Manufacturing Scales And Production

Question 1

What is one off/ bespoke production?

Answer 1

Made to measure, custom made or job production that make one-off textiles products.

Question 2

What are some key features of one off production?

Answer 2

High quality everything, exclusive product, made by specialists, most expensive type of manufacturing due to materials and labour costs. Less use of machines due to the highly skilled pattern cutters and tailors.

Question 3

What is batch production?

Answer 3

A fixed quantity of identical products are made either for stock or order.

Question 4

What are some features of batch production?

Answer 4

Made for fast fashion in high street stores or ready to wear in designer stores.
Still requires a high level of design, pattern making and sampling skills.
Materials are cost-effective and manufacturing costs are lower than one-off production.
Garments are designed to fit a range of standard sizes and shapes.
Batch sizes are increased or decreased according to demand.

Question 5

What are some comparisons between batch and one off production?

Answer 5

• one off is made to your measurements, batch production is made for a range of standard sizes.
• One-off is more expensive as handmade however batch production is made in factories and therefore is cheaper.
• They will stop being made eventually (batch production) however one-off is when only one is made.

Question 6

What are some examples of batch production?

Answer 6

Sportswear, fashionable interior products, Zara clothes, clothes with elements of fashion incorporated.

Question 7

What is QRM?

Answer 7

Quick response Manufacturing

Question 8

What does QRM consist of?

Answer 8

A team of 8-10 skilled workers cooperate to make a product from start to end in a production cell.
Manufacture use information from EPOS tills in shops.
Workers are multi-skilled and allow for small batches of a wide range of products to be manufactured quickly.
Use job rotation to prevent workers becoming bored and have an increased job satisfaction.
For batch production.

Question 9

What are some advantages of QRM?

Answer 9

• Workers more skilled, flexible and kept interested as they do a variety of tasks.
• Team work is quicker and adapts more easily to changing demands and problems.
• Motivating for the production team as high quality products are produced.
• The responsibility of performance and final quality is shared between all the members of the team
• Equipment is shared.

Question 10

What is mass production?

Answer 10

Mass products are produced in HIGH volume in assembly line production as they are basics that will never go out of fashion such as white T-shirts, jeans, tights etc.
• Mass products are produced on a continual, 24/7 basis.
• It is a cheap method of production because materials can be bought in large numbers and a large number can be made quickly.

Question 11

What are some features of mass production?

Answer 11

Cost effective for products that don’t change quickly with fashion trends.
It reduces time and costs but can be easily halted if there is a small problem.
Specialised expensive machines.
Operators are skilled in a specific job area and will need to be retrained to do a different job.
Uses standard materials, components and basic patterns, equipment and processes.

Question 12

What are some disadvantages of mass production?

Answer 12

• This system enables them to make identical products very quickly but can be very boring and straining for the workers.
• Cost effective method of making identical products, wont be as interesting as batch or one off products.

Mass production also is not usually very eco-friendly, brands such as shein create masses of products which go to waste through mass production.

Question 13

How do you compare mass production to batch production?

Answer 13

• Batch can be made by one main operator however mass production always has to be made by a team which is why Quick Response Manufacturing is appropriate for mass production too.
• Mass production produced in high volume and continuous volume, compared to batch which is a fixed quantity.

Question 14

What is mass production usually used to produce?

Answer 14

Textile items that are needed all year around, fast fashion, school uniform, basic t-shirts.

Question 15

What methods of manufacture do mass production use?

Answer 15

PBU (progressive bundle unit)
UPS (unit production system)

Question 16

What is PBU?

Answer 16

1. Progressive Bundle Unit (PBU): Operations are laid out to follow the sequence of manufacturing for one garment style.

Question 17

What is UPS?

Answer 17

2. Unit production system (UPS): Computer technology controls a powered automated rail that transports work in progress from operator to operator, this system keeps track of orders to meet delivery dates.
   - extremely efficient
   - rate of production is pre-determined by computers

Question 18

What are some advantages of UPS?

Answer 18

1. Planned for ease of manufacture using specialised equipment, quality is planned and checks take place throughout manufacture to ensure the products are identical and meet specification.
2. ‘Economies of scale’: the increase in efficiency of production as the number of goods being produced increases, for example styles that carry over from one season to another mean there is an opportunity to use fabrics and components purchased in the previous season.
3. It allows a factory to respond quickly to changes in the fashion market, allowing as many as 40 different styles to be produced at the same time.

Question 19

What are some disadvantages of UPS?

Answer 19

1. Repetitive tasks causing boredom and repetitive strain injuries. Inhaling loose fibres in the air.
2. Highly reliant on high-cost energy, machinery and access to the internet.
3. Working conditions causing stress and discomfort due to high pace, noise and heat from the machines.
4. Isolation, dealing with robots rather than other workers.
5. Under the pressure of robots, continuously busy and dehumanising.
6. Stressed working conditions, could turn chaotic, AI could be used instead to improve the situation.

Question 20

What is JIT?

Answer 20

Just in time: where materials and components are ordered so they arrive at a factory just in time for production.
It requires carefully planning and is often used within QRM where goods are produced quickly. It is highly dependent on CAD/CAM

Question 21

How does JIT work?

Answer 21

• The different materials needed for the product come directly from the supplier and arrive at the factory when they are needed, where they go straight onto the part of the assembly line where they are needed.
• Stock control management system that ensures fabrics and components arrive at the factory just as they are needed to go onto the production line. This will give information about the materials and components needed, and at what stage of the production process they are needed.

Question 22

What are some advantages of JIT?

Answer 22

• Manufactures can respond quickly when fashions change.
• Allows factories to make garments for different retailers/materials delivered just in time for production and finished good delivered to retailer as required.
• Reduces need to keep stockpiles of materials, components, etc.
• Reduces space and storage costs needed for stock.
• Reduces levels of finished goods put into stock.
• Good for the environment & customers.

Question 23

What are some disadvantages of JIT?

Answer 23

• Highly dependednt on CAD/CAM
• However there is very little time margin
• Room for error, reliant on technology.

Question 24

What is Sub-Assembly?

Answer 24

Parts of the garment are made separately to the main part and joined together at the end.
- this is efficient for the use of time, equipment and labour.
- allows for some sections of the production to be made in a different factory.
- helps reduce manufacturing costs by sub-contracting to specialist manufacturers.
- can be used in conjunction with JIT manufacture.
- designers can communicate via the internet, many textile products are designed in one country and made in another.

Question 25

What is section manufacture?

Answer 25

A development of one-off manufacture but on a larger scale. Workers specialise in one section of the garment only and do it from start to finish.
This enables maximum quality as workers are ultra specialised, trained and focused.
Even better quality than QRM.

Question 26

What is vertical production system?

Answer 26

Also known as ‘in-house’ manufacture. Smaller businesses or couture houses do their own designing, manufacturing and distribution.
This allows lead times to be shorter as they do not have to rely on suppliers.

Question 27

What are some advantages of the VPS?

Answer 27

Better communication between departments.
No costs and pollution linked to transportation or outsourcing.