A manufacturing process change is a controlled modification to how a product is made, inspected, handled, moved, or documented in production. It commonly refers to a change in the approved or established method of manufacturing, rather than a change to the product design itself.
Examples include changing a routing step, machine, fixture, work instruction, inspection method, process parameter, material handling method, or supplier-performed operation. In regulated or quality-sensitive environments, these changes are typically reviewed for impact on quality, traceability, documentation, training, and system records before being released for use.
Manufacturing process changes are commonly managed through QMS, MES, ERP, or PLM workflows, depending on the organization. They should not be confused with a nonconformance, which records that something did not meet requirements, or with a deviation, which is usually a limited, approved departure from the current process. A process change updates the intended way of working going forward.