Author(s)

Bruno G. Rüttimann¹, Martin T. Stöckli²

¹ETH Zürich IWF, Zurich, Switzerland.
²Inspire AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

For didactic purposes, production models are often segregated into job-shop and flow-shop, a definition that is rather based on cognitive-heuristic logic rather than on Cartesian rigor. This distinction is too simplistic and not suitable to understand the complex functioning of a production system. Based on formalized production theorems and principles, this paper describes the characteristics of the main production models defined by different production-related implementation principles. Such an approach helps to create a systematic overview about the topic leading to taxonomy of the existing manufacturing systems, facilitating the introduction to the topic and a structured learning approach for students. It also allows understanding, comparing, and judging the advantages and disadvantages of present and envisaged new production systems’ properties as well as performances in order to select how to transform in the best possible way raw materials into components and finished products. The comparison shows that the envisaged Industry 4.0 production model does not only have advantages, leaving some doubts about the possibility to implement at the same time a maximum flexible and elastic production system while aiming at producing batch size 1 products on demand.

Production Theory, Production Laws, Manufacturing Principles, Production Performance, Production Systems, Lean Production, Digitization, Industry 4.0

Rüttimann, B. and Stöckli, M. (2020) From Batch & Queue to Industry 4.0-Type Manufacturing Systems: A Taxonomy of Alternative Production Models. Journal of Service Science and Management, 13, 299-316. doi: 10.4236/jssm.2020.132019.