4.1 Production Processes Flashcards

All 25 cards in this deck

What is job production?

Making individual products one at a time to meet a specific customer's needs.

What is batch production?

Making one group of identical products at a time before switching to produce the next group.

What is flow production?

Continuously making identical, standardised products on an assembly line.

Give one advantage of job production.

Any one of: each product is made to the customer's exact requirements; customers pay more for a one-off item, so profit margins are high.

Give one disadvantage of job production.

Any one of: it needs highly skilled workers, which raises labour costs; each item takes a long time to make, so output is low.

Give one advantage of batch production.

Any one of: the business can switch between versions of a product, such as sizes or flavours; it makes more units than job production, so unit costs are lower.

Give one disadvantage of batch production.

Machines must be stopped and reset or cleaned between batches, so no output is made during the changeover and productivity falls.

Give one benefit of flow production for a business's costs and prices.

It raises the rate of production, so the average cost of each unit falls and the business can cut its price to gain a competitive advantage.

True or false? Flow production is more flexible than job production.

False. Flow production makes a standardised product, so it is difficult to make different versions to meet individual customer needs.

Give one benefit to a business of using technology in production.

Machinery works faster than employees, raising productivity, so average variable cost per unit falls. (Also: products are more consistent in quality.)

Give one drawback of investing in machinery and technology for production.

High initial cost raises fixed costs, so the break-even point may rise and the investment is wasted if demand is not sustained.

Give one drawback of using technology in production, other than its cost.

Any one of: it can soon become out of date and need replacing; employees must be trained to use it.

Give two examples of technology used in production.

Any two of: automation, such as automated assembly lines; computers, such as computer-aided design (CAD) or computer-controlled machinery (CAM); robotics; 3D printing.

What are the three production processes?

Job, batch and flow production.

True or false? Flow production is cheap to set up.

False. Flow production is very expensive to set up because it needs a lot of machinery, though unit costs are then low.

What is automation?

Production carried out by machinery that is controlled by a computer rather than by a person; workers oversee the machines and check production is running correctly.

What is robotics in production?

Using robots, which are machines programmed by a computer to carry out specific tasks, such as welding, painting or lifting parts into place.

Give one advantage of machines over human workers in production, other than speed.

Any one of: they can run continuously without breaks or absence; they can do dangerous tasks; they are more accurate, so less material is wasted.

Give one cost linked to employees when a business introduces new technology in production.

Any one of: redundancy payments to workers who are no longer needed; higher pay to recruit the skilled workers needed to run it.

Why can relying on machinery be a risk to production?

If a machine breaks down, production is disrupted, so orders may be delayed and output lost.

How can computer-controlled machinery make production more flexible?

The machines can be reprogrammed to make different versions or designs of a product, so variety is possible on the same equipment.

Why does flow production need a high level of demand?

The production line needs a large investment in machinery, so the business must sell large quantities to cover the cost.

Give one disadvantage of flow production other than its set-up cost.

Any one of: a breakdown or strike at one point can stop the whole line; jobs are repetitive and boring, which can demotivate workers; large stocks of materials must be held to keep the line supplied.

Give one disadvantage of batch production other than the time lost changing over between batches.

Any one of: stocks of materials must be held so production can switch, tying up cash and adding storage costs; work can be repetitive and boring; customers get less choice than with job production.

Why might workers find job production more satisfying than flow production?

They work on a product from start to finish, which gives more satisfaction than repeating one small task.