Manufacturing – data model

There are two types of manufacturers: discrete manufacturers and process manufacturers. Examples of discrete manufacturers include manufacturers of computers, appliances, all types of machines, and anything that has tangible parts. Examples of process manufacturers include chemical companies, paint manufacturers, soft drink manufacturers, and any company that mixes liquids to create products.
This data model addresses many of the information needs of manufacturing enterprises. For instance:
- “People and Organizations,” - provides generic data structures useful for handling many of the needs of people and organizations within manufacturing enterprises.
- “Products,” - discusses inventory control.
- “Ordering Products,” - covers order processing.
- “Shipments,” - discusses shipping models for deliveries as well as receipts and issuances of inventory.
- “Work Effort,” - covers manufacturing operations to manage production runs and fixed asset management models.
- “Invoicing,” - discusses invoicing data models that may be used for manufacturing companies.
- “Accounting and Budgeting,” - addresses financial management models.
- “Human Resources,” - covers human resources and employee tracking.

The key changes and additions to the Universal Data Models that are needed to support manufacturing enterprises are the following:
- Extending the people and organization data models, adding entities that are applicable to manufacturing organizations
- Managing parts as a distinct entity from product because it is such a key item in manufacturing
- Adding design engineering data models to record how products are engineered and modified
- Adding engineering change data models to maintain change history.
- Extending the bill of material and item configuration data models
- Extending the substitutability models allowing for part substitutions
- Adding product deployments and usage models.
- Extending the work effort data models to incorporate process planning and production runs of manufactured items

Manufacturing Summary

Some key aspects of changing universal data models for manufacturing organizations are as follow:
- Modifying the types and names of party roles and relationships associated with manufacturing
- Distinguishing parts from products and maintaining information about parts
- Adding design engineering data models for specifying parts and products
- Adding models to accommodate engineering changes
- Adding bill of materials structures for various views of the organization, which may include engineering, manufacturing, and marketing
- Providing more comprehensive models for product (and parts) substitutions
- Adding inventory item configuration data models to record changes to the actual parts
- Tracking deployments and usage of products and parts over time
- Changing the names of the work effort and work effort standards models to focus on production runs

Manufacturers can use many of the data warehouse and data mart designs, such as the sales analysis, financial analysis, and human resource analysis designs. Manufacturers usually have a strong need to monitor and analyze their operations in order to improve productivity and reduce costs.