One Piece Flow VS Mass Production

It is every business owner’s objective to have a streamlined and efficiently running business. This means that its highly productive, amply generates revenues, high chance for expansion, and little room for waste. For accomplishing these objectives, business owners have to decide whether to adopt the lean manufacturing one piece flow approach or mass production. For the uninformed business manager, one piece flow or continuous flow manufacturing refers to a practice of producing one part at a time with little waste, at the lowest possible cost, free of defects and on time. This practice encourages fulfilling customer’s expectations with only manufacturing what is needed. Since parts are done one at a time, tasks become simpler with little room for defects. On the other hand, mass production manufactures goods in large batches before orders start piling in to reduce production cost. If one piece flow is done right, a continuous stream of activity between manufacturers and shop operators is achieved. This practice aims constant improvement with regards to quality, productivity, and profits without having to create unnecessary inventory. A one piece flow simulation shows that since products are made a part at a time, cycle time for production is shorter, and you can easily see if there are defects in certain output. Mass production can pose certain problems to businesses. With a large batch, processing items can be very time consuming and they can’t move down the line unless they have been processed. Given a large inventory, more manpower and space is needed to store them. Since goods are made by batches, quality of these goods can go down and highly susceptible to defects. Continuous flow manufacturing can supply a constant stream of goods to customers with little to no lag time. Since tasks are done individually, chances for defects are lowered and problem areas can be easily spotted and fixed accordingly. Less space and labor is needed, since you only produce what is important. Still not convinced? Try a one piece flow simulation. This practice can be applied in many fields like software, software requirements, order fulfillment, and more. Keep in mind: in order for continuous flow to work, producing quality products should be consistent and easily repeated. If you’re looking for options for business management, try a one piece flow simulation to see if it’s right for you.