Scales Of Production
Overview
Ask a workshop to make you one chair and it will cut the parts by hand, and the chair will cost more than a week's wages. Ask for five hundred and the same workshop will spend two days making jigs first, then cut all two thousand legs in an afternoon, and each chair will cost a fifth as much. Ask for five hundred thousand and nobody will cut anything: a mould will be made, at a cost that would buy a small house, and after that each chair will cost less than lunch.
Nothing about the chair changed. What changed is how many, and this lesson is about why that single number decides almost everything else. You will learn how products are produced in different volumes and the reasons why different manufacturing methods suit each: prototype, batch, mass and continuous production. You will learn what fixed and variable cost mean, calculate the unit cost at different quantities, and find the break-even point at which one method overtakes another, which is the calculation the specification's own maths column asks for beside this section. This is specialist technical principles content, examined in Section B of Paper 1.
Objectives
- How products are produced in different volumes.
- The reasons why different manufacturing methods are used for different production volumes:
- prototype
- batch
- mass
- continuous
- Fixed and variable cost.
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Lesson Note
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on Scales Of Production. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Which scale of production is used to manufacture float glass? A. Batch B. Continuous C. Mass D. Prototype Answer: B
- Which one of the following is a fixed cost? A. The material in each product B. The injection mould C. The packaging for each product D. The electricity used per unit Answer: B
- A tool costs 12,000. Each unit costs 0.60 to make and sells for 2.10. What is the break-even quantity? A. 5,715 units B. 8,000 units C. 12,000 units D. 20,000 units Answer: B
- Jigs and templates are most closely associated with A. batch production. B. continuous production. C. mass production. D. prototype production. Answer: A
- As the quantity produced increases, the fixed cost per unit A. falls. B. rises. C. stays the same. D. rises then falls. Answer: A
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