26 Jul 2022
Before the advent of the mass production concept, manufacturers preferred producing goods on a made-to-order basis. When it becomes one of the main concepts in manufacturing, it hugely impacts economies, markets, and supply chains. To deeply understand, we would like to share with you an overview of mass production concept, also known as flow, repetitive flow, serial, or series production.
What is Mass Production?
According to Investopedia, mass production concept refers to the manufacturing method of large quantities of standardised products. This concept often uses assembly lines or automation technologies with high efficiency. The mechanisation in mass production is to achieve high volume and detailed organisation of material flow, careful control of quality standards, and labour division.
How does Mass Production Work?
Mass production concept includes multiple assembly lines and systems, which perform various routine procedures. Each machine runs a specific task on a batch of products. To achieve efficiency and meet the large-scale demand for mass-produced products, manufacturers leverage differentiation, formalisation and specialisation. These principles aim at lowering manufacturing costs by utilising repetitive and standardised processes to produce uniform products.
In addition to assembly lines, advanced technologies are essential to minimise the workforce and make production workflows less complicated. AI technology, automation technology, computer-aided manufacturing and design, 3D printing, etc., are common technologies used in mass production. These days, companies tend to adopt Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to get unprecedented visibility, coordination, and management across disparate processes. Generally, ERP solutions can offer benefits in inventory management, SCM, equipment maintenance and performance tracking, HRM, and many other aspects.
What are its Advantages and Disadvantages?
1. Advantages
Low Production Cost
Mass production concept is to eliminate redundant job roles, thus allowing manufacturers to produce larger quantities with fewer workers. The uniformity in production also reduces the rate of substandard products and the rate of production batch return. Hence, firms can save money on the workforce and avoid compensation and re-production costs.
Higher Efficiency Level
The technology of automated assemblies enables workers to fasten the production, which leads to higher productivity. This also gives manufacturing sectors a competitive edge and greater profitability in faster distribution and product marketing.
High Precision Rate
Mass production concept can result in a high-precision rate. With present parameters, the manufacturing processes are strictly monitored and validated. This ensures uniformity in each batch of products.
2. Disadvantages
Intensive Capital
Automated assembly lines is a competitive advantage but a capital-intensive investment for setting up and maintenance. The upfront cost for standalone robotic and specialised machines can be very expensive. Hence, it might be risky if the company does not have a large capital outlay.
Low Employee Morale & Increased Employee Turnover
Due to the repetitive nature of the production process, mass production concept usually comes with low employee morale and increased employee turnover. As machines take charge of the grunt work, workers perform less labour-intensive tasks and physical activities. This leads to a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy habits. Also, the development of advanced machinery has urged managers to hire high-skilled and knowledgeable workers, such as engineers and computer programmers. This invisibly leaves low-skilled workers without a job.
Inventory Buildup
Mass production creates large quantities at once. Therefore, manufacturers have to ensure enough warehouse space for excess inventory which costs lots of money and energy to maintain.
Pollution
Industrial pollution is still an issue today. According to UNESCO, manufacturing activities give off pollutants as byproducts. Factories have polluted the water and air by burning coal and producing metals and chemicals.
How can Synergix ERP System Help in Mass Production?
First of all, Synergix’s Manufacturing ERP system offers efficient scheduling and planning. Linked to manufacturing execution, the system enables fast and responsive production scenario planning. It includes real-time alerts over capacity constraints with smart logic to recommend alternative plans when needed.
The Material Requirement Planning (MRP) features effectively monitor all material and equipment status to meet manufacturing demand. For quality control, ERP system is able to record the quality of each production batch via analysis and reports.
Moreover, Synergix ERP software provides real-time access to integrated warehouse stock status across the supply chain. Manufacturers can leverage barcode scanning, LOT, and serial number tracking integrated into the Synergix ERP System to track whether the products are raw, semi-finished, or finished.
With the Equipment Maintenance module, businesses can pre-plan and schedule maintenance for machines, and track their serviced records, parts replacements as well as service costs. Regularly prompt health-check for machines can reduce possible downtime disruption in the production progress.
With 32+ experience in innovation and care, Synergix Technologies has supported many manufacturing firms in automating and streamlining their operation. Some of our customers are Alignment Tool (S) Pte Ltd, Okamoto (Singapore) Pte Ltd, and PAN-EXP Engineering Pte Ltd. As we are a pre-approved vendor by the IMDA, eligible enterprises can receive funding up to 50% of the qualifying cost when adopting Synergix ERP software.
If you are looking for an ERP solution, do not hesitate to drop us a line!
