BATCH
PRODUCTION
Technical case study Lara Machado BA Design
Introduction During the Making Technical Studies, we were encouraged to engage in a set of processes in order to manufacture a multi-component object. These technical studies generated a curiosity and an awareness about how the objects surrounding us can be produced. Throughout the week, we faced different production methods and it raised questions about the advantages of different types of production in terms of cost, efficiency, time and quality. By working in a batch-manufacturing environment, we could begin to understand and evaluate those differences in practical terms.
Batch production presents advantages such as flexibility, lower capital costs, higher levels of satisfaction from the workers, some specialization of labour, among others. On the other hand, the workflow might not be as good, complexity is not as big, machinery needs to be constantly set up whenever a batch is done and it needs labour to move from stage to the other.
Batch production and other methods Batch production, one of the three basic production methods, is a process in which components are produced in batches. According to BBC (2014), “batch production is where groups of items are made together. Each batch is finished before starting the next block of goods�. The production does not work in a continuous stream and a certain amount of identical objects can be made. The machines are set up to do one specific task for as long as it is needed until the batch is done and they can be easily changed after that, which allows this system some flexibility. Templates can also be used to aid this process, as it is shown in figure 1. This system can be used in the manufacture of some machine tools, hand tools, heavy-duty construction equipment, among other products. Also according to BBC (2014), there are two more production methods: job production and flow production. The first one is where products are made individually, usually on demand, and the whole product is finished before the next one is started. This method is related to on demand projects, based on exclusivity or level of complexity, such as airplanes or couture clothing. Flow production is more common in an industrial environment, where products are assembled in a line of production. It is related to a fast-paced and heavy machinery based production and specialization of labour, which results in more identical products in a shorter period of time.
Figure 1: Template being used to bend the laminated plywood.
Batch production represents an intermediate production method, because work can be on demand, but also it introduces some specialization of labour. It is more flexible than mass-production, but less than job production. It is important to recognize the difference between production methods, because they can determine the productivity of a company. The method used depends of many different elements, such as time, materials, number of workers, machinery, cost, quantity and quality required. For example, big companies, such as IKEA, need a high productivity, making many identical products in the shortest amount of time and at a low cost, which usually indicates non-use of expensive materials or complex manufacturing processes. The job production is usually more related to small studios, artisans or companies in which exclusivity is one of their premises. A batch production system would be appropriate for a company that does not design for a specific client, for example, but works with a certain quantity of products and just needs to replicate those on small scale. Moreover, it works well for companies that produce seasonal items or that cannot afford to maintain a flow production. It is perceived that, as a company grows, it tends to change its organization from job methods to batch production and, ultimately, to the flow production. In addition, there can also be a combination of the above said methods.
Making - Technical Studies We were expected during ‘Making’ to develop an understanding of manufacturing processes used in the production of objects by assembling a table constituted of different materials, such as wood, metal and plastic, which allowed us to work with almost all the machines available at Goldsmiths workshops. We learned new possibilities of how to work with those materials and different ways to assemble them together. In order to achieve that, we worked as a batch production, where the components would be moved in batches throughout the stages of the process, and, by the end, a total amount would be ready at the same time. For example, all the holes for the mortise and tenon joint of the hardwood legs were drilled (see figure 2) all at once before manufacturing another component. Once they were finished, the machines set-ups were switched and all the groups moved on to manufacture another component.
Figure 3: Tables manufactured by the end of the technical studies week.
Moreover, it was a flexible method, which allowed changes in the production at any time and it guaranteed a pleasant environment, because we would not be doing repetitive tasks for a long time. On the other hand, it was possible to see that the production was more complex, it needed to have more planning and control than it would have if we just made one table. In addition, students waiting for each other to finish manufacturing a specific batch and frequent changes in the machines set-ups slowed down the process.
Conclusion
Figure 2: Mortising machine drilling the holes (mortises).
By doing this, we could draw some conclusions of how would a ‘real world’ batch production work and the advantages and disadvantages of this method. The batch production environment increased the productivity and guaranteed that, by the end of the week, all of the groups manufactured an identical table, as it can be seen in figure 3.
The making technical studies affected my understanding of how complex the production of objects can be and how many steps can be involved in it. It helped me to evaluate alternative manufacturing methods in ‘reality’, not only at university. I am now looking at objects differently, analysing how they were made and making assumptions about their manufacturing. By a first-hand research on batch production, I could understand how it works, its positive and negative outcomes, what is the most adequate production method for the intentions and size of a company, and apply its principles to some of my own projects, in order to increase productivity and better divide tasks. Moreover, I handled machinery I have never used before and felt more confident in the workshops, which developed my skills and will help me in the pursuit for a product design professional placement and, later on, a career.
References Batch Production, 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.graphicproducts.com/articles/batch-production/ [Accessed 19 March 2016]. Industrial Practices, 2014. BBC GCSE Bitesize. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/resistantmaterials/processindpracrev1.shtml [Accessed 19 March 2016]. Production Methods, 2014. BBC GCSE Bitesize. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/production/methodsofproductionrev1.shtml [Accessed 19 March 2016]. Production system. 2016. EncyclopĂŚdia Britannica Online [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.britannica. com/technology/production-syst [Accessed 19 March 2016].