What is Manufacturing Information System ?
The major aim of manufacturing information systems is to deploy computer technology to improve the efficiency and process of the manufacturing system. It also ensures better quality products and lowers the cost of manufacturing the products. It can be also said that manufacturing systems use information and processes the information to produce better end products as output by taking information systems technology, data, material, management, and equipment as input.
The transformation process that converts raw materials into usable materials or components can be considered as central point around which manufacturing systems are designed. Such systems are value added processes like material processing or support system like scheduling.
"Manufacturing Information System is a complete set of tools for managing the flow of manufacturing production data throughout the enterprise. This IS was designed to provide tools for both IT and Operations Personnel who would deliver services to anyone in the plant."
Various types of manufacturing-related operations are addressed by manufacturing plant control that consists of different types of operational and tactical functions. The different disciplinary areas that make up manufacturing are product engineering. fabrication, facility design and scheduling, and quality control management. Information systems can help them in their dramatic improvement.
The major functions of Manufacturing Information Systems is tracking, scheduling and controlling manufacturing processes. It also collects data like number of hours the machine is operating per month and hours per day the machine is idle.
Model of Manufacturing Information System
Figure shows a conceptual model of a manufacturing information system:
Following are the components of manufacturing information system:
1) Input Sub-systems:
The following sub-systems are involved in this sub-system:
i) Transaction Processing System (TPS):
The transaction processing system populates the database with the data gathered from both external and internal sources.
ii) Industrial Engineering Sub-system:
This sub-system includes the activity generated by Industrial Engineers (IEs) who conduct study of manufacturing operation to guarantee the efficiency. The IE's set-up standards in the domain of production with which the actual performance are compared.
iii) Manufacturing Intelligence Sub-system:
The term Manufacturing Intelligence (MI) is used to define the software that is being used by corporations, to bring together data related to manufacturing, so that it can be reported, analysed, visually summarized and ensure that data can be passed between the plant-floor and enterprise- level systems.
Data gathered from various sources can be combined together in a logical manner and given a new context or structure, so that users can find what is required without worrying about the source. The main target is to derive real knowledge from huge amount of manufacturing data. The business results can then be obtained by using this knowledge.
2) Database:
The database is responsible for providing data to the output sub-systems. Database gets the data from the three input sub- systems of manufacturing information system.
3) Outputs Sub-systems:
It is made up of the following sub-systems:
i) Production Sub-system:
Production data can be gathered and processed quickly by using terminals throughout the production floor. The gathered data can be used in all phases of production control and also for billing.
ii) Inventory Sub-system:
This sub-system deals the raw materials inventories. In most of the cases the purchasing department maintains the vendor data
In certain situations, the manufacturing department purchases certain raw materials. Whatever the case may be, the manufacturing department must always have knowledge regarding the origin of the raw materials, various types of new products that the vendors are offering, and their current price.
iii) Quality Sub-system:
This sub-system performs the task of checking the quality of the product after it has been manufactured.
iv) Cost Sub-system:
This sub-system compares the cost with others after finding them.
Types of Manufacturing Information System
1) Automation Systems:
With the help of these systems it is possible to speed up the manufacturing time and reduce the cost of production.
2) Logistics System:
This system is also known as delivery system because it is responsible for delivering the services or products at the right time to the right customer.
3) Material Requirement Planning (MRP):
The production planning process can be automated with the help of MRP software by gathering information. With the help of this information, the managers can take decision about various issues. Some of them are as follows:
- Code of machines to use
- Code of items to produce
- Code of shift
4) Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRPII):
It is an enhanced version of MRP. With the help of this software, the managers can determine what resources will be required to produce a product MRP and MRP II can be effectively used by integrating them with other systems that run in the organisation like marketing, accounts, & finance.
5) Agile Manufacturing Environment:
The managers generally use current machine to move from one product to other, and to produce services and products of varying qualities in the agile manufacturing environment. The two most prominent differences between the agile and traditional manufacturing environment is that the customer service is integrated as a competitive weapon and needs of each customer are met in agile manufacturing.
6) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP):
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a type of software that is widely used in the manufacturing environment. All types of resources such as labour, money and raw material needed for producing the product and delivering it to the customer are taken into consideration by decision maker with the help of this software at the time of decision-making.
Inputs of Manufacturing Information System
There are several transactions that are associated with production management. These transactions are related to planning and control of various operations performed during the manufacturing of the product. The following are some of the documents that contain the details of these transactions:
- Production program
- Production schedule
- Process planning sheet
- Job card
- Quality assurance rating form
- Material requirement
- Breakdown advice
- Material requisition
- Customer order
Applications of Manufacturing Information System
1) Accounting:
There are various entities that carry out the activities and tasks of the manufacturing process. Some of the entities are as follows:
- Quantity of production in a limited time
- Material requirement and usage
- Rejection of quantity at the intermediate stages and the final stage
- Use of power and fuel
- Utilization of machine and facilities
- Working hours of labour
2) Query:
Production management deal with queries whose aim is to seek information regarding fixed assets such as worker or machine. Some of the queries consists of the following:
- Job status or order in terms of level and stage of completion
- Job schedules and production program
- Status of material in stock
- Status of loads on machines
- Standard Information related to worker skills and their capacities
- Standard information on products and processes
3) Decision Analysis:
In order to fulfil the objectives, the production management has to take both long-term and short-term decisions such as:
- Buy or Manufacture
- Manufacture the products or subcontract
- Using optional material
- Using optional process
- Job planning and scheduling
- Job re-scheduling and loading
- Selecting production facilities
- Selecting optional maintenance policies
The decisions have effect on:
- Cost
- Productivity
- Efficiency
- Usage of the manufacturing facility
- Usage of material and physical resources
4) Control:
The control applications of production management help in controlling the quality of the production, production program, and capacity of the production. Such applications also focus on how the labour force and production capacity will be utilized. In order to ensure that the control applications are performing effectively, the following expectations of production management must be taken into consideration:
- Rejection of excessive product due to material or process,
- Hold up main job beyond a specific limit,
- Continuous breakdown manufacturing facility beyond a particular period,
- Continuous changes from the norms and standards of production rate
- Below limit utilization of main facilities
- Backlog of orders due to failure of delivery dates
Reports of Manufacturing Information System
Below are some of the reports of production information system:
1) Statutory Compliance:
Information related to statutory compliance does not have much significance in production management. There are only few companies that have to submit report to the Government regarding finished goods and raw materials. Those companies that are listed under Director General of Technical Development (DGTD) also have to submit information on production and production hours to the DGTD.
2) Knowledge Update:
- Downtime of production facilities
- Outcomes of several jobs versus machines
- Completion time of job
- Breakdowns and reasons of breakdowns
3) Operations Update:
- Daily production,
- Breakdowns in machine
- Rejections by job or process
- Jobs completed and given for inspections
Various decisions can be taken based on these reports, such as:
- Increasing production hours
- Working on second shift.
- Job re-scheduling
- Change of tools or processes
4) Decision Analysis:
The management takes decisions with the help of the Decision Support System (DSS). These decisions are supported by:
- Programming models
- Simulation models
- Material requirement planning systems
- Artificial intelligence and knowledge-based systems
- Planning and scheduling systems
The following decisions can be also taken by analyzing the DSS:
- Optimum product mix
- Optional loading pattern
- Optional assignment of jobs and machines
- Optional material, tools and process
5) Action Update:
With the help of the action update reports, it is possible to find out the effects after the decisions taken by the DSS have been implemented. By analyzing the reports, it is possible to find out whether expected results have been achieved or not. These reports also provide opportunity to the management to correct wrong decisions. The reports that help in taking the correct decisions are also known as exception reports.
Advantages of Manufacturing Information System
- Improved efficiency: Streamlining processes and automating tasks can boost productivity.
- Enhanced decision-making: Access to real-time data allows for better-informed decisions.
- Inventory optimization: Helps in managing inventory levels, reducing stock-outs, and minimizing excess inventory.
- Quality control: Allows for monitoring and maintaining product quality throughout the manufacturing process.
- Cost reduction: Identifying areas of inefficiency can lead to cost savings.
- Better customer service: Enables timely order fulfillment and accurate delivery tracking.
Disadvantages of Manufacturing Information System
- Initial cost: Implementation and setup can require a significant upfront investment.
- Complexity: Managing and integrating various systems and technologies can be complex and require specialized skills.
- Security risks: Increased digitalization may expose the system to cybersecurity threats.
- Dependency on technology: System failures or technical issues can disrupt operations.
- Resistance to change: Employees may resist adopting new technologies, affecting the implementation process.
- Maintenance requirements: Regular updates and maintenance are necessary to ensure the system's effectiveness.