7 - Scales of Production

• One off production is the manufacture of a single item, this may be a custom or bespoke item made specifically for a client's brief. [e.g. Cruise Liner, Jewellery, Wedding Dress]
• Batch production is used in order to make consistent products, while maintaining a quality standard [e.g. Clothing, Baked goods, Electrical Goods, Newspapers]
• Mass production is the manufacture of standardised products in large quantities. [e.g. Vehicles, Soft Drinks, Pharmaceuticals, Mobile Phones]
• Continuous production occurs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is used for [Petrochemicals, Steel, Cement, Household Chemicals]
• A prototype is a representation of a product before it is produced in any quantity. It helps to evaluate and test a design, and to confirm design methods and costs.
• One-off:

  • High quality and level of craftmanship
  • High cost of production
• Batch:

  • Products made in large batches, reducing average cost
  • Templates and moulds used to ensure consistency of production
  • Each batch tested for quality and uniformity
  • Machinery may need to be stopped between batches, causing downtime
• Mass:

  • Automation of processes and assembly lines for efficient manufacture of high volume products
  • Automated assembly line production requires fewer workers
  • Set-up costs for machinery can be high
  • Reduced cost per unit due to high product volumes being produced
• Continuous:

  • Very expensive to run
  • Highly automated with small work force
  • Machinery set up to produce large volumes of one item