The link between the ethereal beauty of Venice and the hard certainties of the factory production system may seem less than obvious. But the connections begin in the very heart of the island city – in an array of buildings guarded by a pair of large stone lions, just a few minutes' stroll from the Piazza San Marco.
Like many former industrial sites, the Venetian arsenal is now used mainly for cultural exhibitions. But it was here, more than 500 years ago, that modern manufacturing was born. The shipyard was the first significant user of standardised parts production – by 1500, 16,000 workers toiled there, turning out everything from firearms to large, wooden-hulled ships, some of which were made in a matter of days.
Standardised parts have been one of the most critical influences behind the development of the 21st century factory system. The process makes possible the production of the 1bn artefacts that sustain and enhance human life, and employs roughly 10 per cent of the world's working population.
The techniques also potentially level the playing field for those who missed out in earlier periods of manufacturing development. Professor Brent Stucker of the University of Louisville in Kentucky says one of the most significant effects will be a re-duction in the amount of conventional industrial infrastructure – machine tools, testing equipment and related factory hardware – that companies and countries require if they are to be considered serious industrial players.
"It will make it easier for nations in the early stages of industrial development – such as in Africa – to leapfrog the conventional route towards building up production capabilities and make a valid contribution to global manufacturing much earlier than would have been regarded possible," says Prof Stucker.
Such opportunities should also be open to smart individuals, says Prof Stucker. Although the competitive advantages of large and well organised global manufacturers will remain, the new ideas will usher in a return to prominence of the artisan production worker – a breed that in most rich nations has become almost extinct since the demise of the blacksmith.
In the epoch of personalised production, the first products likely be made routinely are items that need to fit in with the unique biological features of an individual. They will include bone and dental implants, hearing aids, stents for unblocking arteries and specialised surgical tools.
These are likely to be followed by objects where individual preferences are important, from fashion-related products and jewellery to lighting systems and furniture. Mass personalisation will also benefit the makers of essential, but often barely noticed, industrial products where the need for variation is linked to engineering function. Valve-makers, for instance, already make up to 500,000 varieties to meet the need for flexible operating procedures in different industries.
Humankind has reached this stage after a journey that began around 1,200BC with the use of craft-based techniques to make products, from pots and pans to arrow heads. During such "low-volume customisation", everything was made on a one-off basis. Even with semi-formalised techniques such as glass-blowing, procedures were slow and expensive.
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