Production
The creation of finished goods and services using the factors of production: land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship, and knowledge
Production management
The term used to describe all the activities managers do to help their firms to create goods.
Operations management
A specialized area in management that converts or transforms resources.
Form utility
The value producers add to materials in the creation of finished goods and services
Process manufacturing
That part of production process that puts together components
Assembly process
The part of production process that puts together components
Continuous process
A production process in which long production runs turn out finished goods over time
Intermittent process
A production process in which the production run is short and the machines are changed frequently to make different products
Computer-aided design (CAD)
The use of computers in the design of products
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
The use of computers in the manufacturing of products
Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM)
The uniting of computer-aided design with computer-aided manufacturing
Flexible manufacturing
Designing machines to do multiple tasks so that they can produce a variety of products
Lean manufacturing
The production of goods using less of everything compared to mass production
Mass customization
Tailoring products to meet the needs of individual customers
Facility location
The process of selecting a geographic location for a company's operations
Telecommuting
Working from home via computer and modem
Facility Layout
The physical arrangement of resources (including people) in the production process
Materials requirement planning (MRP)
A computer-based operations management system that uses sales forecasts to make sure that needed parts and materials are available at the right time and place
Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
A newer version of MRP that combines the computerized functions of all divisions and subsidiaries of the firm (finance, human resources) into a single integrated software
Purchasing
The function in a firm that searches for high-quality materials resources, finds the best suppliers, and negotiates the best price for goods and services
Just-in-time inventory control
A production process in which a minimum of inventory is kept on the premises and parts, supplies and other needs are delivered just in time to go on the assembly line
Quality
Consistently producing what the customer wants while reducing errors before and after delivery to the customer
Six sigma quality
A quality measure that allows only 3.4 defects per million opportunities
Statical quality control (SQC)
The process some managers use to continually monitor all phases of the production process to assure that quality is being built into the product from the beginning
Statistical process control (SPC)
The process of testing statistical samples of product components at each stage of the production process and plotting those results on a graph. Any variances from quality standards are recognized and can be corrected if beyond the set standards
ISO 9000
The common name given to quality management and assurance standards
ISO 14000
A collection of the best practices for managing an organization's impact on the environment
Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)
A method for analyzing the tasks involved in completing a given project, estimating the time needed to complete each task, and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total project
Grantt chart
Bar graph showing production managers what projects are being worked on and what stage they are in at any given time