Job shops are typically small manufacturing businesses that handle job production, that is, custom/bespoke or semi-custom/bespoke manufacturing processes such as small to medium-size customer orders or batch jobs. Job shops typically move on to different jobs (possibly with different customers) when each job is completed. By the nature of this type of manufacturing operation, job shops are usually specialized in skill and processes. In computer science the problem of job shop scheduling is considered strongly NP-hard.
A typical example would be a machine shop who makes specialized components for the aerospace industry. Such parts are made in relatively small quantities compared to components such as standard bolts or rivets. Other types of common job shops are grinding, honing, jig-boring, gear manufacturing, and fabrication shops.
The opposite would be continuous flow manufactures such as textile, steel,food manufacturing and manual labor.