Go Back

Operation

The operation is an activity or a process and is a defined part of product development. Some examples are heating, mixing, extracting, rolling, drilling, milling, polishing, transportation, and testing. An operation is independent of a place, such as a machine, equipment, or manual workstation. The link between operations and machines, equipment or workstations does not arise until the work plan. This link is referred to as an operation-machine combination or a work sequence. In everyday language, a work sequence or an operation-machine combination is often referred to as an operation

In an operation, a production step is implemented as displayed in the figure with the input of material, resources, and information. Time data and the required personnel resources also depend on the machines, equipment, or workstations detailed in the work plan. Therefore, the data defined in the work sequence (combination of machine/workstation and operation) still can be changed when the work plan is being edited

Basic Data of the Operation

In the operation, one step of the production process is completed; that is, a defined output is created from a defined input by an action or a process. This process also can have an influence on the production unit. The production unit before the operation (e.g., x meters of real material) can be changed (e.g., y units of article) by the operation (e.g., “cutting”). It must be possible to map this transformation of the production unit (and with it the quantity unit). An operation is determined by the following basic parameters:

• Name, description
• Activity/process with regard to a general list of occurring activities/processes
• Quantity input, quantity unit input
• Transformation through an operation
• Quantity output, quantity unit output
• Identification of “mixture"
• Parameters for cost monitoring