2.3 Flashcards
Batch production
Producing a limited number of identical products.
Flow production
Continuous production of identical products, which gives scope for high levels of automation.
Job production
One-off production of a one-off item for a single customer.
Productivity
A measure of efficiency, usually output per person per time period (for example, Nissan UK’s 98 cars per worker per year).
Automation
Using machines that can operate without people.
Flexibility
The ability to switch quickly and easily from one task to another.
Robots
Machines that can be programmed to do tasks that can be done by humans, such as welding, spray painting and packing.
Bar gate stock graph
A diagram to show changes in the level of stock over time.
Buffer (stock)
The minimum stock level held at all times to avoid running out.
Just In Time (JIT)
Running the business with so little stock that new supplies have to arrive ‘just in time’ before they run out.
Stock(s)
Items held by a firm for use or sale, for example components for manufacturing or sellable products for a retailer.
Availability
Knowing how to get the right supplies quickly – just when you need them
Logistics
Ensuring that the right supplies will be ordered and delivered on time.
Procurement
Obtaining the right supplies from the right supplier.
Trust
Building a business relationship in which both sides know that the other won’t let them down.
Culture
‘The way we do things round here’; in other words, the accepted attitudes and practices of staff at a workplace.
Quality control
Putting measures in place to check that the customer receives an acceptable level of quality.
Warranty
The guarantee by the producer that it will repair any faults in a product for a specific period of time – often one year.
Customer engagement
The attempt to make a customer feel part of something rather than an outsider.
Customer feedback
Comments, praise or criticisms given to the company by its
customers.
Post-sales service
Service received after the purchase is completed, perhaps because something has gone wrong or as a way of promoting customer engagement.
Product knowledge
How well staff know all the features of the products and the service issues surrounding the products.
