Flow Manufacturing Functions & Features
Flow manufacturing is a methodology used in manufacturing that pulls parts or components through the manufacturing process to where it finally reaches the finished product. Unlike discrete manufacturing which manufactures goods by batch production, flow manufacturing is usually based on single unit production. Essentially a mixed-model production method that operates on production lines that manufacture up to a specific quantity of a particular product each day. These lines also must have the ability to produce unlimited variations of that base product on any given day. Take, for instance, a production line dedicated to building manual car transmissions. A flow line for that product might have the capacity to build thirty transmissions per day. It also would be able to produce the appropriate mix of three-, four-, and five-speed transmissions needed to fill specific customer orders every day of the year. Flow lines achieve this precise level of mixed-model production because they are designed to ensure that each product is built within a specified amount of time. Once the total time it takes to build a product is determined, equal slices of that time are allocated for the performance of each operation along the line. This is called Takt time. In this way, each product moves through the production process at a steady rate from beginning to end without stopping. When executed properly, this single-unit manufacturing style enables products to move smoothly, precluding the need for excess inventory and preventing unnecessary queues and bottlenecks from forming on the shop floor. This syncopated movement of the product between workstations, also known as the drum beat, must be maintained so that the total time to build a product stays within the limits necessary for all products to be delivered on time.. Flow Manufacturing Functions & Features are an important module of the comprehensive ERP RFP Template for Discrete Manufacturing.
The ERP RFP template with Flow Manufacturing Functions & Features for ERP is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx) featuring a total of 3761 decision criteria. The ERP RFP template allows you to quickly and easily prepare the business, functional, and technical requirements sections of the solicitation package you'll send to ERP software vendors. It ensures for:
- complete response from each ERP software vendor
- deep and accurate evaluation of submitted ERP proposals
- impartial side-by-side comparison of ERP solutions evaluated
- rational and documented selection of the best matching ERP system