Manufacture

Manufacture refers to the process of converting raw materials, components, or parts into finished goods that meet a customer's expectations or specifications. Manufacturing commonly employs a man-machine setup with division of labor in a large scale production.

History

The term manufacture comes from Latin manu factus, which means "made by hand." In its earliest form, manufacturing was usually carried out by a single skilled artisan with assistants. The Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, however, introduced machinery and the concept of mass production to the manufacturing process, significantly changing the industry.

Types of Manufacturing Processes

There are several types of manufacturing processes, including:

• Batch production: This involves creating a group of items all at once. The items go through the process together, from start to finish.
• Job production: This involves creating a single item from start to finish before moving on to the next item.
• Flow production: This involves creating an item in a continually moving process. This is also known as assembly line production.
• Just-in-time (JIT) production: This involves creating items to meet demand, rather than creating stock.

Manufacturing Industries

Manufacturing industries can be broadly categorized into three types:

• Primary industry: This involves using raw materials from the earth, such as minerals and timber.
• Secondary industry: This involves turning primary industry products into other products. Most manufacturing jobs are in this sector.
• Tertiary industry: This involves providing a service. Tertiary industries do not make anything.

Manufacturing Systems

There are several types of manufacturing systems, including:

• Flexible manufacturing system (FMS): This is a method for producing goods that is readily adaptable to changes in the product being made.
• Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM): This is an umbrella term for the total integration of product design and engineering, process planning, and manufacturing by means of complex computer systems.
• Lean manufacturing: This is a systematic method for waste minimization within a manufacturing system without sacrificing productivity.

See Also

• Industrial engineering
• Production engineering
• Operations management
• List of manufacturing processes
• Outline of industrial organization