Flow production is a manufacturing process that involves the continuous flow of products from one machine to the next machine. This type of production can be very efficient, and it often leads to increased productivity and quality for a manufacturing unit. This process has been used for many years all over the world to increase the efficiency and output of the company. In simple words flow production is like a relay race just like in a relay race members of the team take part in a race one by one without stopping in the same way in the case of flow production there is a continuous flow of products from one machine to the next machine. In order to get a better idea about this concept, one should look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of flow production –
Advantages of Flow Production
Flow Production leads to Increased Efficiency
The first and foremost advantage of flow production is that it leads to increased efficiency because in a traditional manufacturing setting, workers often have to wait for parts or materials to arrive before they can start working. This can lead to a lot of wasted time and resources but due to flow production, parts and materials are delivered just in time, so workers can start working immediately. This leads to increased efficiency and productivity of the workers working in the manufacturing unit.
Reduced Inventory
In traditional manufacturing, businesses often have to order parts and materials in advance, which can lead to a lot of wasted or unused inventory. With Flow production, businesses only order those parts and materials which they need. This reduces the amount of wasted inventory or funds being tied up in unused inventory and thus it helps to keep costs down for the company thus increasing the profit margins of the company.
Improvement in Quality
Another benefit of flow production is that it leads to improvement in the quality of products produced by the company because in the traditional manufacturing process, it is often difficult to ensure that all products are made of the same standard. With flow production, products are manufactured one at a time, which leads to improved quality and consistency of the products. This type of production is ideal for businesses that are looking to produce large quantities of goods in a short period of time.
Disadvantages of Flow Production
Expensive to Set Up
The biggest disadvantage of the flow production process is that it is very expensive to set up. This is because businesses need to invest in equipment and training for workers. In addition, businesses need to have enough space to accommodate the manufacturing process. This can be a challenge for small businesses or businesses with limited resources. Hence one can say that this may not be the best option for businesses that are just starting out or those that are operating on a tight budget.
Not Suitable for All Products
Another limitation of flow production is that it is not suitable for all the products. This is because flow production relies on standardization, which means that flow production will work only if all the products are identical. Hence flow production process is not suitable for those products which are unique or are custom made and thus limiting the applicability of the flow production method.
Flow Production is Inflexible
Inflexibility is another major drawback of flow production because there is a continuous flow of products from one machine to the next machine and if there is a change in demand for a company’s product, it can be difficult for the company to quickly adapt its production process to meet this new demand or changing demand.
As one can see from the above that flow production has benefits as well as limitations and that is the reason why any company thinking of adopting this process should carefully read the above points and then only should take any decision.