topic 18 - methods of production

Question 1

describe capital-intensive production

Answer 1

this involes producing products primarily by means of machinery and equipment. Capital-intensive production can utilise either automation or mechanisation.

Question 2

describe automation

Answer 2

this refers to production being fully automatic. This involves the use of Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) to control fully automated assembly lines that use robotics.

Question 3

advantages of automation

Answer 3

• CAM/robotics produce products in exactly the same way every time, improving consistency.
• CAM doesn’t lose concentration so fewer mistakes are made, which limits waste.
• robots can do jobs that are dangerous for humans to do.
• robots don’t take breaks, holidays or sick leave so can work 24/7.
• fewer employees are needed as automation doesn’t require human control, reducing wage costs.

Question 4

disadvantages of automation

Answer 4

• huge investment is needed to automate a production line.
• breakdowns can be catastrophic, losing hours of production time and wasting vast amounts of materials.
• replacing labour with automated robotics will demotivate retained employees.
• absence of a ‘human touch’ often leads to lack of creativity and personality in the products produced.

Question 5

describe mechanisation

Answer 5

this refers to labour and machines working together to produce products. A tradition example is a machinist operating a sewing machine in a textile factory.

Question 6

advantages of mechanisation

Answer 6

• using machinery improves accuracy over purely handmade products as human error is lessend.
• using machinery can speed up production.
• unlike automation, a human element exisrs in mechanisation, improving creativity.

Question 7

disadvantages of mechanisation

Answer 7

• the machines and equipment can’t be used without humans, so are liable to some human error.
• production can’t be 24/7 as humans require breaks, holidays and so on.
• if machinery breaks down, the business has to repair it, leaving workers idle.

Question 8

describe labour intensive production

Answer 8

this involves humans doing most of the work. This is most common in job production, for example, skilled hand-crafts, such as cake decorating.

Question 9

advantages of labour-intensive production

Answer 9

• labour can be less expensive than capital-intensive production.
• humans can use initiative and creativity, something that is often lacking in automated systems.
• theres a constant supply of labour, often skilled labour, available in areas of the country with manufacturing traditions.
• employees are motivated as they are not ‘giving up’ tasks to machines.

Question 10

disadvantages of labour-intensive production

Answer 10

• the business is at high risk of human error, resulting in waste, faulty products and disgruntled customers.
• humans have to take breaks, holidays, etc, which limits production time.
• humans have to be paid overtime for working over normal hours whereas machines cost the same at any time of day.
• recruitment, training and wage costs need to be considered.

Question 11

describe the reasons for production choices

Answer 11

quantity of goods required - if large quantities are required, capital-intensive production will be more suitable than labour-intensive.
skills of the workforce - if the workforce is highly skilled, their expertise would be better suited to labour-intensive production.
cost of labour - rising labour costs (perhaps due to a rising minimum wage) could mean that the business should move to capital-intensive production.
finance available - large amounts of finance are required to equip factories or hire the number of staff needed for large-scale capital-intensive production.
technology available - if the business doesn’t have the technology required for capital-intensive production, labour-intensive is the only option.