A production (or process) route is a document that defines the sequence of operations required to produce an intermediate or finished product. It describes in detail the sequential steps in the production process. In a situation where there are different ways to produce a given product, the production route should indicate the most efficient sequence.
The production itinerary is the basis for efficiency planning and scheduling production, estimating its cost, determining the time of order fulfillment, i.e. the indicators necessary for the effective management of the production enterprise.
On the other hand, the production itinerary is not a technical guide to creating a product. It is a relatively simple document that includes:
- Job groups are groups of work centers or pieces of equipment that perform similar operations. For example, all CNC machines would be part of one job group;
- Brief description of the operation - for example, "head milling";
- Setup time - this is the time required to set up the workplace before starting the operation;
- Cycle time is the time that determines how often the finished product leaves the production line/slot.
The process route may also include information about the tools used in the production operations, the costs associated with performing a particular operation, or identify quality control points between production steps.
Why is a processing line important?
Along with the bill of materials (BOM), i.e. the list of raw materials and components that make up a product, the process flowchart is the main document for the production management process. Its correct compilation and use brings tangible benefits to the company, including but not limited to:
- Optimization of the use of production resources - determining the most efficient sequence of operations allows optimal use of materials, machines and labor. Standardization of production processes allows you to set realistic performance standards, identify bottlenecks and continuously improve efficiency.
- Reduced production costs - any optimization of the production process directly leads to lower costs, whether by reducing the time spent on changeovers or by reducing the amount of unused materials.
- Improving product quality - Standardization of the production process leads to better control of product quality. Marshalling allows manufacturers to perform quality control at certain stages of the production process and thus detect and eliminate defects or errors at an early stage.
- Accurate production planning - By determining product flow routes and cycle times of various sub-processes, you can accurately plan production activities according to workplace availability. Marshalling also allows you to compare actual cycle times to normative cycle times to identify and correct inefficiencies.
- Efficient cost analysis - accurate knowledge of fixed and variable costs allows you to accurately estimate the cost of production per order and track the actual costs associated with operations and material consumption.
Production routing in different types of plants
The process route can have significantly different composition and level of complexity. This depends on the nature of the plant and the specifics of production. One of the most important determining factors here is the size of the production batch.
One-off production - factories specializing in one-off production focus on the production of single products and small batches. The products are highly individualized. Consequently, sorting in such plants can be very complex and variable. Each order may require an individual production task and involve different resources.
Serial production - in serial production, goods are produced in batches. Despite the possible variability, the production margin in such enterprises is usually very stable. For example, a typical bakery process involves mixing, kneading, fermenting, dividing, and baking. A bakery may use the same kneading process for several types of bread and a similar process for other baked goods.
Mass production - In mass production, products, and therefore sorting, are highly standardized. The goal of sorting in mass production is to minimize throughput time and maximize throughput.
In general, the creation of a product sorting route is always aimed at determining the most efficient sequence of operations. Plant characteristics influence whether sorting should be performed continuously or not.
Production routing - stages
The sorting procedure is relatively simple. Here is the basic path you need to take to create an effective sorting route:
- Define operations - define all operations required to create the final product.
- Determine the sequence of operations - arrange the operations in a logical order, if you are assembling products from components, there may be several alternative ways of sequencing operations.
- Assign groups of jobs - define groups of jobs that will perform each operation.
- Evaluate the cycle time - to determine the standard time required to perform the operation from beginning to end.
- Creating documentation - physical markup sheets are now increasingly being replaced by electronic equivalents created by production management systems.
- Quality control - define the stages and model of quality control (sampling, 100%).
- Monitor and update - Track metrics such as actual cycle times, work-in-progress inventory, lead times, etc. to optimize the sorting process.
In addition to the simple marshaling scheme, in which operations follow one after another, more complex options are possible. Among them are the following:
Overlapping operations (overlapping) - occurs when goods are produced in such a way that the next stages of production can be started before the previous ones are completed. For example, in furniture production, you might start painting part of a batch while the rest of the furniture is still being assembled.
Special sequences of operations - occur when two or more independent operations must be completed in order to begin the next stage of production.
Parallel production operations - such a situation occurs when a certain operation needs to be divided into several jobs. For example, in sewing production, a sewing operation within a particular order can be distributed among all available sewing machines.
