Cell production - A form of flow production whereby the production line is split into a series of self contained cells which teams in these cells work together to create one unit of output.
Each cell takes responsibility for the production of complete units of output.
MASLOW AND HERZBERG ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The members of the cell work as a team to achieve goals and ensure quality standards are met.
Cell production often leads to increased productivity due to:
CELL PRODUCTION |
ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
Increases quality, teamwork and motivation | Depends on staff being well trained or experts in their role |
Flow production - Items flow along the production line in a continuous process making high volumes of the exact same product. Once one task is finished the next task is started immediately, therefore time taken on each task must be the same.
FLOW PRODUCTION |
ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
Costs per unit of production are reduced through improved work and material flow | Very long set up time and reliant on high quality machinery, so if machinery breaks and therefore breaks the flow, production will be shut down |
Suitable for manufacture of large quantities | High raw materials and finished stocks unless lean production is used |
Capital intensive which means it can work constantly without the interference of employees | Goods are mass produced which means there is no customisation to meet specific needs for customers |
Less need for training and skill as most work is done by machines | Uses specialist machinery so investment in this expensive, especially if switching from labour intensive to capital intensive |
Produces exactly identical items | Due to products being identical, there may not be a very high demand if products are continually being made and so have to be sold at lower prices which means less profit overall |
TAYLOR ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Workers are each responsible for a small step along the production process, this involves:
Specialisation
Division of labor
Batch production - Identical or similar items are produced together in groups (batches), each item passing through the production process at the same time, before moving onto the next
Examples of batch production:
Printers = printing a certain number of newspapers, magazines or books and then resetting their machines to produce a batch of another issue or titles
Baker = produces a batch of 50 white loaves. Only after they are completed will he or she start baking 50 loaves of brown bread.
Factory = produces a batch of size 14 t-shirts, then a batch of size 12 t-shirts
Aims:
BATCH PRODUCTION |
ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
Costs savings can be achieved when buying in bulk and allows for quicker and cheaper production of individual items | Time consuming as it may take time to switch production of one batch to another |
Still allows customers some choice due to variations in different batches | Requires the business to maintain higher stocks of raw materials and work-in progress |
Products can be worked on by specialist staff or equipment at each stage, creating more uniform products | Tasks may become boring and repetitive, reducing motivation and creating job dissatisfaction |
Works well to meet various levels of demand and so firm can easily handle unexpected orders | Size of batch dependent on capacity allocated |
| Still not as cheap to produce as flow production |
| Lacks full unique customisation of job production and so cannot meet all customers’ needs exactly |
Job production - the production of one off items to meet the needs/specifications of each individual customer, often undertaken by small, specialist businesses.
Examples of job production
Artists = each picture will be unique
Dental technicians = make plastic caps for teeth, each one molded to fit the patient's mouth
Aircraft = built one at a time due to their size
Architects = designs plans for buildings that are unique
JOB PRODUCTION |
ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
Cheap and easy to set up | Individual cost of one unit may be much more expensive |
Customer requirements and changes can be managed so are more specific to customer needs | Often labour-intensive so costs for labour are also extremely expensive |
Associated with higher quality as they are typically premium products | Requires close consultation with the client to meet exact specification needs, as mistakes are extremely costly |
Employees can be better motivated – more job satisfaction | Time-consuming to produce – one product in job production may take the same time as several days of flow production |
A flexible production method – not monotonous. | Usually reliant on specialist skills |
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Studied by 5 people
