4.3 Flashcards
define scales of production
quantity of product needed to be produced
considerations that affect scales of production
material properties (waste, sustainability considerations)
manufacturing (equipment accessibility)
financial budget
ethical concerns (pollution etc)
economies of scale
cost advantages that come from higher production runs:
1 spreading fixed costs – more units then costs are spread out
2 bulk discounts – suppliers can offer lower prices per unit when buying in bulk
3 specialisation and efficiency – production is longer –> specialisaiton of labour can happen
production scales
1 one off
2 batch
3 mass
4 continuous flow
5 mass customisation
one off
single unique product/prototype
one off advantages
fully customised to suit customer needs
flexibility for designer and consumer
one off disadvantages
expensive as new tools etc needed might be entirely included in final cost
time and cost intensive if manufacturing techniques are used by highly skilled people
batch production
set number of units is produced, when they are sold out, there are no more until another batch is ordered
batch advantages
cheaper than one off as tool and machinery costs are spread across more units
can be easily adjusted to meet market demands
greater consumer choice
batch disadvantages
finished units have to be held => storage costs
customisation will never be as high as in one off production
if demand miscalculated, excess stock may be produced
mass production
a form of continuous flow production. large amounts of standardised products w little redesigning. very high rates of production
mass production advantages
very low unit costs
low labour costs
mass production disadvantages
little to no customisation
high initial investment and specialised equipment needed to compensate for lack of labour skill
continuous flow production
highly automated production method used to create materials without interruption. maximises production and reduces costs
continuous flow production advantages
cheapest due to large volume produced
customer assurance that broken product can be replaced w identical one
continuous flow production disadvantages
no customisation
automated production has high initial costs
staff need to be trained to run machines
mass customisation
computer aided manufacturing allows to combine low unit costs of mass production w individual customisation
mass customisation advantages
economies of scale
consumer feels their needs are met
mass customisation disadvantages
delayed in reaching consumer compared to no customisation
very high initial capital costs
staff needs to be trained
