Mass Production & Design
Stephen McKay
Graphic Design
Summery
Mass Production is as the name suggests in its simplest form, a method of production, used to generate vast amounts of goods quickly and efficiently.
"The mass production of standardized goods is using dedicated machines and moving assembly lines, employing unskilled and semi-skilled labour in fragmented jobs, with tight labour discipline, in large factories." (Zeigler, R.H, 2002)
This process has enabled the modern work forceto replicate and reproduce items at a previously unthought-of speed and volumes. Mass production can be applied to almost any item, from cars to clothes and appears to have minimal limitations.
There are however some disadvantages to this method of output. In such cases where machines do the majority of the work, there rigidness doesn’t allow for much variety and freedom as a skilled manual labourer would provide. Henry Ford himself was famously quoted on the rigidity of this rapid mass production method; he however manages to put a somewhat positive spin on the matter:
"Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black"(Ford, H, Crowther, S, 1922).
The tedium of using unskilled, untrained workers to complete menial, repetitive tasks can also lead to workers feeling some what removed from the end product.
“It is frequently alleged that the extreme division or simplification of tasks in mass-production industries is a major source of job dissatisfaction.” (Kilbridge, M.D, 1961)
History
The roots of Mass Production lie deep within the ethos of the American culture, as it was here that the ideology was first born at the turn of the 1900s. Automobile pioneer Henry Ford was “the first industrialist to make full use of this system” as he gave life to the very first production line while developing his now iconic Ford Model T car.
“Initially it took 14 hours to assemble a Model T car. By improving his mass production methods, Ford reduced this to 1 hour 33 minutes. This lowered the overall cost of each car and enabled Ford to undercut the price of other cars on the market. Between 1908 and 1916 the selling price of the Model T fell from $1,000 to $360.“ (Zeigler, R.H)
This process has since shaped the modern world and created a consumer culture that is on a scale unparallel to anything prior to the early Twentieth Century.
“The production of long runs of standardized goods for a mass market was introduced into the United States at the beginning of the 20th Century. The first industrialist to make full use of this system was Henry Ford and as a result it became known as Fordism.” (Zeigler, R.H, 2002)
The void between production methods of pre-Fordism and post were so great as following this creation of Mass Production also came that of Mass Consumption that unlike the term “Fordism”(Thomson, G.F) which has since disappeared, has grew rapidly. As the means of production have evolved, our requirements to consume have also vastly elevated. Previously items were only purchased out of necessity rather than pure desire (apart from the wealthy). With the mainly post war/depression era ofthe 50’s however came the new phenomenon of a consumer culture. People could afford to buy clothes, household appliances and cars etc., which previously were unthinkable for the average British or American household.
In more recent times the level of consumption has out ran that of production especially in the western world. Shopping has become a far more frequent event to the average individual.
“Shopping is viewed now as a social event, Shopping is recreation for many people and a status symbol for others.” (Smith, J.W, 1994)
With this high consumption, coupled with high costs of production and worker wages, countries such as the USA, Britain, and Germany etc who were previously the industrial powerhouses of the world have turned to outsourcing to the east. It is now in countries such as China, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Thailand, India etc were the labour is cheap and workers are a plenty that the majority of production takes place. Various major corporations have been criticised for there use of Sweatshops where workers are being paid pence a day for working under inhuman conditions 7days a week and upwards of 15 hours a day.
High street giants Primark were under scrutiny in 2009 after a documentary exposed their appalling treatment of workers in India
“Employees in Primark factories in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka slaving away for up to 80-hour weeks in appalling conditions, at well under a living wage.” (Hilary, J 2009)
This has left many areas especially within the UK within town and cities that relied on these factories for jobs with high levels of unemployment. There is an ethical dilemma regarding the argument against sweatshops, as although it is claimed that these workers are being exploited, there is also the opposing side that claims that they wouldn’t be getting paid at all if there weren’t these corporations to create job that they voluntarily take.
Relevance
In modern times there is now a culture of” “The Want”. Following to the success of Ford's low-price cars, it became common practice for other companies to introduce Mass Production methods to produce cheaper goods faster. Products are now designed especially for this type of production with parts being outsourced from various different countries and then being shipped to one location for assembly.
Because of this method it is generallythe case that quality is substituted for quantity. Something that is exceptionally common in modern production, that comes from the designers themselves is a term called Planned Obsolescence.
“ “Planned Obsolescence” is the production of goods with uneconomically short useful lives so that customers will have to make repeat purchases.” (Bulow, J. 1986)
This method has been used a great deal in modern design although it has been around for decades. In recent times perhaps most notably with Apple’s iPod. It is claimed that they have the technology to release models numbers of stages ahead of the current but release them at planned intervals as to catch new and existing customers then their current model inevitably brakes.
“Made to Break”(Giles Slade, 2007) looks at this theory and tried to propose a solution of how this method of production can be changed.
“A lot of really sophisticated people devoted a lot of time and thought to developing this system," he says. "We need to look at the problem creatively and rethink it. Our whole economy is based on buying, trashing, and buying again. We need to rethink industrial design." (Giles Slade, 2007)
Mass Production isn’t always a negative thing however. Within industry there is a brand leader for every genre and sector imaginable; be it Coca Cola, Tesco, IKEA, Microsoft, Apple, Nike. People gain a sense of individuality from there purchases even though there will rarely be an occasion that you ever own anything that is unique any more. Companies such as IKEA have such a wide range of products that you genuinely cannot help but find something that you feel represents you.
Nike’s philosophy appeals to both sides of this trend. Some people wear Nike trainers because they want to stand out where as some just want to fit in. In their “Time of Hope” adverts Nike compiled stock images of people that are shown “reduced to representations of the common ability in us all to prevail over our circumstances” (Goldman, R, Papson, S. 1998). Nike in these adverts silently asks of the viewers “not to capitulate to the in justices of circumstances and difference (being poor, black, a woman, or confined to a wheel chair)” (Goldman, R, Papson, S. 1998).
Bibliography
Zieger, R.H and Gall, G.J. 2002., American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century. The John Hopking University Press.
Thomson, G.F.2005., Fordism, Post-Fordism, and the Flexible System of Production. Oregon Williamette University.
Kilbridge, M.D., 1961. Turnover, Absence and Transfer Rates as Indicators of Employee Dissatisfaction With Repetitive Work, [online] Available at: <http://www.jstor.org/pss/2519600>[Accessed 5th October 2010].
Smith, J.W, 1994., The World's Wasted Wealth 2: Save Our Wealth, Save Our Environment. Inst for Economic Democracy.
Hilary, J. 2009. Primark Soars, But At What Cost? [online] The Guardian. 5th November 2009. Available at: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/05/primark-ethical-pledges-sweatshops>[Accessed at 5th October 2010]
Budlow, J. 1986. An Economic Theory Of Planned Obsolescence. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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