What is a production route?
A production route, or technological route, is a detailed production plan that includes the sequence of operations needed to produce a product. It provides information on:
- Technological processes specify the following steps to process raw materials and semi-finished products.
- Machinery and resources indicate each operation's machinery, equipment, and resources.
- Production times consider the time required for each operation, which enables precise planning.
- Technological requirements include quality, technical control, and safety requirements.
Technological (production) route - what is it used for?
The technological route is used mainly in production planning to accurately determine the following work stages and the resources needed. Here are the most critical applications of the production marshal:
- Production scheduling: With a production marshal, you can accurately determine the production duration, allowing you to plan the work schedule better.
- Resource allocation: A production marshal identifies the resources, such as machinery, tools, and personnel, needed at each production stage, which helps optimize their use.
- Progress monitoring: Production marshaling allows one to keep track of a production unit's stage, which helps to monitor the work on an ongoing basis and make changes when necessary.
- Quality control: The marshaling also considers quality control steps, ensuring that products meet appropriate standards and norms.
- Cost reduction: The production marshal helps reduce operating costs by optimizing processes and allocating resources.
Types of times within the production route.
There are several types of times within the production route that are important to the efficiency of the entire production process:
- Preparatory time (setup time): This is the time needed to prepare a machine or workstation before production begins. It includes setting up tools, checking parameters, and preliminary quality control.
- Processing time: This is the time it takes to properly process materials at each stage of production, including processes such as cutting, welding, assembly, or painting.
- Transportation time refers to moving raw materials, semi-finished products, or products between production stations.
- Waiting time is when a semi-finished product waits for the next operation. This often results from a lack of available resources or machine downtime.
- Inspection time refers to the time spent inspecting the quality of products at various stages of production.
How does the technological route affect production efficiency?
Technological marshaling directly impacts production efficiency, as it helps optimize each process stage. The main ways in which it affects production efficiency are:
- Minimizing downtime: With precise planning of time and resources, machine downtime and waiting for resources can be reduced.
- Optimization of resources: Marshaling enables better management of the availability of machines, tools, and personnel, leading to more efficient use.
- Better quality control: Including quality control steps in the marshaling helps avoid errors and losses associated with defective products.
- Reduced operating costs: Optimization of production processes and reduction of downtime allow for reduced costs, which improves production profitability.
- Process scalability: Marshaling makes it easier to scale production processes, which is essential when product demand increases.
Properly planned production marshaling can significantly increase productivity, resulting in better financial results and greater customer satisfaction.
Production marshaling vs. ERP system
Modern manufacturing companies are increasingly using ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems to manage all aspects of the business comprehensively, including production marshaling. ERP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics, integrate manufacturing, logistics, and financial processes, enabling precise production planning and monitoring.
What are the benefits of manufacturing markup in an ERP system?
- Process automation: ERP automates the processes involved in marshaling planning and monitoring, which eliminates the risk of errors resulting from manual data entry.
- Real-time data access: ERP provides access to data at every production stage, allowing for real-time progress tracking and decision-making based on up-to-date information.
- Integration with other modules: ERP systems integrate manufacturing marshaling with other areas such as warehousing, procurement, and sales to manage the entire supply chain better.
- Reporting and analysis: ERP systems generate reports and studies on marshaling performance to identify areas for optimization.
- Resource management: ERP enables better resource management and work scheduling, which increases production efficiency and allows better utilization of machinery and employees.
