The manufacturing and service industries are essential components of national economies with unique operational differences and commonalities. The two sectors handle clients, production and consumption processes, supply chains, and delivery of products by employing means that are similar or different, as indicated in table one below.
Similarities between the manufacturing and service delivery industries
| Aspect | Similarities |
| Customer Involvement | In the manufacturing industry, the customer is involved when designing a good for a company to produce the exact client specifications. In the service industry, transactions involve the trader and client directly, regardless of the service provided. |
| Production and Consumption | In the end, goods manufactured and services provided are consumed by the end user ( Zhou, Park, & Yi, 2009) . |
| Supplier Relation to the Supply Chain | In the manufacturing and service industries, services and goods can only be produced or provided if there is a request for supply from the client. |
| Delivery of Products and Services | In the manufacturing and service delivery industries, goods and services are delivered to the end client and the above processes are evaluated using similar techniques. |
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Table 1: The commonalities of the service delivery and manufacturing industries
Differences between the service and manufacturing industry operational processes
The differences between the service delivery and goods manufacturing industries are as summarized in table 2 below.
| Aspect | Differences |
| Customer Involvement | In the service delivery industry, customer involvement is heavy because the client interacts directly with the provider. In contrast, the manufacturing sector has limited client involvement. |
| Production and Consumption | Services offered in the service delivery industry are consumed immediately and production is immediate ( Zhou, Park, & Yi, 2009) . In the manufacturing industry, goods undergo a chain of processes before the client can consume them. |
| Supplier Relation to the Supply Chain | The service industry’s supply chain is practically inexistent. The client consumes goods from the provider directly. In contrast, in the manufacturing industry has a long supply chain, with goods moving from the raw material provider to the production process to the wholesaler to the retailer to the consumer. |
| Delivery of Products and Services | In the service delivery industry, services are delivered to the client from the provider instantly. In the manufacturing sector, goods are delivered to the client after undergoing the production process to the wholesaler to the retailer to the consumer process. |
Table 2: The differences between the service and manufacturing processes of operation
References
Zhou, M., Park, T., & Yi, J. (2009). Commonalities and Differences between Service and Manufacturing Supply Chains: Combining Operations Management Studies with Supply Chain Management. California Journal of Operations Management , 7 (1), 136-143. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1022&context=org_mgmt_pub
