GlossaryKind of term: Manufacturing termHigh-mix low-volume
What is high-mix low-volume?
High-mix low-volume is production of many different parts in small quantities, where changeover and preparation weigh heavily against machining.
The abbreviation is HMLV; the term characterises a shop's production profile rather than a process or a machine type. Each part has its own drawing, material, route and often finish. The opposite is low-mix high-volume: few different parts in large quantities, sometimes on a machine that runs the same job for a long time. The term describes quantities and variety, not how difficult the work is.
What does high-mix low-volume ask of a shop?
Because changeovers are frequent, the time between two jobs counts heavily. Shops working this way therefore often invest in quick-change workholding such as zero-point clamping and standard jaws, a fixed tool set in the magazine, offline programming with templates, and setup sheets that can be reused next time. Scheduling is harder: many small orders, each with its own route, subcontracting and material. Which measure pays off depends on the work that comes in.
How does high-mix low-volume work in practice?
With few parts per part number, fixed items such as estimating, programming, setup and the first-part check weigh heavily, and machining time can be a smaller share of the cost than you would expect. An estimating method that steers on machine time alone can underestimate that. The number of requests grows with the variety as well: many different parts mean many estimates, some of which never become an order. Repeat parts and recurring part families can ease that load, because program and route often exist already.
What is high-mix low-volume often confused with?
High-mix low-volume is not one-off work: a shop can make many different parts in small batches that come back regularly. Nor does it mean difficult work: it concerns variety and quantity, not tolerances.
How do you see high-mix low-volume in Blake?
In Blake one request holds several parts, each with its own model, drawing, revision and quantities, and each part gets an estimate with setup and programming as their own lines. When a part comes back, you set it against its last priced estimate. More on requests.
Frequently asked questions
Why is estimating so much work in a high-mix shop?
Because every new part needs its own estimate, from material to finish, and some of those quotes never become an order. The estimating time per request then weighs heavily against the order value.
Is high-mix low-volume the same as a job shop?
They often overlap but are not the same. A job shop makes parts to its customers' drawings; high-mix low-volume describes the profile of quantities and variety. A manufacturer with its own product range in many variants can also work high-mix low-volume.