methods of production

• labour intensive production

  when products are mainly made by human workers with little machinery and special tools
• advantages of labour intensive production

  cheaper, creative, high availability of skilled labour in countries with manufacturing traditions, motivated employees as their job is not taken over by machines
• disadvantages of labour intensive production

  high risk of human error, humans require breaks and overtime payment, recruitment + training + wage costs
• capital intensive production

  when products are mainly produced by machines and robots, can be mechanised or automated
• mechanised production

  production process requires both humans and machines, machines do most work but are operated and controlled by humans
• advantages of mechanised production

  improves accuracy, quicker production, some creativity
• disadvantages of mechanised production

  machines and equipment cannot be used without humans so are liable to some human error, production cannot be 24/7 as humans need breaks, if machinery breaks down repair time means humans are idle
• automation

  when production process is mainly carried out by machinery and robots and mostly controlled by computers with limited human input
• advantages of automation

  improves consistency, less mistakes, no breaks required, less risky, fewer employees needed
• disadvantages of automation

  huge initial investment, breakdowns can be catastrophic, demotivate employees, no creativity and personality
• job production

  when a product is made completely by human(s), very labour intensive
• advantages of job production

  can be personalised, highly skilled workers, quality is carefully checked, simple managing of production process, higher prices charged
• disadvantages of job production

  high labour costs, specialist tools may be required, bulk buying cannot occur, time consuming, expensive product
• batch

  set quantity of identical products
• batch production

  repeatedly making a batch
• advantages of batch production

  standard appearance + quality, economies of scale can be enjoyed, staff becomes more expert, productivity increases, specifications of batches can be changed, savings made as same machinery is used for each batch, specialised worked not needed
• disadvantages of batch production

  workers must wait in between batches due to cleaning or preparation, motivation lowered, if fault is found in one then the entire batch is faulty, expensive machinery, stockholding costs of raw materials high, if only small batches are made then running costs are high
• flow production

  in mass manufacturing when an item goes from stage to stage on an assembly line getting parts added to it at each stage, fully assembled at final stage, capital intensive and heavily automated
• advantages of flow production

  large quantities can be standardised, machinery can reduce cost of labour and human error, automation allows constant production 24/7, economies of scale enjoyed as raw materials can be bought in bulk, quality can be checked down the assembly line
• disadvantages of flow production

  technology must be updated to keep up with competitors, huge initial investment, no personalisation possible, motivation lowered