Production system – methods, principles and standards

Production system is a term from the field of production management. This term covers systems and subsystems in which production takes place, for example entire companies as well as individual, value-creating parts of companies such as factories, production segments, workshops or production lines. On the other hand, a production system involves coordinated strategies, principles and methods for production within a specific company. The best-known example is the Toyota production system, which is based on the fundamental idea of avoiding waste and uses methods such as continuous improvement processes, Kanban or just-in-time concepts.

The concept of production economics is based on the idea that production processes can be described as systems, for example as input/throughput/output systems. The input represents goods that are made available to the system from outside for transformation (labor, raw materials, electricity, heat, etc.). The throughput is the actual transformation process, i.e. the change in the processing objects. The output is the release of objects from the production process to the environment, which either leave the company or are further processed. This includes the release of manufactured or modified processing objects, heat or generated electricity, as well as unwanted objects such as exhaust gases, waste water, hazardous waste or chips.

Comparison of different types of production systems

Production systems are differentiated in the literature, particularly according to production types. Different types of planning problems arise depending on whether, for example, individual, series or mass production or workshop or flow production is involved. Solving these problems and thus configuring and controlling production systems as efficiently as possible is the task of production management.

The Toyota Production System

Individual companies have developed their own production systems in which they describe the general principles, standards, methods and tools that apply to the organization and the way of working and producing in their company worldwide. The best known of these production systems is the Toyota Production System (TPS). In the meantime, many companies, especially in the automotive industry, have developed their own production systems, most of which are based on the principles developed by Toyota. Many of the principles, methods and tools first introduced by Toyota also form the basis of lean management.

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