Inverted Bills-of-material
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Unlike discrete assembly operations, the bills of material are inverted in that relatively few raw materials are used to create a variety of finished products. |
Material Variability
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In discrete industries, a part is either good or bad. In process, material can be powder, liquid, gas or even livestock. Materials are inherently not homogenous and vary within a specification range. |
Shared Capacity
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Capacity is shared between products which means that planning must consider material feasibility and capacity feasibility simultaneously |
Complex Issues
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These range from high cost and inflexible production facilities in chemicals, to variable and time varying yields in semiconductors |
Variability and Regulations
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Issues range from seasonal demand, uncertain crop yields, and stringent production requirements in food processing to regulatory controls in chemicals |
What makes Process, Process? - Olin Thompson