the basic production subdivision of an industrial enterprise. As part of the overall process of production, shops perform certain specific functions in the manufacture of products and the delivery of technological or auxiliary services to primary production or to the enterprise as a whole. Depending on their functions, shops are divided into primary production shops, auxiliary shops, servicing shops, subordinate shops, and ancillary (or byproduct) shops.
Primary production shops (osnovnye tsekhi) are those engaged in the technological process of manufacturing the enterprise’s product. In metallurgical plants, for example, such shops include the blast-furnace, open-hearth, and rolling shops. In machine-building enterprises the primary production shops are subdivided into blanking (or die-cutting), machining, and assembly shops.
Auxiliary shops (vspomogatel’nye tsekhi) provide technical services to the primary production shops or to the entire enterprise. Their function is to repair buildings and equipment, manufacture and repair technological equipment for the primary production shops, and supply the enterprise with all forms of energy.
Servicing shops (obsluzhivaiushchie tsekhi) and annexes perform maintenance and, in part, technical functions in servicing the primary production shops and the entire plant. Such services include the acceptance, storage, distribution, and transportation of raw materials, other materials, fuel, semifinished and finished products, and waste products (plant warehousing and transportation).
Subordinate shops (podsobnye tsekhi) include shops engaged in the preparation of packing and crating materials and containers—that is, products needed for the release of the primary production output.
Ancillary shops (pobochnye tsekhi), which contribute to the total output by manufacturing by-products, include slag shops in metallurgical plants and the salvaging shops (that is, shops that manufacture consumer goods) in machine-building plants.
The shop categories differ in the various enterprises, depending on the branch of industry, the type of product, and the scale and methods of production. Large shops are subdivided into departments, sections, and assembly lines. Small enterprises sometimes operate on a nonshop basis—that is, without any shops at all.