Comparison of Push and Pull Manufacturing Systems

Manufacturing Systems are often categorized into two poles, namely push and pull. Moreover, since the emergence of the concept of Just-in-time (JIT) production in Japan. JIT is regarded as a representation of pull manufacturing systems are generally counter to the push manufacturing systems are often associated with the system of Material Requirements Planning (MRP). Both poles are considered to be contradictory because of fundamental differences, namely that the push manufacturing system requires the availability of inventory to support the smooth process of production, while the pull manufacturing system requires the absence of inventory because it is seen as a cost burden.

Many studies have been conducted to compare the two systems, and often different arguments arise in the discussion both in terms of definition and performance. However, in reality, not infrequently a large-scale manufacturing systems applying the above two approaches simultaneously in subsystems smaller in it. For example, Toyota, which is often referred to as a pull system of classical references, implement push on the car-making process based on market analysis and setting production targets. But in the assembly process in which a pull system implemented to ensure the availability of subassembly components. In contrast to MRP systems are not infrequently there is a pull mechanism on the flow of information in the process. That is to say that the variation range of manufacturing systems in the world is very diverse. Not all apply pull or push manufacturing systems are completely separate. For all companies have the characteristics of each complex.

However, if the application of the system managed to pull less often considered as the cause is an understanding of the philosophy of JIT implementation is weak. Meanwhile, on the implementation of push systems that perform poorly, are often blamed as the cause of the problem of inventory. Clearly, if you want to compare between the push and pull manufacturing systems, there are several parameters that can be used as a reference. Among others : machine utilization, number of outputs, and the average residence time job (mean flow time). A good approximation method used is a simulation. The final result can not conclude that the comparison is better than push-pull, or vice versa. For as we mentioned above, each company’s manufacturing system has the characteristics of each. Which can be seen is the extent to which there is a difference between push and pull manufacturing systems, and on the conditions of how these differences occur.