1.6 Modern Industrial and Commercial Practice Flashcards
What do manufacturers consider when deciding which production system to use?
- The product type
- The number of items to be made
- The speed of delivery
What is one-off (bespoke) production?
Individually designed and manufactured products that meet a clients personal specification
What are some examples of one-off (bespoke) production?
- A custom made suit or dress
- A theatre costume
- Haute couture garments
Why is one-off production costly?
- Complexity of design, decoration and the use of high quality fabrics
- Fewer economies of scale
- High labour costs
- High levels of quality control
What is batch production?
Teams of workers, skilled in more than one job, work together to make a set number of identical products
What can a batch range from?
From two to more than 100,000 items, making products cheaper as bulk purchasing of fabrics and components is possible
How does batch production work?
- Teams of workers can simultaneously work
- Planned quality contol checks can be done by checking a specified number of products from each batch
What are some examples of batch production?
- Seasonal products such as fashion tops and shorts
- Ready to wear ranges
- Textile merchandise produced for a specific event such as the Olympic Games
What is mass production?
Systems set up to continuously manufacture large numbers of identical products over a long period of time
What is the set up of mass production like?
It is inflexible and initially expensive, i takes a long time to change if the product is changed and one problem can halt the whole production line
What is essential in mass production?
Planned quality contol checks at key stages to avoid costly mistakes later on
What are some examples of mass production?
- Classic products that never go out of fashion (Levi’s jeans)
- Items that are in continual demand (white work or school shirts)
- Simpler, untailored products (t-shirts)
What is line production?
Refers to the linear nature of most production lines where the product manufacture is carefully planned so work flows efficiently through a factory in a straight line
What are some examples of line production?
- Progressive bundle production
- Synchronised or straight line production
- Continual flow production
What is progressive bundle production?
Each worker receives a bundle of unfinished garments and performs a single manufacturing process on each garment before the bundle is moved forward to the next worker
What is synchronised or straight line production?
One person performs one task on one product before it is moved on. The delivery of work to the workstations is synchronised, meaning products spend exactly the same time at each workstation
What is continual flow production?
Used for high volume products where the line runs continuously and never shuts down. It is highly automated and used to produce simple items very cheaply
What is quick response manufacturing?
A manufacturing strategy that reduces lead times, enabling manufacturers to respond quickly to market demands when manufacturing small numbers of identical products
What is quick response manufacturing used for?
To reduce product lead times, it relies on the rapid transfer of accurate information from the electronic point of sales so that batches of products can be delivered from stock
What is electronic point of sale (EPOS)?
A self contained electronic checkout that accepts all forms of payment and also updates stock levels
What do small teams do?
Production cells/ modules complete products from start to finish by sharing tasks and equipment set out in a horseshoe arrangement
What are the benefits of quick response manufacturing?
- Faster productivity, efficiency and a motivated workforce
- Reduction in cost of keeping large volumes of stock
- Fast changeover to supply the ever changing fashion retail scene
What are unit production systems?
A computerised overhead transportation system that moves garment components automatically from one workstation to the next according to a pre determined sequence
What do computers do in unit production systems?
Plan, control, set the rahe of delivery and direct the flow of work as the garment is transported to operators via a computer controlled overhead hanging system
How do unit production systems work?
- Sections of product loaded onto hanging carrier and brought to operator
- System ergonomically designed
- On completion the operator presses button and carriers move product
- Garments tracked within system