Published Paper Details:

Selecting a manufacturing process usually depends on the type of work and the volume of production. There are five main process types - job shop, batch, repetitive, continuous, and project. Noteworthy, there are many factors to consider when choosing a process, as each type has its advantages and disadvantages. This paper aims to describe the five basic process types by comparing and contrasting them using examples. Historically, people first mastered job shops and batches' processes, while repetitive and continuous processes appeared only after the industrial revolution. Job shops involve the production of a variety of products in small quantities. This process requires great flexibility of equipment and high-skilled personnel, allowing a wide variety of work. Still, the drawbacks of this type include high cost per unit and complex scheduling. An example of the job shops is a jewelry repair shop or veterinarian services. Batches are used for medium production and moderate product variety. A good example is bakeries or services for groups of people, like air travel. This type's advantage is a high level of flexibility, and the disadvantages are moderate cost per unit and scheduling complexity. Examples of repetitive process type products are production lines for cars, TVs, pencils. The advantage of this type is that it allows large volumes, but the disadvantages are the high cost of equipment downtime and low flexibility. The continuous process involves the production of the highest volumes, rigid equipment, and low-skilled personnel. Examples of a continuous process type are sugar, flour, gasoline, steel production, and supplying electricity or the Internet. This type's disadvantages are its rigidity and low variety; its advantages are high volumes and efficiency. Project process type is usually chosen in project work cases, for example, when filming a movie, publishing a book, building a dam. Project type can have characteristics of all types because of the projects' variety. Thus, the five basic process types and the advantages and disadvantages of each were described by comparing and contrasting them using examples. Job shops are often used when there is a need to produce small volumes of unique products; batches are used in medium volumes and work variety. Repetitive and continuous types emerged after the industrial revolution and now represent high volume production types for the mass consumer.