Differentiate among custom, intermittent, flexible, and continuous manufacturing.

Differentiation should be based on the following characteristics:

• custom manufacturing—one person making one product by hand or making one-of-a-kind products
• intermittent manufacturing—making limited quantities of a product
• flexible manufacturing—using complex machines that can quickly be adjusted to produce various products
• continuous manufacturing—making a large number of one product using mass production

Process/Skill Questions:

• What types of manufacturing typically use an assembly line?
• What are examples of products that might have been produced by the different types of manufacturing?
• What levels of training are predominant in each type of manufacturing?