Production Processes
One-off, in batches, or on a non-stop line: how a business makes its products shapes cost, speed and price. Compare job, batch and flow production, and see how technology changes the factory floor.
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How things get made 🏭
Every business turns **inputs** into the **goods or services** its customers want. But *how* it makes them, one at a time, in batches, or on a non-stop line, changes the cost, the speed and the price. This module compares **job**, **batch** and **flow** production, and sees how **technology** reshapes the factory floor.
The language of production 🔑
Four ideas run through this module:
The two extremes ⚖️
Job and flow production sit at opposite ends, trading **flexibility** against **cost per unit**.
Made to measure 🎯
A tailor makes a single, made-to-measure wedding suit for one customer. Which production method is this?
- Job production
- Batch production
- Flow production
- Mass production of thousands
Match each term to its meaning 🔗
- Job production
- Batch production
- Flow production
- Automation
- One-off items with a high cost per unit
- Groups of identical items with some flexibility
- Continuous mass production at a low cost per unit
- Machines doing tasks to raise productivity
Measure the productivity 🔢
An interactive activity.
Technology on the line 🤖
Machines, robots and computers can **lower costs**, **raise productivity**, improve **quality** and add **flexibility**, and they can run around the clock. The trade-off: they are **expensive to set up**, need maintenance, and can replace people's jobs.
Why automate? ✅
Select the TWO benefits that technology brings to production.
- Lower costs and higher productivity
- Better, more consistent quality
- It never needs any maintenance
- It always creates more jobs
Along the production line 🪜
An interactive activity.
Production in words 🧩
A business turns inputs into finished _____. Making a single one-off item is called _____ production, while making groups of identical items is _____ production. Continuous mass production on a line is _____ production, which gives the lowest cost per _____.
The lowest unit cost 🏷️
Which production method usually gives the lowest cost per unit?
- Flow production
- Job production
- Making one item at a time
- Bespoke, made-to-order work
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Pick the method 🧭
An interactive activity.
Recommend a method ✍️
An interactive activity.