Aspects of the production control system CONWIP in small and medium sized industrial companies

Abstract

To achieve their goals in our globalized world full of competition pressure, manufacturing companies will have to adopt production control systems that fit their situation the best. Many approaches exist, each having different properties in different environments. In this paper, an overview of some very common and significant production strategies and systems is provided. The focus here, however, is on non-electronic systems, in particular "constant work-in-process" (CONWIP). The paper outlines various aspects of CONWIP compared to other established production concepts, especially in regard to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies.