How industry organises production

Modern industrial and commercial practice is about producing goods efficiently, to a consistent quality and responsibly. Key ideas: scales of production, lean / just-in-time systems, quality management, standards and automation.

Scales of production

• One-off (job / bespoke) — a single unique item (a wedding dress, a bridge). Labour-intensive, high unit cost.
• Batch — a set quantity, then the line is changed for another product (a print run, a bakery batch). Flexible.
• Mass / line production — very large numbers of identical items on a flow line (cars, phones). Low unit cost.
• Continuous — runs 24/7 without stopping (chemicals, steel, bottled drinks). Huge volumes, hard to stop/start.

Which scale of production?

Sort by scale of production

Tap a product, then tap the scale it is usually made at.

Lean manufacturing and Just-In-Time

• Just-In-Time (JIT) — parts arrive exactly when needed, so little/no stock is held. Cuts storage cost and waste, but relies on a reliable supply chain (a delay stops the line).
• Lean manufacturing — systematically eliminates waste (overproduction, waiting, excess stock, defects…).
• Kaizen — a culture of continuous small improvements.
• Kanban — a signalling system that triggers replenishment only when stock runs low.

A risk of JIT

Quality control vs quality assurance

• Quality control (QC) — inspecting and testing the output to catch defects. It is reactive — it finds faults after they occur.
• Quality assurance (QA) — a system of procedures that prevents defects happening in the first place. It is proactive.
• Total Quality Management (TQM) — everyone in the organisation is responsible for quality.

QC or QA?

Tolerances

A tolerance is the permitted variation on a dimension. It is written as a nominal size ± a value, giving an upper and lower limit. Parts within the limits are accepted; outside, rejected. Tight tolerances cost more to hold.

Your turn — tolerance limit

Standards and marks

• BSI writes British Standards (BS); ISO publishes international standards (e.g. ISO 9001 for quality management systems).
• BSI Kitemark — a certification mark showing a product has been independently tested to a standard.
• CE marking — the manufacturer’s declaration of conformity for sale in the European market.
• UKCA marking — the UK Conformity Assessed mark, introduced for the Great Britain market after the UK left the EU.

Match the mark to its meaning

Tap a standard or mark, then tap what it signifies.

Automation, CIM, PLCs and robotics

• CAM drives machines from CAD data; CIM (computer-integrated manufacture) links design, production and stock control into one system.
• PLCs (programmable logic controllers) are rugged computers that control machinery and sequences.
• Robotics handle repetitive, precise or dangerous tasks (welding, paint spraying, assembly).

Trade-offs: automation raises speed, consistency and safety and lowers long-run unit cost, but has high set-up cost and can reduce the workforce.

Why automate?

The big ideas to know

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