The notion of production process
Contemporary production is a complicated process of the transformation of raw materials, or semi-processed materials into ready products satisfying the demands of society.
The complex of all activities and instruments of labor provided in production for making of certain products are called production process. Production process can be also subject to business process optimization.
Technological and non-technological processes; natural processes
The main part of production process is technological processes which object-oriented activities on changing and defining of subjects of labor. During the implementation of technological processes forms, sizes and physical and chemical features of subjects of labor change.
Besides technological processes there are also non-technological processes which don’t have the aim to change any features of subjects of labor or to check the quality of them. Non-technological processes are: transportation, warehousing, loading and offloading, and some other processes and procedures. Technological processes as well as non-technological ones can be improved by means of business process optimization.
Labor processes go with natural processes in production process. Changing of subjects of labor in natural processes is provided by means of natural forces without human input.
Types of production processes
Production processes are classified to basic, secondary and supporting according to their functions and roles in production.
Basic processes are production processes where basic products are produced. Nowadays very often most of them are automated, and business process optimization can be connected with automation of manual procedures of basic processes or with changing of machinery to newer ones.
Secondary production processes are those which provide a non-stop flow of business processes. Their results are products used in production itself. These processes are subject to business process optimization, especially if it is directed to reducing of expenses on production.
Supporting processes are a number of procedures directed on services necessary for functioning of basic and subsidiary production processes.
Nowadays in production, especially in automated, there is a tendency of integration of basic and secondary processes.
The complex of basic processes forms basic production. The stage of production process is a complex of procedures implementation of which characterizes the ending of certain part of production process and connected with transferring of one subject of labor from one quality state to the other. Each stage of production can be judged as a business process to be optimized.