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All 25 Flashcards — Job, batch and mass/flow production
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Question
What is flow (mass) production?
Answer
Products move continuously along a production line, non-stop — assembly lines and conveyor belts.
💡 Hint
Continuous line
Question
Name five factors influencing production method choice
Answer
Nature of product, level of demand, available budget, workforce skill level, need for flexibility.
💡 Hint
Product, demand, budget, skills, flexibility
Question
What is job production?
Answer
Making one unique product at a time, specially designed for each customer — tailor-made.
💡 Hint
One unique product
Question
What is batch production?
Answer
Making a group of identical products together, then switching to a different product.
💡 Hint
Groups then switch
Question
Three production methods?
Answer
Job (one unique), Batch (groups then switch), Flow (continuous line).
💡 Hint
J-B-F
Question
If a business switches from batch to job, what changes?
Answer
Costs increase, quality may improve, flexibility increases, worker motivation may improve.
💡 Hint
Cost up, quality up, flex up
Question
Choice depends on product type, demand, budget, ___ and ___
Answer
Workforce skills and need for flexibility/variety.
💡 Hint
Skills + flexibility
Question
What is changeover time in batch production?
Answer
Time lost resetting equipment between different batches — a key disadvantage.
💡 Hint
Equipment reset time
Question
Give three examples of job production
Answer
Wedding cake, custom-built house, hand-made suit, piece of art.
💡 Hint
Custom, unique items
Question
Two advantages of flow production?
Answer
Very low cost per unit (economies of scale); fast/efficient; consistent quality; meets high demand.
💡 Hint
Low cost + fast + consistent
Question
Job = unique, low volume. Batch = some variety, medium volume. Flow = ___
Answer
Standardised, high volume, low cost per unit, consistent quality.
💡 Hint
Standardised + high volume
Question
Two disadvantages of flow production?
Answer
Huge start-up costs; no variety (standardised); boring for workers; if line breaks, everything stops.
💡 Hint
Expensive + no variety + fragile
Question
Two advantages of batch production?
Answer
Can produce variety; cheaper per unit than job; flexible batch sizes; some skilled workers.
💡 Hint
Variety + cheaper + flexible
Question
Two advantages of job production?
Answer
High quality/unique products; workers are motivated (see finished result); can charge premium prices; flexible.
💡 Hint
Quality + motivation + premium
Question
Switching methods affects costs, quality, ___ and ___
Answer
Motivation and flexibility.
💡 Hint
Motivation + flexibility
Question
Two disadvantages of job production?
Answer
Slow/time-consuming; high labour costs; no economies of scale; hard to produce in large quantities.
💡 Hint
Slow + expensive + no scale
Question
Custom product + low demand → which method?
Answer
Job production — one unique product at a time for each customer.
💡 Hint
Job
Question
Two disadvantages of batch production?
Answer
Time lost in changeovers; work-in-progress ties up money; repetitive for workers; not as efficient as flow.
💡 Hint
Changeover + WIP + boring
Question
Flow production: ___ volume, ___ cost per unit, ___ variety
Answer
High volume, low cost per unit, no variety (standardised).
💡 Hint
High-Low-None
Question
Quick: Batch production involves ___ between batches
Answer
Changeover time — resetting equipment for a different product.
💡 Hint
Changeover
Question
Batch production example?
Answer
Bakery making 50 chocolate cookies, then switching to 50 vanilla ones.
💡 Hint
Bakery batches
Question
Job production: ___ volume, ___ cost per unit, ___ quality
Answer
Low volume, high cost per unit, high quality.
💡 Hint
Low-High-High
Question
Quick: Flow production = lowest ___ per unit
Answer
Cost — economies of scale from continuous production.
💡 Hint
Cost
Question
Standard product + very high demand → which method?
Answer
Flow production — continuous line for maximum efficiency and lowest cost.
💡 Hint
Flow
Question
Flow production examples?
Answer
Car assembly lines, bottling plants, smartphone manufacturing.
💡 Hint
Cars, bottles, phones
Read the notes
Full study notes for Job, batch and mass/flow production
Topic 5.2 hub
Operations methods
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