After this those responsible meet again in conference to decide whether to give the go-ahead. The machine shop then gets down to designing the tools and molds and other mechanical requirements for production. Here special precision is the rule, because the quality of molds and tools required to last for production series of several hundred thousand will, in the long run, determine not just the appearance of the product but also its durability. The pilot run is then ready. Here, before the main production begins the quality control department must first have its say.
Nothing escapes the schooled eyes of the quality control specialists.
At last, the pilot run is given the go-ahead. This is the point when the work of the production planning department pays off. They are responsible for the painstaking schedules involved in preparing machine tools, for ensuring bulk dyed plastic is delivered on time, or for the final assembly of motors. Our new locomotive which has just passed its first test can only go into production if its scheduling fits in with the factory's overall work. For this, data processing plays a key role in helping the planners.