ProductionProduction is the process

Production

Production is the process of making something of value. It means bringing together materials, machinery, and workers to make goods. Production changes the value of materials by changing their form. The process of production makes materials more valuable.

There are four types of production: analysis, synthesis, extraction, and fabrication. Analysis is the process of separating a raw material into several parts. For example, in petroleum refining, oil is separated into gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, asphalt, and many other products. Synthesis is the process of putting together two or more raw materials into one finished product. For example, glass is made by joining together lime, soda, potash, and other chemicals. All of the raw materials used in production are extracted from the land, the sea, or the air. Mining and petroleum production extract raw materials from the earth. Fish and minerals such as magnesium, chlorine, and bromine are extracted from the sea. Nitrogen and oxygen are extracted from the air. Fabrication is the process of making products of more value from already manufactured materials. The materials may be cut, machined, woven, knitted, shaped, or put together with other materials. For example, cloth is made from thread. Automobiles are made from already manufactured parts.

There are basic methods of production: intermittent and continuous. In intermittent production, several items of the same kind are produced. Then production of that item stops and production of another item begins. Labor and equipment work on one particular product for a short period of time. The company makes a product either because a customer has ordered it or because they think a customer will order it. Machinery is set up and adjusted for a specific job. When the job is finished, the machinery is taken apart or reset for a different job.

With intermittent production many designs and styles are possible, so a large variety of goods are produced. The design can easily be changed to suit each individual customer. When goods are made to customer specifications, they are called custom-made. Only a limited number, perhaps only one, of each specification are made. Therefore, automatic machines have limited use, and increased labor is necessary, which makes custom-made goods expensive. However, one of the reasons that custom-made goods are popular is that they are expensive, if someone owns one, it shows that he has money.

In continuous production, labor and equipment work continuously, making one type of product for a long period of time. The company buys specialized machinery, or they adjust their machinery for a production period that will probably continue for months. The products must be standardized and the volume must be large. The assembly line method of manufacturing is one way of using continuous production. Coordination is more necessary in continuous production rather than in intermittent production, because if there is a break at any step in production, it can halt the whole process.

Continuous production is generally less flexible than intermittent production. Standardization is necessary in order to get the greatest benefit from continuous production. Therefore, there can be only a few models, styles, and designs. To say it another way, if the number of models and styles of a product increases, the volume must also increase in order to use the continuous process efficiently. Because the major automobile manufacturers have a very large volume of production, they can produce several body designs, engine sizes, and style series and still use the continuous process of manufacturing. In addition to car manufacturers, many other factories use continuous production. For example, it is used in making consumer appliances, producing cement, making paper, refining sugar, refining petroleum, weaving cloth, and grinding grain.

Standard goods are generally manufactured using the continuous type of production process. They are made to the manufacturer’s specifications, not the customer’s. In order to sell goods, it is necessary to make items that the customers will buy; however, standard goods are made not for a specific customer, but for a group of customers. We can say that standard design tries to please the average taste. When a large volume of each design is produced, as a practical matter it is necessary to make each design suit the average customer. Standard goods usually carry the manufacturer’s brand and are advertised over a large area to reach many customers.

In deciding on the type of production to use in a plant, the important factors are volume and the number of models and designs. Intermittent production can be used if volume is small or there are many designs. Often a company begins production with job lots using intermittent production. As the company grows and volume increases, it is more efficient to use continuous production.