Production and manufacturing
Commercial production can produce products in different quantities and through different means. There are five terms used in relation to manufacturing a product:
- The first working model of a design used for testing, development and evaluation. or one-off production
- Where one group of identical products is made at the same time, before moving onto producing the next group.
- When the same product is manufactured many times.
- A systematic approach to minimising waste within a manufacturing system.
- just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing
Scales of production
Prototype and one-off production
In one-off production, an individual item is designed and made to meet a client's specification. At this level both time and material costs are high, and a high level of design and manufacturing skills are required. Most boards are very suitable for manufacturing a The first working model of a design used for testing, development and evaluation. due to the very low cost and ease of manipulation of the material. Many The design and structure of buildings. firms use foam-core board to make prototype display models to present to In business, a client is a person or organisation that wants a product manufactured, eg a retailer..
Batch production
Batch production is where many items of the same product are produced. Some promotional books and magazines are printed in a batch, eg a programme for an event such as a sports fixture, listing teams and other information. These would be produced in a large quantity, but only once.
Costs are an important part in scales of production, as a designer will have to calculate the costs associated with production. Generally, a manufacturer will charge less per item as the quantity increases because the machine can continue running without having to be set up again, and this saves money.
Example
A leaflet printing firm have set charges depending upon the number of leaflets printed. Their prices can be seen below:
| Quantity | Price per leaflet |
| 0-100 | £0.20 |
| 101-500 | £0.18 |
| 501-1,000 | £0.16 |
| 1,000+ | £0.13 |
| Quantity | 0-100 |
|---|---|
| Price per leaflet | £0.20 |
| Quantity | 101-500 |
|---|---|
| Price per leaflet | £0.18 |
| Quantity | 501-1,000 |
|---|---|
| Price per leaflet | £0.16 |
| Quantity | 1,000+ |
|---|---|
| Price per leaflet | £0.13 |
If a designer required 200 leaflets, they could see from the table that each leaflet would cost £0.18.
= 0.18 × 200 = £36.00
Question
Using the information shown above, calculate the total cost if 1,500 leaflets were needed.
Individual price for 1,000 or more leaflets is £0.13.
Total cost = individual price × quantity required
= 0.13 × 1,500 = £195.00
Mass production
Manufacturing in huge numbers is categorised as mass production. This level of production involves standardised production methods, A set of tasks that come one after the other and result in an identical end product. and the extensive use of automation. Because of the high set-up costs, mass production systems tend to be inflexible.
Mass production would be suitable for printing popular magazines and newspapers.
Scales of manufacturing
Lean manufacturing
A systematic approach to minimising waste within a manufacturing system. puts a focus on efficiency to add value for a customer, simplifying manufacturing processes and reducing waste. The philosophy originated in the Japanese car industry and has since been adopted by many organisations. There are seven areas to lean manufacturing known as ‘The seven wastes’:
- over-production - producing more than is required
- transportation - the unnecessary movement of items
- over-processing - processing too soon or too much
- inventory - holding more than is required
- motion - the unnecessary movement of people
- defects - errors and mistakes
- waiting - for someone or for an event to happen
Just-in-time (JIT)
Materials or parts are delivered just before they are needed. is triggered by a customer order. The correct amounts of materials are ordered in to cover the order, and these arrive just as they are needed by production. This saves money on storage, reduces waste and ensures there is no money wasted producing stock that will remain unsold. There are disadvantages to the system in that, if any part of the product cannot be sourced, In business, a client is a person or organisation that wants a product manufactured, eg a retailer. have to wait for their order to be produced.
