Documentation in Manufacturing Business
Manufacturing Covers Many Key Functions With Associated Documentation
Manufacturing documentation would typically involve:
- Technology Documentation: Product specifications, technology description, process flow charts, operation manuals, and others to document technical know-how and to support production processes.
- Production Control Documentation: Production schedules, worker rostering, machine loading, maintenance scheduling, output reports, downtime reports and other documents to plan and record production and maintenance operations.
- Materials Control Documentation: Goods received notes, inspection reports and acceptance/rejection notes, materials requisitions and issue notes, bin cards, stock ledgers, finished goods transfer notes, shipping documents, stock ledgers and other documents to manage raw materials, supplies, tools and spares and finished products.
- Procurement Documentation: Quote invitations, quotations, quotation comparisons, records of negotiations with suppliers, purchase order copies, supplier performance reports and other documents related to economic procurement of acceptable quality goods.
- Marketing Documentation: Marketing strategy reports, records of negotiations with distributors, marketing setup descriptions and charts, publicity materials, price lists, customer orders, sales performance reports and numerous other documents generated in the course of marketing campaigns and actual sales.
- Administrative Documentation: Licenses and permissions, project reports, loans negotiations, bank statements, documents related to acquisition of premises, plant and utilities, documents related to purchase of other fixed assets, asset registers, maintenance schedules and reports, documents relating to day to day transactions such as cash payments, checks, vouchers, accounting and other kinds of registers, numerous reports and so on.
Document Management
The sheer variety and volume of documents in a manufacturing business makes managing them a daunting task. In a paper-based management sytem, documents would have to move from department to department and this was partly solved by making out required numbers of copies at origin and distributing the copies to concerned departments. Often the color of a copy indicated to which department it was meant.
In a computerized system, the originating department can either create the document in their computer itself, or copy details from the document to the computer. Either way, other departments can refer document details by accessing the network server. A networked system also facilitated collaborative working as when a document needed inputs from several persons or departments.
An Extranet can extend the reach of the system beyond geographical boundaries. Field personnel in distant locations can enter their daily reports into the system from where they are. The reports become instantly available at headquarters for review and further processing. Senior managers on the road can keep in touch with their office even if they are on the other side of the globe (subject to time-zone constraints).
These document management systems facilitate generation of management control reports in a timely manner, often in real time.
Conclusion
Manufacturing involves several functions such as setting up a manufacturing plant, perfecting and documenting manufacturing technology, controlling production operations and quality, managing materials and finished products inventories, economic procurement of acceptable quality materials, organizing effective marketing campaigns (or negotiating agreements with a network of independent distributors) and attending to the numerous legal and administrative requirements. A good document management system will prove invaluable in coordinating and controlling these functions.
We will look at document management in manufacturing industry more detail on a separate page.