Mass production

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 449.

Job production

V. Read the text Part 2 and underline advantages and disadvantages for the manufacturer with regard to each method of production.

There are three main types of production method:

In this type of production specific work is carried out for individual customers. Job production is of the one off variety and can range from a bride's wedding dress to an ocean-going liner. Job production is usually labor intensive and requires the employment of skilled labor which is able to interpret technical instructions. If supervisors are employed they will need to be technically competent. Unit costs will always tend to be high when small numbers of individually designed items are produced.

This method of production is possible where the demand for a product is so great that the goods can be produced in a continuous flow. Motor vehicles and food processing are among the industries which resort to mass production techniques. Once set up the production lines are not easily changed and advertising is often necessary to ensure that stocks of finished goods do not pile up in the factory. Unskilled and semi-skilled workers can be used, though the modern tendency is to use computerized robots. By using these capital-intensive methods unit costs may be substantially reduced and higher output can be obtained by running the expensive machines over two or three shifts per day.