New and emerging technologies - EdexcelProduction techniques

Developments in production techniques have led to a variety of production methods being created to improve efficiency by saving time and cutting costs.

Standardised design and components

When a manufacturer uses the same component across a number of products it is known as standardised design and components. For example, car manufactures owned by the same company often share components as it can reduce development and production costs, and increase the speed at which a product comes to market.

Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing

Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing 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, clients have to wait for their order to be produced.

Lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a Japanese concept, based on minimising costs and maximising efficiency by cutting down on waste and the amount of materials and energy used in production. This is done by adapting designs and making changes to the production process. For example, to reduce waste, a packaging net could be redesigned to include a tessellating pattern or, to improve efficiency, changeover times between production runs could be reduced.

One-off production

Prototyping can be used for testing and in-user trials. As well as this, bespoke specialist machines and vehicles can be made for a client using one-off production. Specialist workers and production aids are needed. This can produce high-quality and original objects, but they are often expensive to make and buy and highly skilled workers are needed to produce them.

Batch production

Batch production is where many items of the same product are produced, such as mobile phones and TVs. A range of products can be made, particularly ones that are regularly changed, but time is lost when retooling and skilled workers are needed. When a product is made in a batch, it is often far cheaper per product than making just one.

Mass production

Mass-produced products are manufactured in large volumes, and are often made by automated machinery with assembly line workers used to fit parts together or add standard components. Products are kept low cost as a large number are made and bulk materials and components are cheaper to buy. There is, however, a large cost in setting up such an assembly line.

Continuous production

Continuous production takes place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and, in some cases, 365 days a year. It can produce huge volumes of a product at a low cost but it is limited to a small range of products, and as with mass production it is expensive to set up.