What is a serial production line and the benefits of process standardization?

Definition of Product Family

What is a serial production line and the benefits of process standardization? 

The concept of serial production is a manufacturing strategy used in industry to produce large quantities of products. The main characteristic of serial production is the standardization of industrial processes. To implement standardization, it is necessary to create a family of products made with the same components.

The products of a family are designed to be different and the same at the same time. They are manufactured to meet different applications, but go through the same production processes until reaching their final format. The benefit of process standardization is the reduction of costs, due to the purchase of the same raw material in the greatest quantity possible.

As an example of a product family, let's think about a soft drink factory with different flavors and bottle sizes. If produced separately, the production cost will be very high. To reduce costs and increase production efficiency, the company uses the standardization of industrial processes and creates a family of products that share the same components and machines.
By creating a product family, you can make the most of the features. Standardizing manufacturing processes will allow workers to become more efficient in their role, reducing the time needed to produce each item.

In the automotive industry, it is common to see several models of the same car, such as the Hatch, Sedan and Weekend versions. A car's platform can be shared between multiple models. Creating a product family allows a company to produce several models with a wide variety of options, such as different engines, sound systems and interior finishes.

At FanTR, we have adopted this idea since 2016 and have several products that follow this logic. In 2021, we started an inventory program to serve customers faster. By 2024, we want to use this same idea for our new M-Flow family of fans to more efficiently serve the largest projects.