When a manufacturing company begins production of a new material, it has a choice as to the manufacturing process it uses. The type of process depends on the facility, the staff, and the information systems available. Each process has its advantages and some are best at certain tasks, for example, large batches of finished goods,…
In the discrete production process, an item is produced when a shop order is created for a customer requirement or for a requirement for items to be manufactured to replenish inventory. The shop or production order will show all the tasks, materials, and equipment that will be used in the manufacture of the part. If…
A bill of materials (BOM) serves as a complete list of all the materials and parts—virtually every item—that a manufacturer needs to create a certain product. To be effective, the BOM needs to include not only the raw materials but also any subassemblies, subcomponents, and parts—and the precise quantities of each. The exact format for…
Inventory accuracy is the goal of every company. By having optimized and one hundred percent inventory accuracy, scheduling and available to promise processes will work without errors. However, there are always issues with inventory accuracy and companies have to work with the situation that they have to run their business. What is Accuracy? Different departments…
Master scheduling is the detailed planning process that tracks manufacturing output and matches this against customer orders that have been placed. The master schedule is the next step in planning after the sales and operations planning (S&OP). The figures from a sales and operations planning exercise, i.e. at a higher level, will flow through to…
What Is Die Casting vs. Injection Molding? The process of making a part is basically the same whether you are using die casting or injection molding. You create a die or mold in the form of the part you want to create. You then liquify the material and use extreme pressure to inject it into…
