Production methods fall into three main categories; however, all production methods can be assisted with CAM and CAD equipment (Computer Aided Manufacture and Computer Aided Design – respectively).
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Main article : Job production
Job Production is used to refer to when a product is produced with the labour of one or few workers. Job production is scarcely used for bulk and large scale production and mainly used for one off products or prototypes, as it is inefficient; however, quality is greatly enhanced with job production compared to other methods.Individual wedding cakes and made-to-measure suits are also examples of job production. New, small, firms often use job production, before they get a chance to expand. Job Production is usually motivating for workers, because it gives the workers an opportunity to produce the whole product and take pride in it.
Main article : Boutique Manufacturing
Contrary to jobbing production the method Boutique Manufacturing is suitable for the production of very small to small batches, i.e. orders of a few units up to several dozens of similar or equal goods. The workflow organization of a Boutique Manufacturing entity can be a mixture of both jobbing and batch production, but involving higher standardization than job production. Often Boutique Manufacturing is organized with single workplaces or production cells carrying out a number of subsequent production steps until completion of certain components or even the whole product; large assembly lines generally are not used. The flexibility and variety of products able to be produced in the entity therefore are much higher than with the more standardized method of batch production.(Y)
Main article : Batch production
Batch production is the methods used to produce or process any product in groups, or batches where the products in the batch go through the whole production process together. An example would be when a bakery produces each different type of bread separately and each object (in this case, bread) is not produced continuously. Batch production is used in many different ways and is most suited to when there is a need for a quality/quantity balance. This technique is probably the most commonly used method for organising manufacture and promotes specialist labour, as very often batch production involves a small number of people
Main Article : Mass production
Flow production is also a very common method of production. Flow production is when the product is built up through many segregated stages; the product is built upon at each stage and then passed directly to the next stage where it is built upon again. The production method is financially the most efficient and effective, because there is less of a need for skilled workers It can also be called mass production, which is used in the making of things such as coca cola and Heinz baked beans.
Main article: Computer Aided Manufacture; Computer Aided Design
Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the use of a wide range of computer-based software tools that assist engineers and architects alike.