operations

Question 1

Supplier Factor - Quantity

Answer 1

Any potential supplier of raw materials must be able to meet the quantities required.

Question 2

Supplier Factor - Lead time

Answer 2

Time taken from supplies being ordered to them being delivered to the business.

Question 3

Supplier Factor - Discounts

Answer 3

Discounts should be given by the supplier such as bulk buying.

Question 4

Supplier Factor - Location

Answer 4

If the supplier is not close by there could be expensive delivery charges.

Question 5

Supplier Factor - Quality

Answer 5

Consideration should be given to the quality of the raw materials on offer from each supplier. Is the quality of a satisfactory standard? It must meet business standards.

Question 6

job production?

Answer 6

job production is where a single product is custom-made to a customer’s own specification. production is started only when a customer makes an order. a customer built house, wedding cakes and wedding dresses are made by using job production.

Question 7

advantages of job production?

Answer 7

high prices can usually be charged so high profits can be earned, workers are more motivated as there is likely to be a variety of work and skills required

Question 8

disadvantages of job production?

Answer 8

Expensive to hire highly skilled staff, a wide variety of expensive tools and equipment and machines may be required

Question 9

batch production?

Answer 9

batch production is the production of groups of similar products. no item in a group goes on to the next stage until all are ready. machinery must be cleaned between each batch. examples of batch production include car tyres, bakery items such as bread and light bulbs. for example, Heinz may produce a batch of soup, and all 20,000 cans of soup will be started in production, finished and distributed to customers at the same time.

Question 10

advantages of batch production?

Answer 10

each batch can be altered to suit customer requirements if necessary, machinery and robots can be used to complete a lot of the production which may reduce costs in the long run

Question 11

disadvantages of batch production?

Answer 11

staff may be less motivated as they repeat the same task - batch after batch, if there is a problem with one item in the batch the whole batch may have to be wasted

Question 12

flow production?

Answer 12

flow production is a process in which the production of items moves continuously from one operation to the next. each part of the process contributes to the eventual production of the final product. usually machinery or robots are used to reduce labour costs. products are produced to a standard specification which mean quality is always the same. examples would include the production of cars, soft drinks and TV’s.

Question 13

advantages of flow production?

Answer 13

machinery can work 24/7, huge quantities of goods can be produced

Question 14

disadvantages of flow production?

Answer 14

very expensive to purchase machinery and equipment, individual customer requirements cannot be met

Question 15

what are some factors to consider before choosing a method of production?

Answer 15

the actual product being made, the finance available, the resources available for example staff or machinery, the way the business will make sure the product is of a high quality

Question 16

Quality - Benchmarking

Answer 16

Copying techniques used by the market leader.

Question 17

Quality - Employees

Answer 17

Train employees to make the product efficiently and recruit suitable staff with the correct skills.

Question 18

Quality - Quality assurance

Answer 18

Products are checked at every stage in production.

Question 19

Quality - Quality control

Answer 19

Products are checked at the beginning or end of the production process.

Question 20

Quality - Quality circles

Answer 20

A group of employees and managers get together to discuss issues in the production process.

Question 21

what are the advantages of having a high quality product?

Answer 21

gives the business a good reputation, loyal customers that will continue to use the business, less customer complaints, higher prices could be charged meaning higher profits

Question 22

however to check for quality can be?

Answer 22

expensive, time consuming, staff may have to be trained in how to check for quality