Production Systems

Difference between intermittent and

continuous Production Systems
 Nature of product
• In intermittent production system, goods are
produced based on customer orders and not
for stocking.
• In continuous production system, goods are
produced based on demand forecast and for
stocking.
 Flexibility of process
• In intermittent production system, production
process is flexible. The product design goes on
changing.
• In continuous production system, production
process is not flexible. It is standardized. The
same product is manufactured continuously
 Scale of production
• In intermittent production system, goods are
produced on a small scale, so there is no
economies of scale.
• In continuous Production System, goods are
produced on a large scale, so there is
economies of large-scale production.
 Per unit cost
• In intermittent production system, cost per
unit may be higher because production is
done on a small-scale.
• In continuous production system, cost per unit
may be lower because production is done on
large-scale.
 Range of products
• In intermittent production system, wide
ranges of products are manufactured.
• In continuous production system, normally
one particular type of product is
manufactured.
 Instructions
• In an intermittent production system, many
detailed instructions must be provided
depending upon the customer's specification.
• In continuous production system, single set of
instructions is sufficient for operation. Here,
there is no need to repeat the instructions
 Staff
• Intermittent production system requires staff
with high technical skills and abilities.
• Continuous production system requires
more managerial skills and less technical skills.
 Storage of final products
• In an intermittent production system, there is
no need to store and stock the final products,
because items are produced as per customer's
orders.
• In a continuous production system, there is a
need to store and stock the final products
until they are demanded in the market
 Location change
• In an intermittent production system, change
in location is easy.
• In a continuous production system, change in
location is difficult
 Capital invested
• In an Intermittent production system, capital
invested is small.
• In a continuous production system, capital
invested is very huge