Methods of Production
It is important for a business to produce the right amount of products, at the right price, at the right quantity, to the right quality. If any of this goes wrong, the business could end up losing money or customers. For your exam, you will need to know three methods of production and also be able to explain some of the advantages and disadvantages.
Let's find out more.....
Let's find out more.....
Mass Production (or Flow Production) is when a business makes lots and lots of the same product. They normally use an assembly line of workers who stand next to a conveyor belt ready to do their own small job.
The conveyor belt brings the product to the worker, who does their own little bit of the production stage. They then put the product back onto the conveyor belt, ready for the next person to do their job.
We can analyse the main advantages and disadvantages of Mass Production by using the acronym 'SWIM QQ'. This stands for:
The conveyor belt brings the product to the worker, who does their own little bit of the production stage. They then put the product back onto the conveyor belt, ready for the next person to do their job.
We can analyse the main advantages and disadvantages of Mass Production by using the acronym 'SWIM QQ'. This stands for:
- Speed - products are made very quickly on an assembly line.
- Wages - workers are not normally very skilled, so their wages are normally low.
- Investment - the business would need to invest in a large factory, but the conditions are not normally very luxurious.
- Machinery - A conveyor belt is used to keep production running. Robots have taken many of the human jobs in Mass Production.
- Quality - the products made on an assembly line are often of a low quality.
- Quantity - An assembly line often produces loads and loads of the same product.
Batch Production is very similar to Mass/Flow Production. Assembly lines are used often with a conveyor belt, so that people (or robots) can carry out one small part of the production process. As with Mass Production, people can become specialised at their job, meaning that the production line gets faster and faster.
The main difference from mass production, however, is that products are being made in ‘batches’. So for example, doughnuts might be being made. If they were being made using Mass Production, they would all be the same flavour. But what if we need a batch of 100 vanilla doughnuts, and then a batch of 100 strawberry doughnuts.
iPods and iPhones are made this way. There would be a batch of 16gb models, then a batch of 32gb models and so on. With iPhones, you would have a batch of red ones, then a batch of blue ones etc.
Batch Production can slow down the production process while the ingredients or components have to be changed and cleaned. This can waste valuable time, but is necessary to produce a quality product. As before, we can analyse Batch Production using our clever little SWIM QQ.
The main difference from mass production, however, is that products are being made in ‘batches’. So for example, doughnuts might be being made. If they were being made using Mass Production, they would all be the same flavour. But what if we need a batch of 100 vanilla doughnuts, and then a batch of 100 strawberry doughnuts.
iPods and iPhones are made this way. There would be a batch of 16gb models, then a batch of 32gb models and so on. With iPhones, you would have a batch of red ones, then a batch of blue ones etc.
Batch Production can slow down the production process while the ingredients or components have to be changed and cleaned. This can waste valuable time, but is necessary to produce a quality product. As before, we can analyse Batch Production using our clever little SWIM QQ.
- Speed – Production is quick but has to be slowed down to get ready for the next batch.
- Wages – like Mass Production, wages of employees tend to be quite low as they are not normally carrying out a skilled job.
- Investment – A factory is needed and maybe robots if they are being used instead of people.
- Machinery – normally a conveyor belt on an assembly line. Robots are being used more and more for batch production because of their speed and accuracy.
- Quality – Products are normally low quality, but not always – think about iPhones
- Quantity – Batch production is normally running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that many products can be made.
Job Production
This is when something is produced one JOB at a time. The best example that I can give you is wedding dresses. Imagine if wedding dresses were made using mass production techniques. Every dress would look the same. They would be made very quickly and without much care or attention. The end product would probably look quite cheap! Now, would you (or the love of your life) want to get married in that?!
Businesses using Job Production take time over the making of the product. The workers are normally specialised in their field and may be working on their own, such as a dressmaker. The work will be highly skilled, so the person will want paying a high wage. As a result, the end product will normally be quite expensive.
Using SWIM QQ, we can analyse it as follows:
This is when something is produced one JOB at a time. The best example that I can give you is wedding dresses. Imagine if wedding dresses were made using mass production techniques. Every dress would look the same. They would be made very quickly and without much care or attention. The end product would probably look quite cheap! Now, would you (or the love of your life) want to get married in that?!
Businesses using Job Production take time over the making of the product. The workers are normally specialised in their field and may be working on their own, such as a dressmaker. The work will be highly skilled, so the person will want paying a high wage. As a result, the end product will normally be quite expensive.
Using SWIM QQ, we can analyse it as follows:
- Speed – Very slow. Great care is taken when making the product.
- Wages – normally very high to reflect the skill that goes into making the product.
- Investment – the main investment will be the training of the worker/workers. They will need to be highly skilled to produce the product to the correct quality.
- Machinery – some may be used, but work is often done by hand-craft.
- Quality – Very high, reflected in the product normally being very expensive to purchase.
- Quantity – one job at a time, made from start to finish, normally made to order, or made to measure.