The design of business processes within manufacturing systems management

Manufacturing organizations are currently being subjected to increased business, regulatory and legislative pressures that require them to regularly re-engineer themselves. To be able to effectively manage such activities, a manufacturing systems management (MSM) framework is required, which helps to der ne the necessary activities needed to regulate and optimize a manufacturing system as it progresses through its life cycle. The current merging of automotive manufacturers highlights the need for such a framework. Maximizing the benefits of such mergers requires the effective convergence of the organizations' processes, which is a complex undertaking that requires a structured approach. Through an approach known as Business Process Development (BPD), as used in the case of the design of BMW's new UK engine factory, this paper describes how a MSM framework can be applied in practice to deal with a range of issues related to the analysis, design and implementation of a new manufacturing system.