Batch production

Batch production is a manufacturing process whereby multiple copies of a product are produced, often in parallel, in groups which typically need to be completed before the next group, or batch, can be produced. In a batch production setting, different manufacturing steps may be carried out at separate stations, and the manufacturing step is carried out for all items in the batch. Most steps of the batch production process involve fabrication rather than assembly.

Batch production is different from job production, wherein a product is made one at a time, and flow production, where steps of the production process are standardized and completed in an assembly-line fashion.

Batch production shares some similarities with job production, in that the production process must be completed from beginning to end before commencing work on the next batch of product. Like flow production, batch production aims to produce products with a degree of uniformity, at least for products made within the same batch.

Batch production results in higher production throughput and efficiency than job production, but less throughput and efficiency than flow production. Batch production may be the optimal production method when order sizes are too small to warrant the investment in infrastructure (like conveyor belts and specialized machinery) to facilitate flow production, or if demand for the product is highly variable.

Many industries use batch production to produce their products. Examples include: clothing manufacturing, many types of small to medium-scale food production (like baking or sausage-making), printing (including screen printing, lithography, and letterpress), machine shops, and pharmaceutical production (including the production of vaccines).

Some larger systems, like education, can also be characterized as a form of batch production even when no physical product results.