Manufacturing

Abstract

The entirety of interrelated economic, technological, and organizational measures directly connected with the processing/machining of materials, i.e., all functions and activities directly contributing to the making of goods. Note: “Manufacturing” is often used synonymously for “production.” However, its conceptual content is larger than that of “production,” since it also encompasses managerial functions. Manufacturing is part of the supply chain betweensuppliers and customers of a manufacturing company. It includes the value adding processes, namely, fabrication and assembly, as well as the organizational functions, namely, process planning and production planning and control. Fabrication and assembly together are called production (CIRP Dictionary of Production Engineering 2004).