2.4.1 · Job · Batch · Flow · Cell — using Miele, Dyson, Land Rover, Cadbury & Haribo
One unique item made to a specific customer order. Highly skilled labour. Very high unit cost.
Flexibility is the key advantage. Volume is the key disadvantage.
Groups of identical items made together, then machinery reset for the next batch. Moderate flexibility.
Downtime between batches raises unit cost vs flow.
Continuous, highly automated production line. Standardised products. Very low unit cost.
Inflexible and capital-intensive. Suits stable, high-volume demand.
Small teams each produce a complete component end-to-end. Lean, quality-focused.
Better motivation than flow lines. Needs multi-skilled workers.
Miele uses cell production for most appliances — small teams assemble complete washing machines or dishwashers end-to-end at dedicated workstations. For bespoke commercial equipment (industrial washers for hospitals), they use job production, building to individual specification.
Edexcel link: Cell production improves quality ownership and worker motivation — Miele's "Made to last 20 years" brand promise depends on this. Higher unit cost vs Bosch is justified by premium pricing power.
Dyson's vacuum cleaners and fans are produced on automated flow lines in Malaysia — high volume, standardised products, low unit cost per machine. However, each new product generation (e.g. the V-series cordless) is developed using job-like engineering processes at Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
Edexcel link: Dyson illustrates the distinction between production (flow) and product development (job-like). Flow suits their volume; the capital investment was justified by the scale of global demand.
Land Rover uses cell-based assembly at its Solihull plant. Teams are responsible for complete sections of the vehicle — body, drivetrain, interior. Each Defender or Range Rover is built to a customer's specification (colour, trim, engine) but using a cell structure rather than job production, balancing customisation with efficiency.
Edexcel link: Cell production allows Land Rover to offer high customisation (over 1 million Defender configurations) without the unit cost of pure job production. Links to competitive advantage through product differentiation.
Cadbury: Dairy Milk is produced on continuous flow lines at Bournville — millions of identical bars per day. Highly automated, very low unit cost. Seasonal variants (Easter eggs) add a batch element.
Haribo: Produces in batches — a run of Goldbears, then the equipment is cleaned and reset for Starmix. This allows product variety but creates downtime between runs that increases unit cost vs pure flow.
Edexcel link: This pairing perfectly illustrates why firms choose flow vs batch — Cadbury's one dominant SKU suits flow; Haribo's wide product range necessitates batch.
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