What is Flow Manufacturing ?

What is Flow Manufacturing ?

Flow Manufacturing is an innovative manufacturing method which synchronizes production with customer demand.

The characteristics of flow processes are:
a) Straight and short product flow patterns
b) Make to order strategy
c) Single-piece production
d) Just-In-Time materials/pull/dependent demand scheduling
e) Short production cycle times
f) Highly flexible and responsive processes
g) Highly flexible machines and equipment
h) Quick changeover
i) Continuous flow work cells
j) Compressed space
k) Multi-skilled employees
l) Empowered employees
m) High first inspection - pass yields with major reductions in defects

Oracle Flow Manufacturing module supports the entire build-to-order manufacturing process which includes make-to-stock, configure-to-order, discrete-repetitive, assemble-to-order, and engineer-to-order manufacturing strategies and methods. It initiates schedules as soon as customer orders are received, and ensures shipment as soon as build is complete. Flow manufacturing employs pulls material using kanbans planning and backflushes material and costs upon completion. This in turn helps decrease inventories, optimize machine utilization, reduce response time to customer orders, and simplify shop floor activities.

Flow manufacturing production lines are designed to support the inter-mixed production of multiple products within a family on the same line at a constant rate. It can be used in Inventory module to replenish kanbans and in Work in Process to complete assemblies without having to create a job or a schedule (work order less job)