Editing Mass production (section)

== Advantages and disadvantages ==
The economies of mass production come from several sources. The primary cause is a reduction of non-productive effort of all types. In [[craft production]], the craftsman must bustle about a shop, getting parts and assembling them. He must locate and use many tools many times for varying tasks. In mass production, each worker repeats one or a few related tasks that use the same tool to perform identical or near-identical operations on a stream of products. The exact tool and parts are always at hand, having been moved down the assembly line consecutively. The worker spends little or no time retrieving and/or preparing materials and tools, and so the time taken to manufacture a product using mass production is shorter than when using traditional methods.

The probability of [[human error]] and variation is also reduced, as tasks are predominantly carried out by machinery; error in operating such machinery has more far-reaching consequences. A reduction in labour costs, as well as an increased rate of production, enables a company to produce a larger quantity of one product at a lower cost than using traditional, non-linear methods.

However, mass production is inflexible because it is difficult to alter a [[design]] or [[Manufacturing|production]] process after a [[production line]] is implemented. Also, all products produced on one production line will be identical or very similar, and introducing variety to satisfy individual tastes is not easy. However, some variety can be achieved by applying different finishes and decorations at the end of the production line if necessary. The starter cost for the machinery can be expensive so the producer must be sure it sells or the producers will lose a lot of money.

The [[Ford Model T]] produced tremendous affordable output but was not very good at responding to demand for variety, [[wikt:customization|customization]], or design changes. As a consequence Ford eventually lost market share to [[General Motors]], who introduced annual model changes, more accessories and a choice of colors.<ref name="Hounshell1984"/>

With each passing decade, engineers have found ways to increase the flexibility of mass production systems, driving down the [[lead time]]s on new product development and allowing greater customization and variety of products.

Compared with other production methods, mass production can create new [[occupational hazard]]s for workers. This is partly due to the need for workers to operate heavy machinery while also working close together with many other workers. Preventative safety measures, such as fire drills, as well as special training is therefore necessary to minimise the occurrence of [[List_of_industrial_disasters#Manufacturing_industry|industrial accidents]].