The big idea: A production system is the way the making is organised, and the six the guide names sit on one axis: how much of the work the person does against how much the machine does.
Craft → mechanised → automated → assembly line → hybrid → computer integrated manufacturing.
The six systems on a single line, from the person at one end to the computer at the other.
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
| System | Who does the work | A product made this way |
|---|---|---|
| Craft | One skilled person makes the whole product with hand tools | Bespoke furniture, jewellery, instruments, repair and restoration |
| Mechanised | A person operates a machine that does the work | A lathe, a sewing machine, a bench saw — a small workshop |
| Automated | The machine runs itself; a person supervises and maintains it | CNC machining, injection moulding, bottling, packaging |
| Assembly line | The product moves along a line and each station does one small task | Cars, appliances, electronics, food processing |
| Hybrid | Machines do the repetitive work, people the judgement and the awkward parts | Most real factories — an automated line with manual inspection and final assembly |
| CIM | Computers link design, production, stock and quality into one system | Large modern automotive, aerospace and electronics manufacturers |
Identifying the system from the product: Ask three questions: how many are made, how identical are they, and how much judgement does each unit need?
A thousand identical units with no judgement is an assembly line. Fifty units each different, needing skill at every step, is craft or mechanised.
Feeling unprepared for exams?
Get a clear study plan, practice with real questions, and know exactly where you stand before exam day. No more guessing.
| Stage of a guitar | System | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting the body blanks | Automated — CNC routing | Identical shapes, repeatable to a tolerance, with no judgement needed once the program is right |
| Fitting and levelling the frets | Craft | Every piece of timber moves differently, so this needs judgement that no machine can supply economically at this volume |
| Spraying the finish | Automated or mechanised | A robot sprays more evenly and wastes less than a person, in an environment nobody should stand in |
| Final assembly and set-up | Craft again | Each instrument is adjusted until it plays properly — the step customers are paying for |
Most products use more than one: The exam question is rarely "which system" but "which system for which STAGE".
A hybrid answer — automated where the work is repetitive, craft where judgement is needed — is usually the right one, and saying why each stage is where it is earns the marks.
How this is tested — identifying the most effective production system for a given product. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — multiple choice
- Identify the production system used for a named product.
- Choose the system that suits a stated volume and variation.
Paper 2 — analysing a product
- Identify the production system for each stage of a product.
- Justify a production system for a given product and volume.
The trap: Choosing one system for the whole product. Real manufacture is nearly always hybrid, and saying which stage uses which is what the marks are for.
A company makes 4,000 wooden garden benches a year, each assembled from machined parts. Identify the production system for each stage and justify your choices.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.