What is Production Flow?

There are many terms that describe types of different manufacturing processes. One of the most well known terms is mass production. This term can also be referred to as flow production, repetitive flow production or series production. All these involve the production of large quantities of a product through a standardized process on what is known as a production line or assembly line. Many different businesses and products use this type of manufacturing to make things more quickly and efficiently. Mass production is the most common form of production flow and is considered by many to be the most effective and efficient as well.

One of the most recognized and most popular examples of modern production flow is that of Henry Ford and the production of his automobiles in the early 20th century. Henry Ford used this concept to make his very popular and long lived Model T line of cars and people have continued to use it for millions of different products since that time. It is likely that this type of product manufacturing will always be around and very common because of the many benefits and advantages over other methods.

Production flow is relatively simple in its concept but the actual process of creating it is rather complicated. This type of manufacturing normally uses moving tracks or conveyor belts to move the product being produced along to the different assemble stations and through the various machines and processes to ensure a uniform and accurate product each time. Machinery does the majority of the work in this type of production flow and later workers verify that all processes have been performed correctly and that the product is the same each time. Because mass production uses mostly machinery, there is generally a higher cost associated with starting an assembly line, but also lower labor costs when the process has actually been implemented. For this reason, it is normally large manufacturing operations that use this process, rather than batch processing or making things by hand, to make as many duplicates of the product as possible.

One of the most important aspects concerning the production flow of mass production lines is the making of the machinery itself. It is essential that each part do the maximum amount of work possible for a very long time. It is also very important that the machinery be well designed and that it performs all the needed functions with minimal human interaction and involvement. The machines used should also be very durable because interrupting the production process at any point for an extended point of time will also make the rest of the line quite useless because it isn't receiving parts from the other areas of the production line. It is essential to proper production flow that the machines are always working properly.

One of the distinguishing factors about this type of production is that products are produced continuously rather than in batches or individually. Production flow doesn't easily lend itself to custom fitted or tailored products, but rather to mass production and distribution.

History of production and the production flow method

As mentioned before, on of the first companies that come to mind when speaking of production flow is the early days of Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford, however, was a long shot from being the first to think of or use this type of mass production process. Perhaps the earliest know instance was in old Venice, Italy. Ships were made in an assembly line type process using parts that had been pre-made and resulting in nearly a whole ship made every day. These ships were built hundreds of years before Henry Ford began work on his Model T.

Another example of mass production that many people may overlook is the printing of books after the invention of the printing press by Johann Gutenberg in the mid15th century. The printing press was even more mechanical and had a higher proportion of machine to manpower than the Venice ship builders.

During the industrial revolution and the tremendous explosion of technology that followed, there were also enormous strides made in the refinement of production flow. Some of the most important production lines were those that produced ships for use in the wars and trade that supported them. During the American Civil War, weapons, especially guns, began to be produced on a mass scale and had interchangeable parts that could easily be replaced or reused. Another industry that had benefited from improved production flow was that of timepieces, including watches. The precision of hand made pieces was decreased, but the overhead costs and production costs were also significantly diminished as well.

Production flow advantages and disadvantages

Mass production, like any manufacturing process, brings with it both advantages and disadvantages. Because this type of production flow involves a continuous process of movement and machinery, the following task in the production process must begin immediately after one has been completed. This can become a problem if there is a piece of machinery that is not working properly because it will affect the rest of the production line as well.

There are many advantages to the production flow of mass production. First of all this type of manufacturing is much faster than older or traditional types of production. This means that there will be a more uniform product and that each one will be the same and will also take the same amount of time. It is much faster than other forms of production such as batch production, where each batch or group of products is finished before another is started. It is much faster than custom or specialized manufacturing. This does mean, however, that the product must be destined for the masses and must also be fairly homogenous in taste as well as craftsmanship. All of the steps in the production flow also make it more efficient than other forms of manufacturing. Because of the increased speed and efficiency of the manufacture, there is also a much higher capacity to produce. The quantity of products produced offsets any additional set up or equipment costs. Mass production is also very capital-intensive, meaning that there is a higher percentage of machines doing the work than people. Machines work at a fixed rate per unit produced and it is much easier to determine a profit margin and other contributing factors to the advantages of producing this way. One of the most important and sometimes overlooked advantages of this type of production flow is that it can be done nearly around the clock, whereas a more heavily man powered system would have to either close for the night or maintain two or three full shifts of employees. The mass production flow system makes time usage much more effective.

Disadvantages - One of the biggest disadvantages of this type of production is that because there is so much machinery used, once the process has begun it is very difficult to modify the process or product without changing perhaps more than one system or machine. This obviously can become very costly, especially if several machines have to be modified or replaced and the costs of the machines cannot be recuperated. It is also very difficult to introduce any kind of variety or customization to the process once it has already begun unless the product will be finished by hand later by a craftsman, which will lead to higher overhead costs and turnover times. There are these disadvantages that must be considered when you are deciding what method to use while producing your product or idea, but you must also weigh the advantages with the disadvantages to make the ultimate decision. If the pros list is longer than the cons list and it is financially beneficial, then it is probably a good idea to pursue it. If there are more cons than pros or using this type of production flow doesn't make sense from the financial perspective, it is almost certain that this type of production will not meet your needs and would even be harmful if used. Whenever you are making such a big decision, you must always approach it with caution and ease.

Production flow and the use of assembly lines

Production flow systems are almost always organized into assembly lines. There are almost always conveyor belts or other similar apparatuses that move each product from one stage of production to the next to ensure the consistent and constant flow necessary for having an effective manufacturing process implementation. Because of the wide variety of products that are produced using this type of concept there have also been many different innovations and new ways of making the process even more efficient than ever before. Each new product presents new challenges and new opportunities arise for each system to perform better than the last. There will always be new and more creative ideas to implement in the production flow of a factory and the items it produces.

Because of the ever changing needs of the industry of industry, there will always be people working on new machines that do even more precise and specific tasks than ever before. As new metals and alloys are experimented with, there are also more machines that have a longer lifespan than the previous generation. There will always be new opportunities for expansion and new ideas that will continue to keep the manufacturing production flow going smoothly and develop ways to make it even better than it has ever been before.