Process Choice 1

Production & Operations Management

Process Choice

Prof. Ajith Kumar J

XLRI Xavier School of Management
Jamshedpur, INDIA
Process Choice 2

Generic process of Ice-cream production

Production & Operations Management

1 2 3 4 5 6
Blending Pasteurizing Homogenizing Cooling /resting Flavoring Freezing

RM FG 9 8 7
Hardening Packaging/ Adding
Raw materials Finished goods bundling ingredients
Process Choice 3
Production & Operations Management

What is a process?
A process is a series of actions or steps
taken in order to achieve a particular end.

Classified into five types

1. Project
2. Job Shop
3. Batch
4. Line
5. Continuous
Process Choice 4

The Process Choice Spectrum

Production & Operations Management

Project Job Shop Continuous

Batch Line Flow
Flow
Process Choice 5

PROJECT
Production & Operations Management

Example: construction
➢ One-off activity.
➢ Follows deadlines, budgets.
➢ Resources brought to site,
then disbanded.
➢ Works starts after customer
order.
Source: http://www.pixabay.com

Example: ship
Source: http://cochinshipyard.com building
Process Choice 6

PROJECT EXAMPLES
Production & Operations Management

❖ Construction of a production facility.

❖ Ship building.
❖ Software development.
❖ Product design.
❖ Academic degree programme.
❖ A trip (official, personal).
❖ An event (sports, cultural, political, business, religious, social).
Process Choice 7

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS
Production & Operations Management

A temporary “one-off” endeavor undertaken to create a

unique product or service.
➢ Timely, specific and has a unique deliverable.
➢ Resources brought together for each order and then
disbanded.
➢ Physical flows are unique to each project.
➢ Largely make-to-order.
❖ Examples of make-to-stock projects are large housing complexes
planned and built before receiving customer orders.
Process Choice 8

JOB SHOP
Production & Operations Management

Example: a Restaurant
➢ Over 125 items listed on the menu;
each customer orders a unique
combination of some items.
➢ Production & service follows the
order.
Source: http://www.pixabay.com

Example: a furniture manufacturer

➢ May have a standard listing of
items, but will take customer-
specific orders.

➢ Has a standard set of machines

& a team of carpenters but will
deploy them as the job requires.
http://www.pixabay.com
Process Choice 9

JOB SHOP
Production & Operations Management

http://www.pixabay.com
Process Choice 10

JOB SHOP EXAMPLES

Production & Operations Management

❖ A machine shop on a street.

❖ Heat treatment shop in factory.
❖ Furniture manufacturer.
❖ Rickshaw, auto-rickshaw or taxi service.
❖ à-la-carte restaurant, a road-side चाट stall or a दोसा stall.
❖ Tailoring service.
❖ Primary care clinic / hospital.
❖ Beauty saloon.
Process Choice 11

JOB SHOP SCHEMATIC of JUMBLED FLOW

Production & Operations Management

M1 M2

M4
M3

M6
M5

A C
B D
Process Choice 12

JOB SHOP CHARACTERISTICS

Production & Operations Management

➢ Each job is distinct: has a unique combination /

sequence of processing steps, and a unique
combination of material / skill input.
➢ Large job variety, high customization, low volumes.
➢ Labour flexibility must be high.
➢ Capital investments are low.
➢ Unique, jumbled and flexible flows, no dominant
physical flow.
➢ Mostly make-to-order.
Process Choice 13

BATCH PROCESS
Production & Operations Management

Example: Offset printer

➢ Produces in large
batches, not individual
copies (e.g. 1000,
5000, 10000 copies).
http://www.pixabay.com

➢ Sometimes also produces batches of notebooks / calendars in

advance, foreseeing demand.
➢ Takes customer orders, responds in accordance to the order –
good level of customization.
Process Choice 14

BATCH PROCESS
Production & Operations Management

http://www.pixabay.com
COMMERICAL BAKERY PRODUCTION
Process Choice 15

BATCH PROCESS EXAMPLES

Production & Operations Management

➢ Printing (offset, screen).

➢ Secondary steel-making + continuous casting (in ladles).
➢ Tour service (pilgrimage, adventure, educational, fun).
➢ Commercial bakery production.
➢ Education / training service.
➢ Pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Process Choice 16

BATCH PROCESS SCHEMATIC OF FLOWS

Production & Operations Management

Disconnected line flows; moderate divergence & repetitive work

M1 M2

M3 M4

M5 M6

A C
B D
Process Choice 17

BATCH PROCESS CHARACTERISTICS

Production & Operations Management

➢ Lesser job variety, lower customization, relatively

higher volumes than job shop process.
➢ Flows are more standardized than in a job shop.
Some dominant flows might be present.
➢ Both make-to-order & make-to-stock happen.
Process Choice 18

LINE FLOW
Production & Operations Management

Example: Boeing
assembly line (1944)
➢ A large number of machines and men are arranged in sequence
from beginning to end of assembly.
➢ Same sequence is followed for each unit produced, no or
minimal flexibility.
➢ The same line might sometimes be used to assemble different
models, but the sequence of operations remains the same.
Process Choice 19

LINE FLOW
Production & Operations Management

DOUGHNUT
PRODUCTION LINE
By Neil T - originally posted to Flickr as Krispy
Kreme Doughnuts, CC BY-SA 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curi
d=5816068
Process Choice 20

LINE FLOW EXAMPLES

Production & Operations Management

➢ Assembly of a physical product (automobile, TV, Shoes).

➢ Transportation over standard routes (flight, train, bus).
➢ Postal mail between origin mail box & destination post-office.
➢ Mass market retail food production (biscuits, chips, bread).
Process Choice 21

LINE FLOW SCHEMATIC

Production & Operations Management

Connected flows; low divergence & highly repetitive work

M1 M2 M3 M4

M5 M6

A C
B D
Process Choice 22

LINE FLOW CHARACTERISTICS

Production & Operations Management

➢ High volumes, low variety, standardized offerings.

➢ Variety within a line is minimal, exists across lines to
some extent.
➢ Flow is fairly inflexible, each line repeats almost the
same steps over and over; largely dominant flows.
➢ Some customization possible within a given line.
➢ Mostly make-to-stock, relies on demand forecasts.
Process Choice 23
CONTINUOUS FLOW
Production & Operations Management

Oil refinery

www.pixabay.com

➢ Crude oil flows continuously from a source to the finish,

passing through the three major stages of separation,
conversion and treating.
➢ Flow is mostly uninterrupted over a long time horizon.
Process Choice 24
CONTINUOUS
Production & Operations Management

FLOW

www.pixabay.com
STEAM TURBINE
FOR ELECTRICITY
GENERATION
By Siemens Pressebild -
http://www.siemens.com/index.jsp?sdc_p=c
fi1075924l0mno1130262ps5uz3&sdc_
bcpath=1327899.s_5%2C%3A1176453.s_5
%2C&sdc_sid=31880989447&,
CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php
?curid=444984
Process Choice 25

CONTINUOUS FLOW EXAMPLES

Production & Operations Management

➢ Oil refining (crude oil, edible oil).

➢ Electricity generation and distribution service.
➢ Mineral water, soft drinks preparation and bottling.
➢ Chemicals manufacturing.
➢ Metro (piped) gas supply.
➢ Metro water supply.
➢ Pipeline transportation of oil and gas.
Process Choice 26

CONTINUOUS FLOW SCHEMATIC

Production & Operations Management

M1 M2 M3

M4 M5 M6

A C
B D
Process Choice 27

CONTINUOUS FLOW CHARACTERISTICS

Production & Operations Management

➢ High volumes, low variety, standardized offerings.

➢ Variety within a line almost non-existent, exists
across lines to some extent.
➢ Process flow is rigid, material flow happens
continuously for long time periods.
➢ Make-to-stock, relying upon demand forecasts.
Process Choice 28

Product-Process Matrix Hayes and Wheelwright, 1979

Production & Operations Management

Less customization, higher volume

Product Structure
High volume-
Low volume, Multiple
Few major high
high variety, products, low to
products, standardization,
customized, moderate
Process made to order volume
higher volume commoditized
products
Structure
Jumbled flow
Job shop
(Job Shop)

Disconnected
Batch
line flow (batch
shop) process

Connected line
flow (assembly Line flow
line)
Less
divergence,
more line Continuous
Continuous line
flows flow
Process Choice 29

Process Comparisons
Production & Operations Management

CONTINUOUS
PROJECT JOB SHOP BATCH LINE FLOW
FLOW
Dis-
Flow of work -- Jumbled Connected Continuous
connected

Flexibility Very high High Moderate Low Very Low

Number of
Unlimited Very many Several Few One
products
Volume 1 Low Moderate High Very High

Capital
Very low Low Moderate High Very High
investment
Variable cost Very high High Moderate Low Very Low

Labour
Very high High Moderate Low Very Low
content
Labour skill Very high High Moderate Low Very Low
Production & Operations Management Process Choice

YOU
THANK
30