*4.5. Determination of the Production Characteristics of the Production Facility*

Besides the physical and operative characteristics of the industrial system, it is necessary to understand the production approach of the production facility on which the system finds itself. The production approach is defined by a series of production characteristics common to the facility as a whole. These characteristics allow allocating the energy-to-cause and hence to understand the variation of energy consumption throughout time and within the system's modes of operation. The relevant production characteristics from an energy transparency perspective are [13,14,23,32]:

	- Make-to-Stock (MTS), the product is made in their final form and stocked as finished goods.
	- Assemble-to-Order (ATO), the product is assembled to its final form based on the customer's purchase order.
	- Make-to-Order (MTO), the product is completely manufactured after a customer has issued a purchase order.
	- Engineer-to-Order (ETO), the product is designed and manufactured after the customer's purchase order.
	- Job processing, the production focuses on a single item at a time and usually requires a specific set of skills depending on the manufactured product.
	- Batch processing, the production takes place in specific groups of pieces or completed products in small pre-set batch sizes.
	- Flow processing, production involves passing of sub-assemblies or individual parts from one production station to the next until the final product is completed.
	- Continuous processing, similar to flow production but there is no possible stop between production stations.

The production characteristics can be determined through the surveyal of the production planning strategies established on the ERP. These characteristics give the final necessary perspective to achieve a level of energy transparency in the industrial system that allows the identification of the practically viable EFMs and their EFP which will be considered practical as it includes the physical and operative characteristics of the industrial system and the production characteristics of the production facility.
