# A Novel Methodology for Assessing and Modeling Manufacturing Processes
## 3 A Novel Methodological Model for Manufacturing Processes
### Design of a Novel Methodological Model for Assessing and Modeling Manufacturing Processes
#### 3.3.2 Manufacturing Process Model  
This subsection aims to break down the elements, areas, and flows of a manufacturing process into input, process, regulation mechanisms, and output or other areas, as shown in Figure 1.  
* Input: Information, material, money, and energy flows are inputs that enable the initiation of the manufacturing processes. * Process: During the manufacturing process, other factors are relevant, such as human resource functions, the information flow received from the IT systems, and communication technologies. To ensure that this information flow reaches the manufacturing asset and the product, the maintenance activities for hardware and software components, as well as the maintenance of IT and communication systems, are key. Maintenance during the process provides condition monitoring of the asset and process, and it enables the realization of corrective maintenance activities. * Regulation mechanisms: These elements provide the areas whose function is to optimize and stabilize the process in future operating times. These are maintenance management and control, quality management and control, process design and optimization, and the order flows that are the decisions that influence the system from both current and future states. * Lastly, the output areas are the information, material, money, and energy flows obtained because of the manufacturing process and the related transformation from the input to the output item. Furthermore, an important output is the quality control of output according to quality requirements. Moreover, the main goal of logistics is to be able to provide the right products in the right quantity and quality with full information at the right time and at the right place [34]. Figure 1: Diagram of the manufacturing process of input-output: areas and flows including decisions/orders (own elaboration). Figure 1 describes the described manufacturing process input-output diagram in which the different areas can be identified. Factors and Parameters in Each Area of the Manufacturing Process  
Following the classification of areas, the identification of factors influencing the manufacturing process within each of the areas is carried out. [PERSON] proposed a methodology for the simulation of dynamic models by studying the characteristics of the information feedback of industrial systems to understand how the organizational structure, amplification in policies, and time delays interact to influence the company's performance. According to this methodology, organizations are considered as systems with six types of flows: information, orders, materials, money, staff, and equipment [15]. In this research, the energy flow is also included. Moreover, as the process and certain maintenance activities influence the real-time execution of the manufacturing activity, these two areas are also considered. Lastly, the output indicators are also considered as an area. Furthermore, the order flow is the decision-making area; therefore, it is treated separately, as it does not define the current state but the decisions influencing the future states of the manufacturing system. Therefore, the representative manufacturing process factors and parameters shown in Figure 1 related to the abovementioned areas and flows are as follows:  
1. Money flow: Indicators that describe the cost of the input item, value of the output item, and cost of resources used in the manufacturing process operation and maintenance. The aim of a company or an industry is to achieve output targets with the lowest possible financial resources in terms of investment and operating costs. Accordingly, it does not make sense to install excess capacities and, thus, make high investments in equipment, systems, buildings, and the necessary infrastructure. The goal is good overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Moreover, particular attention is paid to the availability of the systems, as low system availability is in many cases the trigger for investments.