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Part Two
Design
What is process technology?
Process technology
Indirect process
technology
Integrating technologies
Electronic point of sale
In this chapter, we discuss process technology – the machines, equipment and devices that
create and/or deliver the goods and services. Process technology ranges from milking machines
to marking software, from body scanners to bread ovens, from mobile phones to milling
machines. Disney World uses flight simulation technologies to create the thrill of space travel
on its rides, just one in a long history of Disney Corporation and its ‘imagineers’ using technology
to engineer the experience for their customers. In fact, process technology is pervasive in
all types of operations. Without it many of the products and services we all purchase would be
less reliable, take longer to arrive and arrive unexpectedly, only be available in a limited variety,
and be more expensive. Process technology has a very significant effect on quality, speed,
dependability, flexibility and cost. That is why it is so important to operations managers,
and that is why we devote a whole chapter to it. Even when technology seems peripheral to
the actual creation of goods and services, it can play a key role in facilitating the direct transformation
of inputs to an operation. For example, the computer systems which run planning
and control activities, accounting systems and stock control systems can be used to help
managers and operators control and improve the processes. This type of technology is called
indirect process technology. It is becoming increasingly important. Many businesses spend
more on the computer systems which control their processes than they do on the direct process
technology which acts on its material, information or customers.
Integrating technologies
In this chapter, we distinguish between material, information and customer processing technologies,
but this is only for convenience because many newer technologies process combinations
of materials, staff and customers. These technologies are called integrating technologies.
Electronic point of sale (EPOS) technology, for example, processes shoppers, products and
information. Figure 8.2 illustrates examples of processing technology, some of which primarily
process one type of transformed resource and others that integrate the processing of more
than one transformed resources.
Figure 8.2 Process technologies can be classified by the transformed resource that they
process (material, information or customer processing), but many technologies integrate
more than one transformed resource