Introduction
A strong relationship exists between labour and the process of production. Man has always provided the necessary manpower that is required to transform raw materials into finished products. This manpower can either be in the form of skilled or unskilled labour. However, to ensure that the process of production is effective and efficient, a lot of considerations have to be put in place.
The production of goods and services has experienced a lot of changes over time. Before the 18th century, the process of production purely relied of craft workmanship. This was highly seen on cottage industries during the industrial revolution. However, with the increase in demand for goods, some developments were to be seen in the production industry.
These came in through the introduction of scientific management in the process of production by Taylor (Boradkar 103). He introduced the concept of division of labour and cooperation among employees. This was a key move that led to the development of the assembly line of goods.
Fordism led to further development of this concept and hence the mass production of goods came by. However, after the Second World War, production companies begun to lay a lot of emphasis on customization of goods to meet the specific needs of individual customers. This is operational up to the present date. This paper will therefore summarise the various phases of the evolution of the production process and highlight on key issues that play a critical role in this development.
The evolution of production
The hit of the industrial revolution in Europe and America in the 18th century led to a lot of changes and advancement in the production industry. Goods could now be manufactured at a faster rate, with high precision and meet the rising demand of the population. During the early days of the revolution, a lot of emphasis was laid on the physical strength that man put in the production process. As a result, the volumes of production were low and industries were owned by individual.
The car manufacturing industry begun late in the 19th century. By 1920s, the demand for automobiles had increased. At this time, manufactures modified their production to meet the needs and demands of their customers. This included improved weather and safety protection, effectiveness and efficiency, better models and affordable prices (Boradkar 109). To achieve all these, standardised mass production had to put adapted.
This replaced the American System of production. Prior to this, the manufacture of vehicles was not standardised. Few individuals with specific skills were involved in the production process. These individuals were highly paid and could not be affected by capital forces. As a result, the units produced were low, the demand of vehicles was low and cars were sold at high prices.
In 1911, Frederick Taylor introduced the scientific management that emphasised on division of labour and employee cooperation. This concept ensured a faster rate of employee recruitment, increased production and reduction in the cost of production. Fordism, later on expounded on this idea and introduced the concept of mass production.
This concept emphasised on the increased use of machinery in the production process. This reduced the amount of manpower required and increased the rate of production and its efficiency. As a result, more vehicles were released into the market at a cheaper price. At this point, capitalism played a critical role in the automobile industry, a factor that is existent up to the present day.
Conclusion
A lot of developments have occurred in the process of production. This includes the introduction of scientific management and incorporation of technology in the process of production. As a result, high quality goods are now produced at a faster rate thus being able to meet the demand and needs of customers.
Work Cited
Boradkar, Prasad. Producing Things: A History of System Manufacture. Designing Things. Sydney: Berg, 2010