Production

• What are the three types of product?

  Continuous, One-off and mass production
• What are the descriptions of continuous, one-off and mass production?

  Continuous: Manufacturing of identical high-demand products, 24 hours a day

  One-off: A single, unique product made by skilled workers

  Mass production: Efficiently and consistently producing many products at a low cost per unit. Often automated, with parts added in sequence
• What are the advantages, disadvantages and an example of continuous production?

  Advantages: Removes the cost of stopping and starting the production process & materials can be cheaper in higher qualities

  Disadvantages: Automation can lead to staff redundancy & a fault can stop the whole process

  Example: Production of sheet materials such as glass or standard components like nuts and bolts
• What are the advantages, disadvantages and an example of One-off production?

  Advantages: High quality products

  Disadvantages: Products are expensive as cost of materials is higher and production is labour intensive & production times are longer

  Examples: Complex, large-scale products (e.g. a yacht) or smaller-scale crafted products (e.g. specialist furniture)
• What are the advantages, disadvantages and an example of mass production?

  Advantages: Materials can be cheaper in higher quantities

  Disadvantages: Initial set-up costs can be high, if a production line breaks the whole manufacture is halted & repetitive

  Example: Toy manufacture