Produktionstart

Produktionstart, in English often Start of Production (SOP), denotes the formal beginning of mass production of a product or a product family after development, prototyping, and pilot runs. It marks the transition from product development and pre-series production to full-scale manufacturing and market supply. The Produktionstart is a planning milestone in manufacturing and project management and is typically accompanied by a ramp-up plan that gradually increases output while maintaining quality and process stability.

Before productionstart, several prerequisites must be met: a frozen product design and bill of materials, validated manufacturing processes and equipment, qualified tooling and assembly lines, stable supplier readiness and logistics, and an implemented quality management system including process validation and acceptance criteria. A pilot or pre-series run is often conducted to verify process capability, yield, and scalability, and to uncover potential issues prior to mass production.

The term is used across industries such as automotive, electronics, consumer goods, and machinery. In media production contexts, Produktionstart can also refer to the start of film or television production, though this usage is less common in industrial contexts.

Ramping up production involves monitoring metrics like throughput, first-pass yield, scrap rate, OEE, and on-time delivery. Delays or failures to pass prerequisites can postpone the Produktionstart, with downstream effects on supply chains, cost, and time-to-market.

See also: start of production, ramp-up, pilot production, production readiness, launch.