View source for How Manufacturing Jobs Work Step-by-Step

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= How Manufacturing Jobs Work Step-by-Step =
Once you have a blueprint and the required materials, the next step is creating a manufacturing job. A manufacturing job is the process that tells the game what you want to build, how many items you want to produce, where they should be built, and where the finished products should be delivered.

While the manufacturing interface may seem intimidating at first, every production job follows the same workflow. Once you understand each stage, manufacturing becomes a repeatable process that can be scaled from building a single module to running hundreds of production lines simultaneously.

This guide walks through the complete manufacturing process from selecting a blueprint to delivering the finished product.
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= Before You Can Start a Manufacturing Job =
Before installing a manufacturing job, you must have everything required for production.

You will need:

* A Blueprint Original (BPO) or Blueprint Copy (BPC)
* The required materials
* The necessary character skills
* Access to a manufacturing facility
* Enough ISK to pay the installation cost
* An available manufacturing slot

If any of these requirements are missing, the job cannot be started.
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= Step 1 – Open the Industry Window =
The Industry window is where all manufacturing, research, copying, invention, and reaction jobs are managed.

To open it:

'''Neocom → Industry'''

This window allows you to:

* View available blueprints
* Start manufacturing jobs
* Monitor active jobs
* Deliver completed jobs
* Access other industrial activities

For most manufacturing work, this will become one of the most frequently used windows in the game.
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= Step 2 – Select a Blueprint =
Manufacturing always begins by selecting a blueprint.

Blueprints can be located in:

* Item Hangar
* Corporation Hangars
* Containers
* Asset locations
* Personal blueprint collections

When selected, the Industry window displays important information including:

* Item being produced
* Required materials
* Manufacturing time
* Required skills
* Material Efficiency (ME)
* Time Efficiency (TE)
* Manufacturing activity

Always verify you have selected the correct blueprint before continuing.
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= Step 3 – Choose the Manufacturing Activity =
Many blueprints support multiple industrial activities.

Examples include:

* Manufacturing
* Material Efficiency Research
* Time Efficiency Research
* Blueprint Copying
* Invention

For production, select:

'''Manufacturing'''

This tells the game you want to build the finished item rather than perform research.
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= Step 4 – Select a Manufacturing Facility =
Next, choose where the item will be manufactured.

Available facilities include:

== NPC Stations ==
Advantages:

* Always available
* Safe
* Good for beginners

Disadvantages:

* Higher installation costs
* No production bonuses
* Slower than specialised player structures

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== Player-Owned Structures ==
Engineering Complexes offer:

* Material bonuses
* Time bonuses
* Reduced manufacturing costs
* Specialized rigs

These are generally preferred for serious industrial production.

The facility you choose directly affects both manufacturing cost and production time.
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= Step 5 – Select the Input Location =
The manufacturing system needs to know where your materials and blueprint are stored.

Choose the location containing:

* Blueprint
* Minerals
* Components
* Planetary materials
* Any additional manufacturing inputs

If required materials are spread across multiple hangars or stations, the job cannot start until they are consolidated.
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= Step 6 – Choose the Output Location =
Next, select where the completed items should be delivered.

Typical options include:

* Personal Item Hangar
* Corporation Hangar
* Structure Storage

For organized industrial operations, many players separate:

* Raw materials
* Work in progress
* Finished products

This makes large-scale manufacturing significantly easier to manage.
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= Step 7 – Choose the Number of Runs =
One of the most important settings is the number of production runs.

A run represents one complete execution of the blueprint.

Examples:

A frigate blueprint:

* 1 run = 1 ship

An ammunition blueprint:

* 1 run = hundreds or thousands of ammunition

Increasing the number of runs increases:

* Materials required
* Manufacturing time
* Total output

Running larger batches is generally more efficient than constantly restarting small jobs.
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= Step 8 – Review Material Requirements =
Before starting the job, carefully review the materials.

The Industry window displays:

* Required quantity
* Available quantity
* Missing materials
* Waste reduction from ME research

If any materials are highlighted as missing, the job cannot begin.

This is an excellent opportunity to double-check whether purchasing additional materials is actually profitable.
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= Step 9 – Review Manufacturing Costs =
Every manufacturing job has an installation cost.

This typically includes:

* System Cost Index
* Facility tax
* Corporation tax (if applicable)
* Structure owner fees

These costs vary depending on:

* The system
* The manufacturing facility
* Local industrial activity

Busy manufacturing systems generally cost more than quieter locations.
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= Step 10 – Check Manufacturing Time =
The interface displays the estimated completion time.

Production time depends on:

* Blueprint Time Efficiency
* Character skills
* Structure bonuses
* Implants
* Manufacturing rigs

Always review the completion time before installing large production batches.

Long manufacturing jobs may tie up valuable production slots for days or weeks.
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= Step 11 – Install the Job =
Once everything has been reviewed:

Click '''Start''' or '''Install Job'''.

The game will:

* Reserve the production slot
* Remove the installation fee
* Lock the blueprint for the duration of the job
* Begin manufacturing

The job now appears in your Industry window under '''Jobs'''.
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= Monitoring Active Jobs =
Active jobs can be viewed at any time.

The Industry window shows:

* Job progress
* Remaining time
* Facility
* Blueprint
* Output quantity
* Status

This allows you to manage multiple manufacturing jobs simultaneously.

Large industrialists may have hundreds of active jobs running across several characters.
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= Delivering a Completed Job =
Once manufacturing finishes, the items are not automatically placed into your hangar.

You must deliver the completed job.

Open the Industry window.

Select:

'''Completed Jobs'''

Click:

'''Deliver'''

The manufactured items are then transferred into the chosen output location.

Only after delivery can the items be:

* Sold
* Contracted
* Used
* Transported
* Incorporated into another manufacturing chain

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= Cancelling a Manufacturing Job =
Manufacturing jobs can be cancelled before completion.

However:

* Progress made is lost.
* Some materials may be consumed.
* Installation costs are not refunded.
* Time already invested cannot be recovered.

Cancelling production should generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
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= Manufacturing Slots =
Every character has a limited number of concurrent manufacturing jobs.

This limit is increased by training:

* Mass Production
* Advanced Mass Production

More production slots allow:

* Greater manufacturing throughput
* Better scaling
* Increased ISK generation

One of the biggest milestones for any industrialist is expanding from a single production line to managing multiple simultaneous jobs.
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= Understanding the Job Cost Breakdown =
Many new industrialists only look at material costs.

A manufacturing job actually includes several expenses:

== Materials ==
Minerals, PI products, salvage, components, and reaction materials.
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== Installation Cost ==
Paid when the job begins.
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== Facility Tax ==
Charged by NPC stations or player-owned structures.
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== Corporation Fees ==
Some corporations charge members for using industrial facilities.
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== Logistics ==
Moving materials to and from production facilities also costs ISK or time.

A profitable manufacturer considers every one of these costs before beginning production.
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= Common Manufacturing Job Mistakes =

== Installing jobs without checking profitability ==
Always calculate expected profit before committing materials.
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== Manufacturing enormous batches immediately ==
Start with small production runs to test market demand.
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== Forgetting to deliver completed jobs ==
Finished products cannot be sold until the job is delivered.
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== Using expensive production slots for low-profit items ==
Manufacturing slots are valuable.

Prioritise products with strong demand and healthy profit margins.
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== Ignoring production time ==
A slower job with a slightly higher margin may actually generate less ISK over time than a faster-moving product.
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= Beginner Workflow Example =
A typical manufacturing job might look like this:

# Purchase a Blueprint Original for Small Hybrid Charges.
# Buy the required minerals using market buy orders.
# Move the minerals and blueprint to an Engineering Complex.
# Open the Industry window.
# Select the blueprint.
# Choose '''Manufacturing'''.
# Set the job to 20 production runs.
# Review the material requirements and installation cost.
# Install the job.
# Wait for the production timer to complete.
# Deliver the finished ammunition to your Item Hangar.
# List the ammunition for sale on the market.

Once you are comfortable with this process, you can repeat it for virtually any manufacturable item in the game.
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= Scaling Manufacturing Jobs =
As your industrial operation grows, you'll move beyond managing individual jobs and begin planning continuous production cycles. Instead of asking, ''"What should I build today?"'', successful manufacturers ask:

* Which production slots will become available next?
* Do I already have the materials for the next batch?
* Which products have the healthiest margins this week?
* Should I manufacture or sell my raw materials?
* Are my blueprints already queued for the next production cycle?

Large-scale industrialists often keep production lines running continuously, with materials arriving, jobs starting, products finishing, and goods heading to market in an ongoing cycle.
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= Final Thoughts =
Manufacturing jobs are the engine that powers every industrial operation in EVE Online. Although the interface contains many settings, the underlying process is straightforward: choose a blueprint, provide the required materials, select a facility, configure the job, and begin production.

As you gain experience, you'll spend less time learning how to install jobs and more time optimising what you build, where you build it, and how efficiently you can keep your production lines running. Mastering the manufacturing workflow is the first step toward building a profitable industrial enterprise, and every successful manufacturer—from solo producers to alliance logistics directors—starts with the same simple manufacturing job.