous process is used to make products such as glass, paper, tin sheets, light bulbs, and nuts and bolts. The process flow structure that is utilized at my place of work is assembly line. One of advantages of assembly lines is that it connects activities in a logical manner in order to optimize the utilization of resources. It enables the company to produce large quantities of output. Chase, R. B., Jacobs, F.R., & Aquilano, N.J. (2006) Operations management for competitive advantage (11th ed). New York: McGraw Hill / Irwin. 2. A product-oriented layout is a production process built around a product and seeking the best personnel and machine utilization via repetitive or continuous production, while a process-oriented layout is a layout that deals with low-volume, high variety production; intermittent process; like machines and equipment grouped together (Heizer & Render, 1996). A few years ago I worked at a company dedicated to manufacturing remote control airplanes. The company utilized a product-oriented layout. The first process was to cut the raw material utilizing a CNC machine cutter. Once the foam was cut the different parts of the plane were covered with plastic in order to add tensile strength. The employees would then add the graphics to the model. The parts were subsequently placed inside the packaging box. The product layout utilized by the sometimes were troublesome due to the manual labor associated with some of the process layout steps. Heizer, J., Render, B. (1996). Production and Operating Management (4th ed.). Prentice Hall: New Jersey. 3. It is important for managers to recognize that both manufacturing as well as service organization can benefit from the use of process flow structures. There are different steps or processes that must occur in the creation of a service, even the simplest ones. Take for example your local barber. The process starts by the customer arriving at the barber shop. Then the person must take a turn and wait until being called. Once called the barber puts an apron to cover the customer. The barber proceeds to start cutting the hair. Once finished the customer pays the barber. After completion of the job the barber cleans up the area to eliminate hair from the floor. 4. Process flow structures serve the purpose of documentation of the manufacturing or service processes of an enterprise. If a company relocated their operation the process flow structures serve as the basis that can be used by production managers to replicate the operation at the new facility. Companies that do not use a process flow chart might incur in problems such as quality control issues. The lack of process flow chart can lead to inconsistent production lines. It is the responsibility of the general manager and the production managers to develop process flow charts for the different products or services produced by a company. 5. It seems to me as if the integration of computer technology has helped the dentist practice optimize its use of resources and time. The computer is serving the purpose of documenting the different steps associated with the creation of the dentistry service. It is common for the labor cost of a doctor to be the most expensive process in a medical operation. Other medical facilities such as laboratories with X-ray machines may have other processes that are more expensive than the labor cost of the doctor. Doctors that do not use process flow structures may suffer from inconsistent service offerings. 6. Along with the petroleum industry there are other products and industries that are more suitable to use continuous flow processes. Some other examples of products suited for continuous flow include glass, paper, tin sheets, light bulbs, nuts and bulbs. Organizations with a continuous flow process have an inherent ability to set standards and maintain a given quality as opposed to an organization that is producing unique products every day (Heizer & Render, 1996). Heizer, J., Render, B. (1996). Production and Operating Management (4th ed.). Prentice Hall: New Jersey. 7. The utilization of process layout in your organization seems to have some deficiencies because many students are not being served adequately by the students. The advisors should create alternate arrangement in order to serve the student alumni better. For example the university could add more hours to their weekly schedule by serving student during weekends. The school could add a limited schedule of four hours during Saturdays to be able to serve student that work and can not receive the service during weekdays. Switching the service operation to product oriented approach would not be suitable for this operation because this method is more suited for repetitive or continuous production. 8. You mentioned in your response that the process layout utilized in your organization has different problems including time delays and bottlenecks. Bottlenecks occurred when an operation limits output in the production sequence. These can cause operating losses if they continue for long period of time. Good managers evaluate the risk associated with an operation and create alternative plans to deal with different production scenarios including bottlenecks. Companies should always seek to minimize production errors or defects. A defective product that goes into the marketplace will eventually lead to warranty expense as well as hurting the reputation of the company. Read More