Process Manufacturing

Process Manufacturing serves a wonderful guide for introduction to manufacturing processes. Process Manufacturing techniques are used generally in production cycles to cut down lead times thus minimizing inventories and product supply times. A manufacturing process ideally includes a lot of elements which attributes a lot of importance to the fact that all these elements must be closely related and automated.

What are the technologies used in Process Manufacturing?

• Computer-aided Production Engineering (CAPE)- A production cycle is made of many elements through which the production of a good must pass to complete the production process. CAPE designs the process through a computer and automated the whole process.
  
  
• Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) - Raw materials for the production process and production capacity are optimally utilized in this technology. This technology is used for production processes which have simpler plans. APS is traditionally used in manufacturing environments which work on Make-to-Order mechanism.
  
  
• Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) - This technology uses a wide array of computer based tools which allows manufacturers to generate prototypes or develop the whole product.
  
  
• Manufacturing Execution System (MES) - Every production process would need to measure and control production process activities. An MES System allows companies to increase traceability, productivity and quality by measuring the production process activities. The MES also allows companies to track equipments, labor and manage inventory making it a very efficient addition to the production processes.

How do Production processes communicate with other systems?

Production processes' communication with other systems is enabled the use of certain technology enabled software.

• Enterprise Resource Planning - All data and processes of an organization are integrated into one single unit by Enterprise Resource Planning systems. Also known as ERP systems, these systems use computer software and hardware to integrate the data and processes.
  
  
• Product Data Management - Controlling of data related to products is done by Product Data Management software. This works on the concept that every product has sets of data defining a product, and it is important that relationship with the sets created, maintained with the results being stored in a database.

Other systems like SCADA, Human-machine interface, Distributed Control System are also used to enable communication with systems.

All these would mean that Process Manufacturing is an extremely technology sensitive. This is a myth which has been busted by many process manufacturing analysts which emphasizes the fact that human resources play an important aspect in process manufacturing.