Discrete Manufacturing

Discrete manufacturing is a method that involves the production of the separate parts of a final product. Discrete manufacturing requires flexibility as the manufactured product continues to change and discrete manufacturers must adapt quickly to meet the reflected change in the order coming from another company or consumer demand. In order to succeed, many companies must rely on discrete manufacturing software to streamline their manufacturing processes in order to cut costs and meet the volatile demand for their products.

Companies that commonly use discrete manufacturing are those in the electronic, computer, toy, and car industries.

Job Shop Manufacturing

Job Shop Manufacturing involves smaller manufacturing processes that involve the production of smaller quantities of goods for multiple clients. Scheduling and allocation of resources is critical to the success of job shop manufacturers. Rapidly adapting to changing customer orders is also necessary to succeed.

Similar to Engineer-To-Order manufacturing, job shop manufacturing is highly specialized to meet the specifications of their customers. Job Shop Manufacturing often involves smaller quantities of production due to the amount of skill and precision necessary to successfully fill the many customer orders.

Mixed-Mode Manufacturing

Mixed-mode manufacturing involves multiple types of production environments and strategies. Companies that run mixed mode manufacturing plants must quickly switch production without interrupting their existing operations. Often, the number of mixed mode manufacturing companies tends to increase in periods of economic trouble as companies adapt to take on any orders they take in.

Companies looking for mixed-mode manufacturing software often need a flexible solution that can adapt to their rapidly changing production lines. Often, mixed-mode manufacturing companies may look for software that incorporates both discrete and process manufacturing requirements in their ERP solutions. The ability to rapidly adapt to the needs of the market is critical in allowing mixed-mode manufacturers to survive.

Process Manufacturing

Process manufacturing is a form of manufacturing that result in the formulation of a final product. Unlike other manufacturing processes, the end result of process manufacturing is a final product that cannot be separated into the distinct components used to create the product. Process manufacturing involves the use of recipes and formulas that require exact proportions of different ingredients.

Process manufacturing software must be able to handle distinct and specific processes of the manufacturing process. In able to benefit the manufacturer, process manufacturing software must be able to handle many functions including the management and calculation of input ingredients as well as the packaging of the final product.

Process manufacturers are typically found in the food and chemical industries where the process of manufacturing the final product involve exact amounts of different ingredients. Often, these products cannot be easily separated back into the original component parts used to form the final product.

Engineer-To-Order (ETO)

Engineer to Order or Build To Order manufacturing is a highly specific manufacturing process. Engineer To Order manufacturers manufacture products based on orders and specifications received from customers. To thrive in this environment, Engineer To Order manufacturers must be able to quickly adapt their factories to meet the needs of constantly evolving customer demands. Customers are often very involved in the process as they provide input and feedback on the manufacturing process in order to tailor it to meet the specifications of their final desired product.

Engineer-To-Order manufacturing works best for products that require high customization. Engineer-To-Order manufacturing also makes sense for products where manufacturing or maintaining inventory can be expensive such as the production of aircraft. Traditional methods of manufacturing will be too inefficient or costly for products made using Engineer-To-Order manufacturing.

Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing or also known as lean production, which is often known simply as “Lean”, is a manufacturing production method that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. Working from the perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, “value” is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for. Basically, lean is centered around creating More value with less work. Lean manufacturing is a generic process management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) (hence the term Toyotism is also prevalent) and identified as “Lean” only in the 1990s^[1]. It is renowned for its focus on reduction of the original Toyota seven wastes in order to improve overall customer value, but there are varying perspectives on how this is best achieved. The steady growth of Toyota, from a small company to the world’s largest automaker, has focused attention on how it has achieved this.