Methods Of Production Flashcards
Overview of one-off production
- job production
- tailor-made
- bespoke
- customised
- high cost
- single product
Advantages, disadvantages and applications of one-off production
Advantages
- made to exact personal specifications
- highly skilled craftsperson ensures high-quality product
- high-quality materials used
Disadvantages
- expensive final product
- labour intensive
- time consuming
Applications
- bespoke furniture
- shop signage
- vinyl stickers
- wedding cake
Overview of batch production
- manufacture of identical products
- specified, predetermined batches
- 10s to 1000s
- flexibility of tooling, workforce, maching to enable fast turnaround
- can be quickly adapted to make a different product
- often use flexible manufcatuirng sysatems
- lower unit cost than one-off
Advantages, disadvantages and applications of batch production
Advantages
- flexible to adapt production to another product
- fast reponse to market trenfs
- good economies of scale by bulk buying
- lower unit costs than one off
- identical batches produced
- efficient manufacturing systems
Disadvantages
- poor production planning can cause large quantities of products to be stored - storage costs
- frequent production changes can cost money for retooling
Applications
- seasonal garden furniture
- commericaly printed materials
e.g. newspapers
Overview of mass production
- high volume
- efficient automated procesds
- largely unskilled workforce
- follows mass market trends
- products appeal to national + international target market
- production costs as low as possible
Advantages, disadvantages and applications of batch production
Advantages
- highly automated + efficient
- rigorous quality control ensures identical products
- excellent economies of sacle due to bulk buying materials
- set-up costs quicjkly recoverd
- low unit costs
- reduced labour costs
Disadvantages
- high initial set-up costs
- inflexible - cannot be easily changed
- low skilled workforce: low wages, job dissatisfaction
- ethical conmern in developign countires - ‘sweat-shops’
Applications
- electronic products
- commercial packaging
Overview of modular production
- group of workers who set their own standards
- all operators help each other to finish production
- the team is fully responsible for quality
Advantages, disadvantages of modular production
Advantages
- saves money
- flexible with product changes
- can be more efficient
- can speed up lead time
- can have fewer resource requirements
Disadvantages
- high degree of communication required
- workers must co-operate well
- no rhythm or pace saetting
- dependant on all workers equally
- one worker missing halts production
Overview of cell production
- each production process is divided into self-contained units
- each cell responsible for specific maufactruoing process
- cells collaborate
- widely used in lean manufacturing
Advantages, disadvantages of cell production
Advantages
- workers become multi-skilled
- workers become mroe adaptable for future needs of company
Disadvantages
- production volume can be lowered due to lack of continous flow
- greater investment/cost of managament + controlling processes
- stock ordering required
Overview of just-in-time production (JIT)
- lean manufacturing
- products produced when needed
- reduces waste + costs
Advantages, disadvantages of JIT
Advantages
- prevents over-production
- minimises wait times
- reduced transport costs
- saves resources by streamlining
- reduces capital tied in stock
- all products produced meet demands
- constant commmunication with customer
- promotes high customer satisfaction
Disadvantages
- difficult to adapt to sudden surges or changes in customer demand
- shortage of materials causes delays
- time sensetivity risks losing customers
- more plannning is required to manage materials
- relies heavily on suppliers delivering materials on time
- fluctuating stock required can be difficult to predict
- one delay can halt production
Overview, advantages, disadvantages, examples of outsourcing
Contracting external companies to handle business functions or processes
- usually due to lower costs
- allows company to focus on core activities while outscorucing non-core activities
- geographic flexibility - e.g. using different countries with different labour costs
Advantages
- cost reduction
- access to expertise without having to invest
- allows scalability
- saves time
Disadvantages
- loss of control over quality + timelines
- communication barriers
- quality risks
- security + confidentiality risks
Examples
- manufacturing circuit boards
- product testing
- customer service
- IT services
Features of Good Management
- Plan ahead - look at waht’s going to be needed in the future - materials or staff
- Materials ordered beforehand so staff can begin production
- Proccesses planned ahead
- No break in manufacturing
- Manufacturing should run smoothly
- Dates and times noted - records kept
- Flagging up quality control issues
