MANUFACTURIN G SUPPORT SYSTEMSTo operate its facilities efficiently, a company must organize itself to design the processesand equipment, plan and control the production orders, and satisfy product qualityrequirements. These functions are accomplished by manufacturing support systemspeople and procedures by which a company manages its production operations. Most ofthese support systems do not directly contact the product, but they plan and control itsprogress through the factory. Manufacturing support functions are often carried out in thefirm by people organized into departments such as the following: Manufacturing engineering. The manufacturing engineering department is responsible for planning the manufacturing processesdeciding what processes should be usedto make the parts and assemble the products. This department is also involved indesigning and ordering the machine tools and other equipment used by the operatingdepartments to accomplish processing and assembly. Production planning and control. This department is responsible for solving thelogistics problem in manufacturingordering materials and purchased parts, scheduling production, and making sure that the operating departments have the necessarycapacity to meet the production schedules. Quality control. Producing high-quality products should be a top priority of anymanufacturing firm in todays competitive environment. It means d