Component Batch Manufacture by Group Technology, a New Production System

Group Technology is presented as a system which provides the component batch manufacturing industry with the means of controlling production by the use of a short, sequenced, pre-planned production cycle coupled with a re-organization of shop floor machines and processes. Benefits enumerated in this paper are those which mainly accrue in the areas of production planning and control; a complete enunciation of benefits has been presented in an earlier paper, Boundy (1977). A method commonly used for the implementation of Group Technology is described in some detail, and its interaction with the advanced technique of numerical control is dealt with. Finally, a brief case study of a proposed Group Technology system for a medium sized manufacturing firm is outlined