What does demand refer to in a manufacturing process?

Demand in a manufacturing process relates specifically to the requirement for products at given points along the production timeline. This encompasses the amount of stock needed to meet customer orders or production needs at a particular stage of manufacturing. When identifying what is required for production to align with customer demand, understanding the stock levels at various stages is critical for ensuring that production continues smoothly without interruptions or excess inventory.

This concept of demand allows businesses to manage their resources effectively, avoid overproduction or underproduction, and align their manufacturing processes with actual market needs. In contrast, total production output, raw material mass, and machinery capacity are important factors but do not specifically define the notion of demand in the context of manufacturing. Instead, those factors relate to different aspects of the production process that can be influenced by demand but do not represent it directly.