Scales of production

• Mass production involves the product going through many stages of a production line
• There are workers and machines at certain stages along the line that are responsible for making certain parts of the product
• This means the products is often made over days or even weeks depending how complicated it is
• There are 4 main types of production used in manufacturing: one-off (or prototype) batch, mass and continuous
• One-off:


  Making of a single product, are labour intensive and time consuming to produce and are difficult to repeat. Some are hand made but some others are automated processes
• Batch:


  Limited number of an item are produced in one go. Has the ability to produce similar products with slight variations, such as change to text and colour. Materials can be purchased in bulk, which reduces the overall cost of manufacture.
• High-volume production:


  Involved with the manufacture of products in large quantities. It uses a production line, where individual parts are manufactured in sub-assemblies and then come together for final assemblies
• Continuous:


  Products are made continuously 24/7. CAM is used extensively to manufacture the products
• Just in Time (JIT):


  A factory orders in and out uses only the materials they need, when they need them. Reliance on external suppliers and materials