A semi is an intermediate good that has completed some, but not all, of its manufacturing steps. These parts are often batched and stored in work-in-progress inventory until they are needed for final assembly or secondary operations. Tracking semis accurately is critical for production planning, as bottlenecks often occur when intermediate parts run short.
We've three pallets of semis waiting for the CNC machines to open up.
When inventory counts are off, the missing value is almost always hiding in unrecorded bins of semis sitting between workstations.
Related terms
Batch up
To accumulate a specific quantity of work or materials before processing them together.
Bottleneck
The slowest or most restrictive step in a production process that dictates the maximum overall output rate.
Secondary
An additional manufacturing operation performed on a part after the primary forming process is complete.