Which manufacturing organization is described as grouping similar equipment by function, with each job potentially following a different routing?

• A. Flow shop
• B. Job shop
• C. Cellular manufacturing
• D. Project manufacturing

Answer: (B)

Grouping equipment by function creates a functional layout, which allows each job to take a different path through the shop. In a job shop, machines are organized by type (for example, all milling machines in one area and all lathes in another), so a given job can follow various routings depending on the operations it requires and the machines available. This flexibility is typical of custom or small-batch production where products vary and there isn’t a single fixed sequence that fits every job. Therefore, the organization described aligns with a job shop. Flow shops arrange work by a fixed product flow with the same sequence for all units, cellular manufacturing groups machines into cells for families of parts with similar routings, and project manufacturing handles unique, one-off projects.