20. Modern industrial and commercial practices

Question 1

What are scales of production?

Answer 1

the use of particular manufacturing methods to suit the anticipated volume of sales

Question 2

What are the scales of production?

Answer 2

• one-off, bespoke production
• batch production
• mass production
• vertical in-house production

Question 3

What is one-off, bespoke production?

Answer 3

• products that are designed and manufactured to individual specification
• aka ‘job’ production
• unique, individually designed and manufactured products
• e.g. luxury cruise ship, a chair for physically disabled child, wedding cake
• increased cost and more complex production due to individual client consultation and design work, more skilled workers required, setting up individual manufacturing processes, fewer economies of scale

Question 4

What is batch production?

Answer 4

• the manufacture of groups of products to increase efficiency and economy
• cost effective
• e.g. pottery, wooden furniture, jet engines
• jigs, fixtures and CNC machines facilitate more accurate and faster production of parts needed
• once initial manufacturing set up has been established, additional products can be easily made

Question 5

What is mass production?

Answer 5

• making large numbers of products in highly mechanised factories
• linear production refers to the linear nature of most production lines
• division of labour is used
• e.g. cars, clothing, mobile phones, TVs, ready meals

Question 6

What is vertical in-house production?

Answer 6

• setting up to manufacture parts ad sub-assemblies rather than buying them in
• aka vertical integration
• where a company owns its supply chain
• minimises the need for outsourcing
• reduces risk of increased price of components
• less susceptible to suppliers going out of business
• protects brand and improves security of intellectual property rights
• quality assurance strategies are easier to implement
• but reduces specialisation
• increased admin
• reduced flexibility
• increased short term costs but decreased long term costs

Question 7

What are unit production systems (UPS)?

Answer 7

• the use of overhead transporter devices to improve factory efficiency
• computer controlled
• incorporates appropriate hanging carriers to convey product components between workstations
• often used in textiles industry
• reduces handling operations
• optimises labour and equipment use
• improves quality

Question 8

What is quick response manufacturing (QRM)?

Answer 8

• the use of mainly computer based technologies to make low-volume, customised products efficiently and competitively
• reduces lead times

Question 9

What does cost effective and profitable manufacturing depend on?

Answer 9

the efficient use of materials and the most appropriate selection of manufacturing methods

Question 10

What will the specifications for the part or product being manufactured often dictate?

Answer 10

the material to be used

Question 11

What is the relationship between material, cost, form, manufacturing processes and scale of production?

Answer 11

• budget price level
  
  • simple material
    
    • lower material costs
      
      • less complex process
        
        • mass production
• medium price level
  
  • better quality material
    
    • medium material costs
      
      • more complex process
        
        • large batch production
• premium price level
  
  • good quality material
    
    • high material costs
      
      • more time consuming process
        
        • small batch/one-off production

Question 12

How can designers and manufacturers be economical in their use of materials?

Answer 12

• planning how multiple parts for products can be economically nested in a piece of sheet material to minimise unusable off cuts
• projects can be designed with the use of standard sizes of board, timber and other materials to avoid wastage and additional machining

Question 13

How can manufacturing processes increase accuracy and reduce waste?