Scales of Production

Mr BILLINGTON

Manufacture - Scales of Production

Depending on the quantity of products to be manufactured the methods used will change. There are 4 main scales of production that are relevant to product manufacture, each suited to a range of different product applications. In ascending order they are;

One-off production - single custom made product/prototype
Batch Production - set number quantity of products
Mass production - large volume of identical products
Continuous production - high volume produced 24/7

One-off production requires a far greater investment of time, resources and labour to produce a single product comparatively. This is due to often products being manufactured by hand or using small scale machines without the use of jigs/moulds. The advantage of this method is each product can be custom designed/manufactured to the clients preference & requirements ie. an engagement ring

Batch production is when a set number of identical products are to be produced using larger scale machines & use of jigs/moulds/templates to ensure accurate repetition along a production line. Each batch of product can be adjusted depending on client requirements and design changes are relatively quick to implement. Typically, CNC automation is used at this scale, reducing the workforce requirement & use of skilled labour

Mass production concerns a very high volume of identical products that are manufactured on a production line whereby they move along a number of stages towards completion. At this scale there is often a high level of automation through the use of CNC, robotics and AGV systems. Due to the standardisation of the manufacturing process there is little flexibility to make design alterations and an incredibly high setup cost

Continuous production is when products are produced with minimal stoppage due to an incredibly high demand and often complete automation. Production lines will run 24 hours a day and require low skilled labour due to a consistent product outcome. This scale requires a high setup cost and is very inflexible to design/production changes as any downtime will impact the production line output and company profit