Methods Of Production - Job, Batch, Flow, Cell & Division Of Labour Flashcards
job production
producing a single itemor product at a time
- custom made
- bespoke
- customer requirements
- tailor made goods
job production advantages
- can meet customer needs exactly
- motivated staff/job satisfaction
- specialist work adds value
- flexibility to produce whats required
- low stock holding costs - little work in progress
- high quality work - focus on 1 item
job production disadvantages
- small scale production - no EOS
- higher unit costs of production - labour intensive and specialist staff
- skilled labour is more expensive, harder to recruit, large investment in training needed
- slow production process
- costs are difficult to estimate - labour is charged per hour, specialist equipment needed and materials are specialist
batch production
- similar products are produced together
- each batch goes through one stage of production before moving onto the next
- each process must be completed before the batch moves onto the next stage
- each batch goes through the same stage of production together
- process is repeated for the next batch
- different products can be produced using the same process
batch production advantages
- can produce larger quantities than job
- possible EOS depending on batch size - lower unit costs (bulk discounts)
- standardised products
- specialist staff and equipment used at each stage but less is needed for highly skilled staff
- some flexibility - batches can be made to custom orders
- some customer choice
- stocks of finished to semi-finished goods can be held to meet unexpected orders
batch production disadvantages
- small batches means higher unit costs
- less variety of work so worker productivity/motivation/job satisfaction impacted
- possible time delays between batches
- downtime reduces output comapred to flow production
- stock holding costs impact cash outflows
- storage space needed - costs to maintain
- limited variety compared to job
flow production
very large scale production of a STANDARDISED PRODUCT where each operation on a unit is perfomed continuously one after the other on a production line
workers undertake specific, repetitive tasks at each stage of the production line
can move along a conveyor belt
flow production advantages
- EOS can be incurred with lower unit costs
- division of labour and specialisation can be applied
- standardised products can be produced quickly for a mass market with a low cost per unit per item
- large quantities produced quickly
- little downtime - maximum production
- use of machinary and robots (CAPITAL INTENSIVE PRODUCTION) - no need for training, labour, skills
flow production disadvantages
- high set up costs with expensive automated systems
- may need large raw materials and stock
- reduced demand affects the whole business’ survival
- downtime, breakdowns and stoppages in the production line halts everything
- lack of flexibility - harder to produce a variety
- long set up time to ensure processesare completed in the right order
- reduces choice with the mass produced standardised goods
- long lead time in setting up flow production systems
- changing the products have large downtime
- repetitive work reduces worker motivation, increase unit costs and raise absenteeism
cell production
team of workers responsible for the whole production process for a product - several teams may operate in a factory
employees are responsible for the whole production process which may improve satisfaction, perfomance and motivation
or
each stage of production process is split into cellular units with teams responsible for each section cell - sense of achievement and motivation
empowers workers to encourage them to take more responsiblity for their work
cell production advantages
- teamwork may improve motivation
- incentives to improve quality and reduce wastage
- greater sense of responsibility
- workers can rotate between jobs
- teams can set their own pace within a given time
cell production disadvantages
- duplicated investment in production lines
- small batches may reduce machine utilisation
- possible lower production volume
- production cells may not be flexible - workers can only perform the tasks within their cell
what factors influence the choice of production method?
- cost
- availability of resources
- size of the market
- consumer requirements
- technology
- nature of the product
- objectives of the business
- stakeholder influence
- functional areas i.e. marketing, HR, finance
whats division of labour ( specialisation )
when a job/task is broken down/divided into serperate tasks
makes the task easier to perform and quicker/cheaper to train someone to perform the special task - can then learn and perform it more quickly
X - tasks can become reptitive and boring
X - hard to find work motivational and can lead to higher labour turnover
X - redundancies can be created if the task can be completed automatedly = reduce unit costs further if automated
changing method of production
whether its right to do so and when is the best time to change
decision of change will depend on:
- nature of the products involved
- actual cost of the machinary
- financial situation/budget
- availability of the required technology
- need to produce a standardised product
- cost of redunancies
- support of the workforce
- if theres room in the factory to change
- business objectives
- stakeholder views of the change and business
- degree of competition in the market
- customer importance to meet their needs
