PARCview interprets certain process terms very specifically. A Product is a single, discrete unit of production, like a reel of paper, a specific chemical batch or a certain lot number of production. A Grade is a type or class of products, like the type of paper being made, a certain chemical that is produced, or any specific type of product. Finally, a Phase is a process element or stage within a grade/batch run, like bringing a batch process to temperature, agitating the reactor to let a certain reaction occur, or allowing a mixture to settle.
The “grade type” is the label applied to the “grade”. In other words, if the process calls the type of thing being produced a “batch” or “recipe”, those labels can be used. If it makes sense to split grade lists into ‘Grade Type A” and “Grade Type B”, grade types can be used to keep separate lists. Yet this feature is usually for naming conventions only, and there is no functional difference between grade types. A process area can only have one grade type, and all the grades listed in that type must encompass all the grades or products that can be produced in that process area.
Enter a value in the bottom empty row to create a new grade type. Save after entering a new grade type or after editing an existing name.