The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mass Production

Mass production begins with the design of the product. Component parts must be adaptable to production and assembly. The entire production process from the flow of raw material to packaging is coordinated and planned. In fact, every element of bringing the product to market must be an integral part of the production plan, including advertising, market research, and distribution.

Mass-production methods are based on two principles: the use of machines in the production of standard, inter¬changeable parts, and the division and specialization of human labor.

Basically, the production operation is divided into specialized tasks comprised of simple, repetitive motions and minimum handling of the work. This makes the tasks easy to learn so they can be performed even by non-skilled laborers.

This results in a standardized design of the product, allowing a large run of parts that can then be fitted to the other parts with little or no adjustment needed. This is done by developing specialized machines and processes which are often patented.

Planning for Mass Production
The planning begins with the design of the product and an assessment of its market. Market estimates will help you establish the volume levels that must be produced, and the anticipated growth and fluctuations of your market.

The design of the product must conform to criteria of functionality and aesthetic appeal, while staying within the limits of standardized production. These include the materials that are most cost-efficient and readily available, and the processes used to fabricate the product.

The manner in which material will flow through the production line is particularly important. The transport of raw materials (location and availability) and purchase of pre-assembled components constitute the beginning of the line. The placement of manual and machine operations depends on the best way to design the tools and machines.

Then the output rate for each component of the production line is measured to prevent bottlenecks from forming.

Raw materials arriving at the plant site must be carefully coordinated with scheduled production needs, so as to reduce storage to a minimum. To eliminate storage at the other end of the production line, the finished product needs to be moved to distribution points as quickly as possible.

Pros and Cons of Mass Production
Mass production lowers costs in the long run, and not only improves the uniformity of your product but also the quality. Standardized design, materials, and processes help you monitor production and control quality without the need for detailed inspection of each product.

In fact, there is a direct correlation between the number of products manufactured and the cost per unit. The more produced, the cheaper the overall cost.

However, the volume of production must be large enough to warrant splitting the production process into a series of tasks, as well as to justify a capital investment in specialized machinery. Mass production also needs the support of technical staff and trained operators.

In addition, mass production is not very flexible. Changes in the design of your product can mean expensive changes in the production line or machinery used to manufacture the components.

Types of Mass Production
There are two basic types of mass-production facilities: continuous and batch. On the continuous production line, components and sub-assemblies pass through a series of operations and emerge at the end of the line as a completed product.

In batch production, a given quantity is moved as a batch through one or more steps, and the products emerge more or less simultaneously at the end of the production line.

Many production lines combine the two methods, batch producing smaller elements (like circuits) which will then be separated and united to the rest of the product in a continuous line.