INDUSTRY STUDY
Technical Factors
Mechanisation
Specialisation
Automation
Mass production
Mechanisation

Machines replacing human muscle but still
requiring human control

This will greatly increase efficiency,
productivity and quality
Some advantages of mechanisation are:
• a higher volume of goods can be produced
in a shorter time period
• more consistent quality of goods produced
• machines don’t tire or take holidays and
will work 24 hours a day
• machines are less likely to cause accidents
and lead to workers compensation claims
Some disadvantages of mechanisation
are:
• the high initial cost of purchasing
equipment and the cost of training
workers to operate the machines.
• the loss of jobs in an industry which
becomes highly mechanised
• the high cost of maintenance and repairs
to machines
Specialisation
Focusing tasks on one particular skill,
product, process, resource or service
Diversification:
• producing more than one product or service
• being involved in different types of businesses
or industries which may or may not be related
Advantages and disadvantages of Specialisation
Advantages
• workers can become efficient at their task quickly
• more likely that precision can be maximised
• unskilled labour can often be utilised, reducing
costs and increasing profits
Disadvantages
• workers are not multiskilled and so it is more
difficult to replace sick or injured workers with
another worker in the factory
• workers can become complacent due to boredom
Automation
Machines which replace human judgment
and perception, i.e. Senses
Advantages
• less labour intensive
• less time spent on processing materials = cheaper
• quicker to produce items
• greater quality assurance, accuracy, neatness
• exact replication, maintain standard
Disadvantages
• Designs are limited due to the inflexible nature of
the large panels
• Loss of fine skills
• Impact on workers: air quality, noise pollution, job repetition
• increased industrial waste.
Mass Production
High volume production of a highly
standardised product
•
Typically products are made on an assembly
line with workers organized to perform only one
or two operations over and over again - the
product moves from person to person.
•
This is usually only suitable for making large
volumes of goods, for example, cars clothing or
other appliances.
Mass production has advantages and
disadvantages.
Some of the advantages may include:
• efficiency of production: less time is taken to
produce goods
• ‘economies of scale’: cheaper to make products in
large quantities
• workers only need to be trained in one or two
tasks.
Disadvantages may include:
• boredom for the workers
• RSI (repetitive strain injury)
• low job satisfaction for workers
• large stock piles of finished goods waiting to be
sold
• difficult to change the product’s design quickly to
respond to changing styles and consumer demand