Productivity :
Productivity of a production system is analogous to the efficiency of a machine.
Productivity may be defined as the ratio between output of wealth and input of resources of production. Output means the quantity produced and inputs are the various resources employed, e.g., land, building, machinery, materials and labor.
Productitvity = Output / Input
Productive systems :
In most general term, the productive system is defined as the means by which we transform resource inputs to create useful goods and service as outputs.
The nature of the process for manufacturing is the first factor which influences the layout. The manufacturing industries may be classified according to the nature of the process performed (Khanna, 2003).
(i) Continuous process industry
(ii) Repetitive process industry
(iii) Intermittent process industry
Continuous process industry:
A continuous process industry may be defined as one where the process is continuous all the time day and night, all 24 hours per day, and it is impossible to stop production process at a short notice without suffering considerable losses due to partially processed materials, damage to equipments and the
cost of labor and materials required to clean out and recondition production equipments.
For example, steel plants, blast furnaces, rayon plants, sugar mills, oil refineries, heavy chemicals plants, etc.
Repetitive process industries :
In a repetitive process industry, the product is processed in mass. In this type of industry varieties of operations may be involved in different departments. The repetition of the operations permits a highly specialized study of layout. The product moves through the process in specified quantities called jobs.
Each item in the lot follows successively the same operation as the previous lots. If the lots of the same or similar items follow one another with regularity through the process, the situation becomes similar to the continuous process type of industries, expect that the work may be stopped at any time on a short
notice without any damage to materials, equipments or suffering any losses expect those due to idleness on the part of the workers and the equipments.
For example, companies manufacturing automobiles, tractors, telephones,televisions, refrigerators, shoes, etc.
Intermittent process industries:
On intermittent industry is one that processes items as and when orders are procured. It is some time called a job-lot industry. Small lots of items are manufactures on receipt of orders as per the specification of customers. Once the lot is completed, repeat orders may be received and the items are again produced. In this type of industry, flexibility of operations is most important and additional capacity can be increased by adding more units whenever necessary. Addition of new equipments will not necessarily require the relocation of the other equipments.
0 Comments