rühmatehnika

Rühmatehnika, often translated as group technology, is a manufacturing philosophy that organizes production and information in a way that exploits the similarities of products and processes. The core concept is to group similar parts into families and then process these families in dedicated manufacturing cells. This approach aims to achieve benefits typically associated with mass production, such as lower costs and higher throughput, while retaining the flexibility of smaller batch or job shop production.

The implementation of group technology involves several key steps. First, parts are classified and coded based on their geometric features, manufacturing operations required, and material. This allows for the identification of part families, which are groups of parts that share common processing requirements. Once part families are established, manufacturing cells are designed. A manufacturing cell is a collection of dissimilar machines and equipment arranged in a sequence to produce a specific part family. This arrangement minimizes material handling, reduces lead times, and improves workflow.

The benefits of group technology include reduced setup times, improved product quality due to specialized processing, lower work-in-progress inventory, and enhanced worker morale through more focused tasks. It can also lead to better utilization of machinery and a more streamlined production process. While it requires an initial investment in analysis and cell design, group technology has been widely adopted in various industries to improve overall manufacturing efficiency and competitiveness.