Introduction to Operations Management of Products - Assignment Example

? Operations Management Studies have revealed that the initial industrial revolution started in Britain in the second half of the 18th century. This big step in the history of mankind began with the textiles’ industry mechanization (McManners 2012). Tasks earlier done manually by use of hands in the weavers’ cottages were joined together into one cotton mill; thus, giving birth to the factory. In the early 20th century, the second industrial revolution occurred when Henry Ford become proficient at moving the assembly line and promoted the era of mass production (Markillie 2012). These two early industrial revolutions have made people extremely rich and able to embrace urbanization. Now, the third revolution is underway, and this is represented by the digitalization of manufacturing. It is a fact that this digitalization of manufacturing is likely to transform business and much more. Several outstanding technologies are converging: novel materials, new processes such as 3D printing, clever software, as well as wide range of internet-based services (Markillie 2012). Factories that operated in the past majored in making identical products. For instance, Ford asserted that all those individuals who were interested in purchasing cars had the option of having any color they preferred, so long as it was closely related to black. It is also imperative to understand the fact that the production cost of small batches of varied products that are tailored to customer’s demands, is falling. This implies that the future factories will emphasize on mass customization, and may appear similar to the weavers’ cottages of the 18th century and not Ford’s assembly line. The old fashioned way of making things entailed welding or screwing of several parts of a machine together. However, in the recent times, a product can be designed easily on a computer and the printed with the help of a three-dimensional printer. The three-dimensional printer helps in the creation of solid objects by building up sequential layers of material. This digital design can also be tweaked in order to make it better just by a few mouse-clicks (Stevenson 2011). Since the 3D printer is electronic, it can run on its own without a worker attending to it. Additionally, it can make several complex things which cannot be handled by a traditional factory. With time, it is argued that these 3D printers will be able to make anything from anywhere. For instance, you can give it a command from any part of the world and let it do the printing work. This digitalization is bound to promote mechanization to unmeasured heights. The three-dimensional printing applications are extremely mind-boggling. High technology parts of military jets and hearing aids are already in customized shapes. Therefore, with the continued improvement of the technology, there is likely to be a change in the geographic supply chain. For instance, an engineer conducting his work in a deserted area, who lacks any engineering tool does not necessarily have to make arrangements for the tool to be delivered to him from the nearest town. What he can do is to download the tool’s design and print. From this development, it is correct to say that days when projects used to be halted since some parts of the construction kit were unavailable, or customers raising complaints for not finding spare parts for items bought are soon becoming quaint. Other transformations are also momentous. For instance, the novel materials used in the factories are light, strong and durable compared to the old ones. Aluminium and steel products are being replaced by carbon fibre in products such as mountain bikes and airplanes. New technologies have enabled engineers to shape objects and make tiny adjustments. On the other hand, nanotechnology is promoting products by giving them enhanced features. For instance, it promotes the creation of crockery that facilitate easy cleaning, bandages that are capable of healing cuts, engines that efficiently run, just to mention but a few. The genetically engineered viruses being developed have also facilitated making products such as batteries. All these developments have been made easy by the internet. This is attributed to the fact that internet allows designers to create novel products and work closely together to minimize barriers that may hinder digitalization. Just like all the other revolutions, the third industrial revolution will be disruptive. This is evident in the way digital technology has already shaken the retailing and the media industries. This is similar to the way hand looms were crushed by the cotton mills. From this, it is a fact that several people will examine industrial units of the future and marvel. This is because there will not be grimy machines operated by workers in oily overalls; instead, the industries will be extremely clean and almost deserted (Stevenson 2011). Most of the jobs in these factories will not be conducted on the floor of the factories; instead, they will be conducted in the nearby offices which will be full with IT specialists, engineers, logistic experts, marketing staff, designers and other professionals. These future manufacturing jobs will require additional skills, and repetitive, dull tasks will be considered obsolete. The third industrial revolution will affect the manner in which things are made, as well as the location of production. In the past, factories had tendencies of moving to countries that paid low wages in order to minimize labor costs. However, in the recent times, labor costs are increasingly becoming less and less important (Markillie 2012). On the other hand, offshore production is fast moving back to the economically rich countries despite the fact that Chinese wages are not on the rise. The reason for the movement in offshore production is that most companies wish to be situated close to consumers of their products. This will make them respond fast to demand changes. The sophistication of some products makes it difficult to have people designing and making them in separate places. In conclusion, it is worth noting that several consumers would have diminutive difficulties adapting to the novel age of improved products delivered swiftly. Additionally, governments may also find it hard to maintain and uphold the third industrial revolution. This is attributed to the fact that most governments aim at protecting companies and industries that are already in existence; and not starting those that are likely to destroy them. In this respect, they would give subsidies to old factories, as well as impose embargoes to company bosses who wish to shift production to abroad (Stevenson 2011). Lastly, they would invest massive funds in novel technologies that they believe are likely to prevail. Bibliography Markillie, P., 2012. A third industrial revolution: Special report: Manufacturing and Innovation. The Economist. [Online] Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/21552901 [Accessed January 28, 2013]. McManners, P., 2012. The Third Industrial Revolution. Sustainable Business Forum. [Online] Available at: http://sustainablebusinessforum.com/peter-mcmanners/57474/third-industrial-revolution [Accessed January 28, 2013]. Stevenson, W.J., 2011. William J Stevenson 11th ed., New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Read More