DT 1.6

• One-off/bespoke production


  Required for a unique situation where it would be inappropriate to use anything other than individually designed and manufactured bespoke version
• Examples of one-off/bespoke production

  • Luxury custom-made yacht
  • Chair for a child with a serious physical disability
• One-off production


  • More expensive and more difficult to produce than products made on a large scale
  • Individual client consultation and design work is required
  • More skilled workers are likely to be required for manufacture
  • Each manufacturing process has to be set up individually for each of the unique components
  • Greater time is required for manufacturing
  • No economies of scale for materials as there would be with large-scale production
• Batch production


  Manufacture of any products where the manufacturing processes are carried out simultaneously on a number of products in order to make the process more efficient and cost effective
• Examples of batch produced products

  • Pottery
  • Wooden furniture
• Batch production


  • Jigs, fixtures and other aids will be used alongside manual and CNC machines to facilitate more accurate and faster production
• Mass production


  Manufacture of large numbers of products in factories that are usually highly mechanised
• Line production


  Manufacture of large numbers of products in factories set up so that processes can be efficiently carried out by workers and/or teams organised in a specific sequence
• Division of labour


  Dividing up the tasks needed in order to mass produce a product in large quantities, using a sequence of stages as it proceeds through the manufacturing process
• Examples of products that are mass produced

  • Clothing
  • Bicycles
  • Mobile phones
  • Cameras
  • Ready meals
• Unit production systems (UPS)

  • Extensively used in the manufacture of textile products
  • Based on the principle of using an overhead transporter system, incorporating appropriate hanging carriers, to convey the components that are required for the manufacture of a garment between work stations
  • Often computer controlled
  • Requires careful organisation and synchronisation to ensure that it works efficiently
  • Reduces the number of handling operations and facilitates the optimal use of labour and equipment, while improving the quality of products
• Quick response manufacturing


  • A strategy for drastically reducing the time between a product being a concept and being completed
  • The strategy is focused on going through the design process and developing the products to meet a customer's needs quickly
  • The needs of the customer are given very high priority throughout the design process and production process but quality is still important
• Vertical in-house production


  • Also known as vertical integration
  • An arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is owned by that company
  • Those that opt for vertical integration set up their manufacturing in such a way that they minimise the need for external suppliers and organise their factories to include the facilities required to manufacture what is required
• Advantages of vertical in-house production

  • Reduction on the risk of unexpected price increases for components
  • Less susceptibility to suppliers going out of business
  • Protection of their brand and improved security of intellectual property rights
  • Easier implementation of quality assurance strategies
• Disadvantages of vertical in-house production

  • Reduction in specialisation, potentially leading to dilution of expertise
  • Increase in administration
  • Reduction in flexibility
• When setting out to design and manufacture a product, deciding which material to use, with its inherent cost implication, is sometimes relatively straight forward since the specifications for the part may preclude other options
• Cheaper products are more likely to suffer from premature failure
• Larger manufacturers will be in a much stronger position to negotiate bulk purchasing discounts of materials, unlike smaller manufacturers making one-off or small batch products that do not warrant large orders of materials
• Parts can be nested together economically and a large number of unusable off-cuts are not left overs when cutting components out of timbers
• It makes sense to plan projects around standard sizes of board, timber and other materials, since it avoids wastage and additional machining
• Many mass-produced children's toys are now made by rotational or blow moulding, which result in a hollow structure that keeps the amount of material to a minimum, while ensuring that the overall product is strong due to the coherent, one-piece moulding that result from these processes. Injection moulded hollow toys need to be made of at least two parts, which would require additional welding, integral, mechanical, or adhesive joining methods, along with more expensive moulds
• Careful selection of appropriate metal sections can be used to minimise the amount of material used
• Furniture designers often made use of lightweight frames and suspended seats that capitalise on the elasticity of materials to provide comfort, rather than traditional upholstery methods, which require the use of several materials that have to be combined using labour-intensive methods
• Glass bottles are becoming thinner thanks to the advances being made in the blow moulding process that is employed in their manufacture. They are now over 30% lighter than they were in the 1980s, which makes a significant difference to the costs of materials for the product, as well as environmental effects and associated energy costs
• Manufacturers are keen for components in their products to be as accurate and uniform as possible in order for them to function effectively and integrate seamlessly with other elements of the design, therefore facilitating the integration of parts
• In order to ensure the accuracy of manufacturing, automated machinery is used, since it would be far too expensive and time-consuming to rely solely on human input
• CNC machines tend to be used for automated production when a range of different parts need to be programmed and manufactured in a relatively short time, so their flexibility is invaluable
• One-off production


  • Bespoke design and manufacture of single products in accordance with individual specifications, often requiring a high proportion of manual labour and skill
  • Reflected in the high cost of such products
• Bulk production


  • Makes it viable to use automated manufacturing techniques
  • Materials can be bought more cheaply in larger quantities
• Computer technology has revolutionised the way that products can be made, ranging from the large-scale use of robotic welding and machining in a car manufacturing plant to a hobbyist using a 3D printer at home
• Computer technology has an influence on design, manufacturing, marketing, storage, distribution, sales and disposal
• Sophisticated planning and control software uses mathematical calculations to plan the schedules necessary to organise a complex manufacturing facility
• Barcodes are more reliably read than text when scanned from various angles and RFID tags contain a small integrated circuit (IC) that can communicate information in both directions, when used with a scanner, as well providing security against theft in retail environments
• CNC modules/cells


  • Computer controlled manufacturing cells that are set up to combine a number of CNC machines in a group
  • Can be programmed to carry out a sequence of operations on a number of CNC machines, such as lathes and milling machines
  • If longer distances are involved when moving materials or parts, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used, which are programmed along with the manufacturing cells that are servicing
• CNC cell operation


  1. Low carbon steel stock is delivered to the cell by AGV and loaded by robot into the chuck of the first machine

  2. The part is turned (CNC lathe)

  3. A robot transfers the part of the next machine

  4. Grooved and flats are machined (CNC milling machine)

  5. A robot transfers the part of the next machine

  6. A perfectly smooth finish is achieved by grinding (CNC grinder)

  7. The finished part is removed by robot and is ready for transfer by AGV to another cell of assembly facility
• Just in time production

  A method of organising the manufacture of products in such a way that they are made to order rather than being produced in the hope of them being sold at some point in the future
• Lean production


  The idea of reducing waste and maintaining stock levels at the minimum possible
• Just in time production is particularly appropriate for products that can be bought in multiple configurations such as vehicles but can also be used in the fast-food industry, where customers expect their meals to be freshly prepared rather than containing ingredients that have been pre-cooked earlier in the day
• The stockpiling of products is a potentially problematic strategy, particularly for goods such as modern digital devices, since new models with updated and improved features will quickly make older ones obsolete and result in stock that is difficult to sell
• Strategies used to implement JiT in manufacturing

  • Increased consultation, discussion and co-operation between management and workers
  • Regular feedback meetings to ensure continuous improvement (Kaizen)
  • Careful selection of suppliers, often in relatively close proximity to the factory where assembly takes place
  • Reduction of waste and stock (Muda)
  • Optimisation of the configuration and layout of machinery
  • Stock labelling systems, which given instant visual and/or electronic indication of current levels and reordering requirements (Kanban)