At the product conception stage, manufacturing proposes investigates processes and concepts. When the product concept has been finalized, the role of process management then is to develop cost estimates, define process architecture, conduct process simulation and validate suppliers. Concurrently with the detailed product design, process management is involved in the designing of the process, designing and developing tooling and participating in building full-scale prototype. At the time the product development teams are developing the prototype, the process management teams test and try out tooling and equipment; help build secondphase; an assembly line is a prototypes; install equipment and specify process procedures.
This is followed by building pilot units in commercial process; refining process based on pilot experience, training personnel’s and verifying supply channels. Finally at the release of product, process management has to ramp up plan to volume targets, meet targets for quality, yield and cost. /The analytical work of process planning can be divided into two classes:
• Process analysis,
• Operation analysis
Process analysis: is governed by the main process decisions namely, capital/labor intensity, outsourcing, resource flexibility and volumes. These four decision areas represent broad strategic issues that have to decide prior to finalizing the process design. It is concerned with the overall set of operations constituting the process. Process analysis is not directly concerned with the content of operations constituting the process, or with the detailed method of carrying out the operations. It comes out with recommendations for primary (work station) and secondary equipment (accessories) required for the most effective and efficient production of the products and work flow. The process analysis decisions are reflected in a route sheet. A route sheet normally specifies the sequence of operations in a process by name and numbers. A rout sheet is prepared for each component.
Operation Analysis: Once the process analysis decisions are taken management has to determine exactly how each process will be performed. This is called ‘operation analysis.
Operation analysis is concerned with the work content constituting the operation and method of performing the work, given the resources allocated to the process. Similar to process analysis, operation analysis generates an operation sheet. It specifies the steps and elements of work for each operation. These are specified in a proper sequence. Together with the route sheet and operation sheet provide all the information required to perform a process effectively and efficiently.
