RSM100Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Flexible Manufacturing System, Mass Production, Operations Management
Document Summary
Production uses resources, including workers and machinery, to convert materials into finished goods and services. The task of production and operations management is to oversee the firm"s production process by managing the people and machinery that convert materials and resources into finished goods and services. There are three kinds of production: mass, flexible, and customer-driven production. Mass production is a system for manufacturing products in large quantities by using effective combinations of employees with specialized skills, mechanization, and standardization. Because of mass production, outputs (goods and services) are available in large quantities at lower prices than individually made items. Mass production begins with the specialization of labour, by dividing work into its simplest forms so that each workers can focus on one task. By separating jobs into small tasks, managers create the right conditions for high productivity through mechanization. In mechanization, machines do much of the work previously done by people.