Manufacturing
Making products, usually in a factory
Batch production
Producing a set number of identical products, can be small or large amounts
Productivity
Measurement of efficiency, usually output per person over a given time period
Just-in-case production
Hold extra stock in case there is a sudden rise in orders or a delay getting supplies
Kaizen
Japanese strategy of 'continuous improvement' the production process is constantly improved by making small changes
Automation
Replacing human labour with machines or robots
Robots
Machines designed to carry out production tasks
Stock
Items that held by a business to be used to produce outputs
Buffer stock
An amount of stock a manager believes is necessary to ensure availability and continuity of production
Bar gate stock graph
A graph that shows the level of stock of individual items and the minimum buffer stock level
Assembly line
A linear arrangement of production steps that a single product passes through to completion
Mass-market products
Products that are widely sold, well known and made to a predictable standard
retool
To change machinery in a production process to make different items or products
Labour-intensive production
Production process that requires a lot of people's time and work
Capital intensive production
Production process which is expensive to set up and supply