Methods of Production - Flow production 2.4.1

Flow production - Items flow along the production line in a continuous process making high volumes of the exact same product. Once one task is finished the next task is started immediately, therefore time taken on each task must be the same.

FLOW PRODUCTION
ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
Costs per unit of production are reduced through improved work and material flow	Very long set up time and reliant on high quality machinery, so if machinery breaks and therefore breaks the flow, production will be shut down
Suitable for manufacture of large quantities	High raw materials and finished stocks unless lean production is used
Capital intensive which means it can work constantly without the interference of employees	Goods are mass produced which means there is no customisation to meet specific needs for customers
Less need for training and skill as most work is done by machines	Uses specialist machinery so investment in this expensive, especially if switching from labour intensive to capital intensive
Produces exactly identical items	Due to products being identical, there may not be a very high demand if products are continually being made and so have to be sold at lower prices which means less profit overall

TAYLOR ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Workers are each responsible for a small step along the production process, this involves:

• Specialisation
• Division of labor