Define the rule of the employers during the Industrial revolution Free Essays

string(57) " could meet and discuss working conditions and pay only\." At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, employers were in virtually complete control of their employees and employees lives’. Government intervention to make the work place safe would not occur for several decades and factories were little more than slave shops under a different term. Typically, employees would have no rights at all regarding their employment and were forced to work in deplorable conditions: factories with insufficient light and unsafe work conditions. We will write a custom essay sample on Define the rule of the employers during the Industrial revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many had no ventilation and were fire hazards because of the combustible materials that were used. Employees were forced to work long hours based on production needs and no thought was given to employee health or well-being. In many instances, the employer would create company towns in the region near their factories. The company would own all houses, markets and goods in the community. The company would then charge exorbitant rates for rent, food and goods making it virtually impossible for employees to get ahead. In many cases, the employee would work for a year only to owe the company money at the end of the year. This was done as a means to keep people from moving to other factories or other communities.   In addition, the law allowed people to be sent to prison for their debts and the debts of the parents to be passed on to the children, so often several generations of a family would be virtually enslaved by their employer. Wages that were paid were insufficient for a family to be fed and often parents and children worked in these sweatshops as a method of maintaining the family life. Children did not attend school or have any hope of a better life as they were sent in to the factories at very young ages. Women were often forced to leave children at home with an older sibling while they worked or were unable to work at all because of an infant or toddler in the home. Very young children placed a severe burden on the family because of the loss of wages and many children were abandoned to state-run orphanages in hopes that they would end up in a better life or to simply prevent a drag on the family’s income. This was not a benevolent dictatorship. The employer often ruled with an iron-fist and lived in the lap of luxury while his employees died of disease and malnutrition brought on by his greed. Employers were also allowed without repercussion to discipline employees as they saw fit and often took great liberties with female employees who were afraid of losing their jobs if they did not comply. Employers profited greatly during this time because labor was plentiful and they could make it cheap. Employers did not provide health care or disability for employees hurt or killed on the job.   Instead, the financial burden on their families was increased by the lack of income. And, people were hurt or maimed regularly by substandard equipment and poor conditions. Another favorite tactic on employers early in the Industrial Revolution was to pay people according to the number of pieces that they could produce.   This was yet another manner of ruling with an iron fist. Employers could assign employees to good machines, which produced fast and accurate pieces, or old and worn out machines at their discretion. Young people had an advantage of being able to work faster and often would have made better wages, except that employers seized on the idea that children had fewer responsibilities and used this as an excuse to pay children less even though they were expected to carry the workload of an adult. Children who failed were often beaten. During the American Civil War, proponents of slavery pointed out the inequities in the system and argued that Southern landowners often treated their slaves better than many employers treated their employees. They argued that a slave owner saw his slave as an investment and valued its contribution to his success and a business owner viewed his employees as an endless, replaceable commodity and took no personal responsibility for their safety, health or well-being. What is and was the right of existence for the unions? The UK was not initially a good place for unions to be. In 1799 and 1800, British Prime Minister William Pitt had a pair of acts passed called the combination acts which made it illegal for people to band together to try to get shorter working hours or more pay. Then, in 1817 Parliament against acted, this time making it illegal for a group of more than 50 people to meet together and order the arrest of anyone accused of spreading seditious libel, any untoward remarks regarding the Parliament or the Crown.   This severely hampered efforts for parliamentary reform as people were afraid to speak out. Two years later, nearly 50,000 people gathered at St. Peter’s Field to hear subversive, pro-union newspaper editors and other union leaders talk about the need for reform and the local magistrate, backed by the British Army, attacked, purportedly in an effort to arrest one of the speaks. Several accounts say many of the soldiers were drunk when they attacked the crowd with their sabres. As a result, Parliament instituted the Six Acts, which expanded the definitions of seditious libel and allowed permanent ceasing of a publication as means of punishment. It also changed the newspaper and stamp act so that even publications of purely opinion were subjected to the tax and provided local authorities with the right to seize people and arms accused of participating in a union gathering. In 1824, the combination acts were repealed and met with a national outbreak of strikes, resulting in Parliment’s decision to pass a new combination act in 1835. This was the first significant legislation o legalize trade unions, though it made their scope very narrow. Trade unions could meet and discuss working conditions and pay only. You read "Define the rule of the employers during the Industrial revolution" in category "Essay examples" Any other activities were considered a criminal conspiracy to restrict trade. The law also forbade unions from doing anything to obstruct or intimidate others. This was viewed as problematic as it gave the judiciary an unprecedented leeway in determining what activities violated the law. The act remained the law of the land until 1867 when Benjamin Disraeli and others banded together to have the law changed so that a striking union could be charged only with breach of contract and the government in power created the Trade Union Congress. Though calls to allow a union member into the Congress were rejected, the move proved to be an advancement in the cause of unionism. Four years later, the government finally made trade unions legal. In 1875 when Disraeli was named Prime Minister, as promised, he passed legislation making it legal for a union to do anything that an individual could do. This began the age of unionism and in 1880, Parliament passed legislation making management and employers responsible for the safety and well-being of the employees as long as their injury was not the result of actions by fellow workers. In 1906, legislation as passed to prevent employers from suing unions when they had a loss of income as a result of a strike and in 1913 legislation made it clearly legal for the labor unions to contribute to the political party of their choice as determined by union leadership. In 1927, legislation was passed to prevent civil servants from joining unions affiliated with the Trade Union Congress and outlawed the use of sympathetic strikes and general strikes. That is, with minor revision, the state of the trade labor union today. On which roles does the Globalization of the economy depend? Globalization of the economy is a tricky business and highly dependent on the ability of workers and employers to adapt to the changing international labor market and the changing role of the industrialized world in the age of technology. There has been some effort made within the last two years to update the trade union system and encourage union modernization so that the workers can quickly be retrained with skills more appropriate to the emerging labor market. As with other parts of the world, the concern among trade unions is that jobs traditionally left to them are now being outsourced to cheaper labor environments worldwide. If we are to adjust to this availability of cheap labor elsewhere, we must do so by changing the way we look at labor unions and evaluating the new markets that could be the modern labor frontiers. One example of this might be to examine computer workers and administrative positions traditionally viewed as white collar work. These areas are the new growth industries and in recent years, the site of the most abuse of employees. In addition, these more advanced positions have traditionally had to negotiate salaries for themselves resulting in huge disparities person to person and based on gender, age, and other discriminatory factors. For globalization to work the economy must be revitalizes and the United Kingdom must adjust its perceptions at home and abroad about the things that it will produce. No longer will mining and textiles be a major portion of the economy. Instead, if we are to accept our part in a global economy, we must identify new areas in which we can develop an unrivaled expertise and global reliance. In a 2005 report, HM Treasury argued that the UK is in an unrivaled position worldwide to make the most of globalization in that we have the economic and trading ties to the entire world. In addition, we have a strong business, technology and macroeconomic base from which to begin our quest. Not only must we train employees in the fast-growing areas of technology which will present the best opportunity for our people, but we must also reward innovation and creativity. The report calls for the support of workers who need to be retrained to join the global economy and the wise and efficient use of energy and resources as a means to prevent reliance on other countries for our energy needs. Most importantly, we must rely on the well-established international trade that helped build and strengthen the economy in the first place. It is vitally important that the country not turn to isolationism as a manner of dealing with the threat of international competition. The problem is that many people promote the idea of protectionism as a way to avoid the international competition, but we know that this approach will only lead to a need to rejoin the world economy at a later date when we are less strong and able to do so. We must move forward now and implement change instead of hiding from it. What is mundialism or anti globalization? Mundialism is the process of building interconnected word governing bodies rather than integrating the existing nation-states into an interdependent global world. Proponents of mundialism argue that entities such as the International Court and a one-world government should be created rather than relying on the concept of nation-states. Mundalism promoted the concept that what is right for the world as a whole is right for the individual citizens and the individual nations of the world. It argues that by working together for the common good, we can overcome economic, social and ideological differences for the betterment of all humankinds. Anti-globalization can encompass a number of different policies, but largely it is the idea that the governments, economies and societies of the world should not be interdependent and that they should remain separate by distinct barriers including borders and cultural boundaries. Anti-globalization proponents are perhaps the most extreme opponents of mundialism. They believe that the world is already too interconnected and that it would be better if we could simply draw the curtains up around our countries and keep the rest of the world argue. Many argue that the world can never be as interdependent as promoted by mundialism and that it will always be divided by was and ideology. The idea, they say, is that human nature is competitive and that we cannot make all faiths and all political viewpoints get along. Some would even argue that the only way that mundialism could work would be with a strong world ruler, that someone would have to get the final deciding vote on right and wrong. Mundialism supporters argue that if the nation’s of the world all expressed a true desire to work together in harmony the major strife points of the world could be eliminated and wars and border disputes could end. Anti-globalization proponents call that pie in the sky nonsense. There will always be a competition for resources and for power. Those without it will strive for it via any means necessary and those who have it will seek to retain it. Somewhere in there middle is where we actually are. There are some world organizations, like the International Criminal Court and there are some opponents to those organizations, like the United States. There are growing disputes worldwide over everything from economic gain to religion to claiming the land that sits beneath the polar icecaps. And, neither theory adequately addresses what should be done about global problem areas like Rwanda and Darfur, places where the massacres keep happening, the land is destroyed and the people are unable to subsist, much less contribute to a world economy. Describe the Trade union s structure and state why the unions are losing members. Trade unions are designed to be very specific in their membership and then are loosely affiliated with the Trade union Congress. However, this specialization is contributing to the decline of the unions and the loss of members nationally. Unions are supposed to be local, with members choosing a regional representative to speak to the specific concerns of their company or community. Then, the locals are affiliated with a national organization which is in turn affiliated with the national congress. But in recent years, with declining employment in regions once covered by the trade unions, even the largest of the unions are beginning to shrink or disappear entirely.   This is a factor of the changing work environment within the UK, as more and more people are working in quasi-professional positions not covered by the trade unions. Furthermore, even locally, unions do not represent the universal political opinions that they once did. Neighbors now may agree on matters of union employment, but have vastly different opinions with regards to national politics and how the union should be influencing them. This diversity in the union has caused a loss of political power and a loss of interest within the membership. In addition, the major concern facing trades people in 2007 is not something the union can do much to change.   Unions have had little impact in corporate decisions to close factories or move operations to other nations where the labor costs are more favorable. The days of the union being able to protect its workers and provide for a safer work environment, better benefits and a happier way of life are gone, Instead, the unions continue to take dues from members, reducing their overall take home pay, but add no benefits. The days of the sweatshop are long gone and virtually every worked is provided the same protections under the law that a union worker can get in a union shop.   That is not to say that the union has outlived its usefulness, but rather that unions have accomplished their original goals of workplace safety and equal treatment for workers. If unions seriously want to reverse the trend of losing membership, they must realize that they play an important role in the globalization process and update themselves to meet that need. Unions must be actively involved in retraining workers and helping them to find new means of gainful employment.   Unions must work in conjunction with business to find better ways to improve global competitiveness and to make employers understand the value of well-educated, highly-trained workers over cheap labor in an unregulated state. How to cite Define the rule of the employers during the Industrial revolution, Essay examples

Transforming America with the Civil Rights Movemen Essay Example For Students

Transforming America with the Civil Rights Movemen Essay t Transforming America with the Civil Rights Movemen Essayt The civil rights movement transformed American society in to a color conscience society and started the anti-free speech political correct movement that we are seeing today. The civil rights movement gave African Americans the right to be treated as regular citizens but it was the urban riots of the mid-1960s and the voiced black rage that changed the tone of the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement also sparked others to create organizations to stand up for their beliefs. The civil rights movement fought to achieve full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality to black Americans. The civil rights movement was a challenge to segregation, the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites that whites used to control blacks after slavery was abolished in the 1860s. We will write a custom essay on Transforming America with the Civil Rights Movemen specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now During the civil rights movement, individuals and civil rights organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities, including protest marches, boycotts, and refusal to abide by segregation laws. Many believe that the movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and ended with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but many also believe that it has not ended today. Bibliography: .

How did the Korean War affect the United States

How did the Korean War affect the United States Free Online Research Papers Americans are known for their conflict between the Soviet Union for the prevention of Communism. There were many events going on, such as the Cold War, the attempt of assassinating Fidel Castro, and competition between the United States and Soviet Union. However, the peak of the war of Communism happened during 1950s, where there was a major clash between the two sides of the Korean peninsula. The Korean War was the declaration of war between communism and capitalism. It was not a war that mattered about the casualties but it was the war that had to be won. The Korean war gave a big impact to the United States symbolizing a major indirect war between Communism vs Capitalism, from the influence of the Cold war and the competition with USSR. Many students and people of the United States do not know much about the importance of the Korean War. It is regarded as the â€Å" Forgotten War†. Shouldn’t the title be â€Å" A war people want to forget?† The spread of communism reached its peak at the end of World War II. The Cold War shows an example of the dispute between two sides but the Korean War was more of a direct war of communism and capitalism. But the reason why its called the â€Å"Forgotten war† is that it is an event that people do not want to remember. This actually was an important war for the United States. United States humiliated themselves through the Korean War and lost many unnecessary soldiers. From their loss of victory, North Korea is currently a big threat to the world and to the United States. Currently in the modern society, North Korea is considered to be a military threat to the world. North Korea consists of which 5-million man army and numerous chemical and biolo gical weapons. They are also the number one ballistic missile exporter in the world. 1 Recently they have been testing extended-range ballistic missiles that flew cross Japan. The Presidential press secretary, Robert Gibb said, â€Å" a serious step in the wrong direction†. From not finishing the war caused North Korea became a major threat to the society. The Korean War proves why the United Sates should not neglect the North Korean threats. United States is a nation where they strongly disagree with the idea of communism. The two super powers of the past, the United States and the Soviet Union ideals crashed again in the land of Korea . Including their rivalry and hatred toward the ideals of Communism, the two group competed against each other for power and the rivalry between United States and Soviet Union caused the Korean war into a larger war. According to one of the texts , it said that the reason why the Soviet Union took North Korea was to show the world that they could withstand any pressure from other nations politically , socially, culturally, and economically.2 The United States itself didn’t have much interest in South Korea due to lack of resources, disorganized government, and poverty. The pure reason was to prevent communism from growing, hence they supported Korea with many factories, weapons, and soldiers. Later on, Communism grew rapidly, dominating many places like North Korea, Vietnam, Lao s, Cambodia, Angola. The purpose of Korean War was to defeat the communistic values and compete USSR showing them strength in military terms. The two major sides of different ideals has been always been in a dormant situation not involving in any major wars but this led to a major war between two ideals. One major objectives of each super powers was to halt each other’s power growing potential. In one of the books, it stated that the far-east was a great location for the United States and USSR to plant their war centers. The far-east had the resources and was very efficient and good in strategic meanings. It was very important for the two groups to dominate the far east, but Korea was not really a land of resources. The society was bad economically and Americans knew that there was going to be more waste than profit.3One major purpose for the Americans to support Korea was not mainly because of their interest in Korea but to prevent the country from developing communism. Korea was in its worst state. The economy was poor and the only raw material it could support United States was graphite. The new technology a nd the chemical fertilizers brought Korea to produce more agricultural goods and food.4 This is one reason why the Korean War was considered to be a â€Å"forgotten war† A war with no clear conclusion and no actual benefit but just casualties and a great usage of money. Japan itself gained its opportunity to develop from the Korean War. American armies established bases and factories in order to produce weapons and defense utilities. This was also their time to get some war bonds from other countries. The Korean war led the United States to earn money and do business through establishing bases in neighbor counties using resources for their own good. In wars, United States tend to earn money. The Korean not only gave benefits to United States, but taught them strategic establishments and helped them achieve resources from other countries. The Korean War happened right after the Cold War, which involved in an arms race between the United States and USSR. From the influence of the Cold war, the Korean War was the after math of the arms race. They were both in a competition who can dominate more countries through spreading communism and capitalism and supporting allies. One main thing the two sides did were establishing bases in far- eastern area.5 The establishment of each bases had both advantages and disadvantages in the far-eastern area. In one of the graphs the United States had the advantages of area security. They established bases in Korea, Japan, and Pakistan where its air range reaches the objectives of USSR. Also defensively, the base was located in a good position, so it could encounter all kinds of attacks, especially Japan. There were many strategic routes that helped them easily defend the communists including man power. However, they faced may difficulties. Many countries like Korea needed excessi ve amount of aid . Food shortages and medical aids, these lack of needs restricted many of America’s power during the Korean War. Also, the communicating technology wasn’t developed as well causing America to lack in strategic ways compare to Soviet Union. The weakness of USA was the strength for the Soviets. 6From this information, it could be stated that they were competing to see who is the stronger one. Koreans feared both sides and they didn’t know what they were doing. This action shows importance to the Americans because this could of been referred as another cold war or the road to the next World War. President Truman gave a big impact with the conflict of communism. He believed that if one nation becomes a communist society, it will follow through. In other words it was referred as the â€Å"Domino theory†. The â€Å"Domino Theory† was first introduced by president Dwight D. Eisenhower on April 7, 1954 in one of his speeches. But the theory gave more impact during Truman’s presidency. Following the domino principle, Truman declared a foreign policy also known as the Truman Doctrine which was a program that helped the containment of communism. This doctrine was primarily financial, giving monetary aid to the countries who were in a battle with communism. 7 He also opened many nations the free trade, and open market programs unlike the communists. This was also an extension of the Cold War without any direct conflict. President Truman who tried to seek for world ‘peace’ declared a war against North Korea unofficially. Truman faced many internal criticisms from his actions toward â€Å"anti communism† . However, the war in North Korea was basically his fear toward the growing powers of China and USSR. During the 1950s, was also the time where people in the United States were in the state of red scare which made Truman even more concerned about the status of the spread of communism. 8 Also in June 27th, he made a statement that â€Å"communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use invasion and war†. From his statement, many allied powers united to fight in North Korea. Blaming communism, he led the war into a bigger war causing more casualties.9 From this statement, it could be stated that the Cold war is not fully over and that competition between United States and USSR will continue. Another reason for United States to help Korea was for more allied powers. In case of war conditions, United States needed as much allied powers and supporters in order fight the communists. It might seem like the United States helped to prevent communism to spread, but logically, they wanted more members. Even during the Vietnam war, the United States ordered Korea to to help United States to fight against Vietnam which caused four thousand six thousand casualties out of three hundred thousand combatants.10 This was also a part of competition between Russia to see who can have more people on their team. United States supporting Korean during the Korean war resulted to be not free. To sum it up, the Korean War should get rid of the title of the â€Å"Forgotten War†. The events and the conflict between USSR and United States clearly show that the war showed many important values to the Americans. The competition, North Korean threat, and the leader ship of Truman explain how the war influenced the society right now. The war between Communism and Capitalism is still going on today. The ideals of people can be actually deadly causing wars and conflicts. The Korean war might not be much of a interest to people, but it is a major war that amplified the war between Capitalism and Communism. Bibliography Cold War. American History. ABC-CLIO. americanhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 27, 2009). An Anthology of Selected Pieces from the Declassified File of Secret U.S Materials on Korea Before and During the Korean War : National Unification Board Seoul, Korea, 1981 red scare. American History. ABC-CLIO. americanhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 27, 2009). Rowan Scarborough, and Bill Gertz, North Korea Fires New Missile over Japanese Airspace, The Washington Times, 1 September 1998, 1, questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=od=5001441652. Suh,Suk Bong, Participation of the U.S Forces in the Korean War: Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affiars, Republic of Korea , December 25, 200 Tae, Kwak. The Legacies of Korean Participation in the Vietnam War: The Rise of Formal Dictatorship Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association, 2009-02-04 Truman Doctrine (1947). American History. ABC-CLIO. www.americanhistory.abc- clio.com(accessed April 27, 2009). 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Using the Spanish Conjunction Y

Using the Spanish Conjunction Y Although the Spanish conjunction y usually is the equivalent of the English and, it also can be used in a few ways that arent exactly the way and is in English. Keep in mind that y  changes to  e when it comes before certain words. Basically, it become e when it precedes a word that begins with the i sound, such as iglesia. Using Y To Link Similar Grammatical Units Most of the time, y is used to connect two sentences or words or phrases that are the same part of speech or fulfill the same grammatical function. Thus, for example, it can join two or more nouns as well as two or more direct objects. Grammatically, y in this usage is known as a copulative. Un perro y una vaca son los protagonistas del libro. (A dog and a cow are the books main characters. Y joins two nouns.)Tà º y yo sabemos lo que es vivir tan lejos. (You and I know what it is to live so far away. Y joins two subject pronouns, although it could can join a noun and a pronoun if they are both subjects.)Cantbamos y tocbamos mejor que nadie. (We sang and we played instruments better than anybody. Y joins two verbs.)Es el mejor regalo para à ©l y ella. (Its the best gift for him and her.) ¿Por quà © ese idiota es rico y yo no? (Why is that idiot rich and Im not?)El presidente y el vicepresidente tienen un mandato de cuatro aà ±os. (The president and vice president have a four-year term.)Vi la pelà ­cula y la encontrà © buena. (I saw the film and I found it to be good.)Me duele mucho y estoy preocupada. (Im in much pain and I am worried.) If y is used to join a series of three or more entities, a comma is not used before the final entity unless needed for clarity. This is in contrast with English, where the comma is optional or a matter of; when it is used in English, it is known as the Oxford comma. Tà º, ella y yo vamos a la playa. (You, she, and I are going to the beach.)El leà ³n, la bruja y el armario fue escrito por C.S. Lewis. (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was written by C.S. Lewis.)Venimos, comimos, y nos fuimos. (We came, we ate, and we left.)Esa idea es estereotà ­pica, incorrecta e inautà ©ntica. (That idea is stereotypical, incorrect and inauthentic.) Y in Questions To Mean ‘What About?’ In beginning questions, y can carry the idea of what about? or how about? Although the and of English can be used the same way, the Spanish usage is much more common. No puedo nadar.  ¿Y tà º? (I cant swim. How about you?)No sabà ­a que David estaba enfermo.  ¿Y Casandra? (I didnt know David was sick. What about Casandra?) ¿Y quà ©? (So what?) ¿Y si mi hijo no se toma la medicacià ³n? (What if my son doesnt take the medication?) Y as an Indication of Contrast In some contexts, y can be used to indicate a contrast in a way that the English and standing alone doesnt. In these cases it usually can be translated by and yet or and still. Estudiaba mucho y no sabà ­a nada. She studied a lot and still didnt know anything.Juan es asesino y lo amamos. Juan is a murderer, yet we still love him.Antonio y Casandra son hermanos, pero à ©l es alto y ella es baja. (Antonio and Casandra are brother and sister, but he is tall even while she is short.) Using Y To Suggest a Large Amount As with the English and, when y connects a word or phrase that is repeated, it suggests a large, indefinite amount: Corrieron y corrieron hasta llegar a casa. (The ran and they ran until they arrived at home.)Es una ciudad muerta desde hace aà ±os y aà ±os. (It has been a dead city since years and years ago.)Mi madre estudiaba y estudiaba a todas horas. (My mother studied and studied all the time.) Key Takeaways Y is most often the direct equivalent of and, being used to join two or more works, phrases, or sentences that have the same grammatical status.Y can also be used at the beginning of a question to mean what about.In some contexts, y emphasizes the contrast between two or more grammatical entities.

Public Policy and Opinion Polls Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public Policy and Opinion Polls - Coursework Example It should be noted that their views do not necessarily reflect those of the people but ought to, at least ideally. Policy content, on the other hand, is a result of actions and beliefs held by the political elite who birth political processes and set them in motion. Decision-making, political procedures and institutions are heavily dependent on the political elite echelon (Dye, 2010). The overall effect of this are laws which are meant to serve and govern the people but which they really have no say over. This is because national opinion polls, though dubbed inaccurate, on several occasions show a sentiment which differs from that held by those who stand for political process (Dye, 2010). This phenomenon is shows an antagonistic trend between policy content and the public. We ought to be concerned because political processes ought to have the interest of the common man as its central motive. This is true, at least on most occasions. A conclusion can thus made that political processes have a huge influence on decision making procedures, especially those concerning policy

Strategic Planning for Digital Marketing CommunicationsSummative Essay

Strategic Planning for Digital Marketing CommunicationsSummative Assessment - Essay Example The global recession has heavily impacted the economy of the United Kingdom which led to the proportionate increase in the prices of the goods and commodities. Less availability of cash to the public had extremely slowed down its business flow resulting in stagnancy. Though the food and drinks industry did not come to a static point but it received a massive blow as the food and drinking habits found cheaper avenues and the major food joints were largely affected (Pesto,2013). 1a (ii) Business Challenges – Savy Consumers With the United Kingdom (UK) grappling under recession, unemployment and other related difficulties the consumers become excessively choosy in matters of expenses. United Kingdom (UK) has been languishing under unemployment for a very long time, and as a result there has been huge amount of change in their expense habits. They have been reduced to the basic requirement items, which saw a large drop of sale in the luxury items and other high value good and serv ices. The non-promising state of the recovery of the economy, poor economic policies of the government has also failed to assure the citizens of economic security and sustainability. As a result, the consumers concentrated more on saving than on spending. The minimal expenses made by the consumers were on the essential commodities and cheaper versions of luxury items that made them satisfied of using luxury items in exchange of lesser money. In such a situation it became significantly difficult for a business house to sell their items and make a considerable profit for sustaining themselves (Pesto,2013). Industry Challenges 1a (iii) Industry Challenges – Market Competition Zouk being one of the differentiated restaurants located in a popular hub is a symbol of class and luxury. Such a differentiated brand is an added advantage for the kind of life style led by the citizens of the United Kingdom until affected by the economic downturn. Since the world recession and unemploymen t for a longer time has affected the normal functioning of the United Kingdom, the food and beverages industry has also been noticeable affected. The consumer preference has shifted from high end luxury wining and dining experiences to the less costly food stalls. The cheaper food items pose great competition and a threat to the profit margin of the Zouk’s which is specializes in quality food and food experiences. 1a (iv) Industry Challenges – Consumer Perception Zouk has been established as a high ended, luxury restaurant that offers great cuisine experiences. In the face of long term unemployment and great economic recession has left people with low disposable incomes and great uncertainty that looms over their future. In such a scenario, such branded and luxury avenues remain a distant object that hardly anyone would like to visit. The consumer preference shifts to cheaper food and food joints. The same perception that earned Zouk the present status has adversely af fected its business in the time of this economic recession and a prolonged tenure of unemployment that has engulfed entire United Kingdom. In order to attract the consumers it has to offer the less costly products but it will give rise to different speculations regarding the quality of the offered menu. The customers would doubt the quality of the food in the menu because of its availability in lower prices. It has the possibility of adversely affecting the image of the restaurant and its brand

Flexible Manufacturing System Analysis

Flexible Manufacturing System Analysis Historyof Flexible Manufacturing Systems Introduction AFlexible Manufacturing System(FMS) is a manufacturing system in which there is a certain degree offlexibilitythat allows the system to react in the case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. According toMaleki[1], flexibility is the speed at which a system can react to and accommodate change. To be considered flexible, the flexibility must exist during the entire life cycle of a product, from design to manufacturing to distribution. Flexible Manufacturing System is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts or products in any order, without the time-consuming task of changing machine setups. The flexibility being talked about is generally considered to fall into two categories, which both contain numerous subcategories[2]. The first category, Machine Flexibility, covers the systems ability to be changed to produce new product types, and ability to change the order of operations executed on a part. The second category is called Routing Flexibility, which consists of the ability to use multiple machinesto perform the same operation on a part, as well as the systems ability to absorb large-scale changes, such as in volume, capacity, or capability. The main advantage of an FMS is its high flexibility in managing manufacturing resources like time and effort in order to manufacture a new product. The best application of an FMS is found in the production of small sets of products like those from amass production. FM systems are supposed to provide the manufacturer with efficient flexible machines that increase productivity and produce quality parts. However, FM systems are not the answer to all manufacturers problems. The level of flexibility is limited to the technological abilities of the FM systems. FM systems are being used all over the manufacturing world and though out industries. A basic knowledge of this kind of technology is very important because FM systems are involved in almost everything that you come in contact with in todays world. From the coffee maker to your remote control FM systems are used all over. History of Flexible Manufacturing Systems At the turn of the twentieth century, FMS did not exist. There was no pressing need for efficiency because the markets were national and there was no foreign competition.Manufacturers could tell the consumers what to buy. During that period, Henry Ford had been quoted as saying â€Å"People can order any colour of car as long as it is black.† All the power remained in the hands of the manufacturer and the consumers hardly had any choices. However, after the Second World War a new era in manufacturing was to come. The discovery of new materials and production techniques increased quality and productivity. The war led to the emergence of open foreign markets and new competition.The focus of the market shifted from manufacturer to consumer. According to Maleki, the first FM system was patented in 1965 by Theo Williamson who made numerically controlled equipment. Examples of numerically controlled equipment are like CNC lathes or mills whichKusiaksays are varying types of FM systems. During the 1970s, with the ever-growing developments in the field of technology, manufacturers started facing difficulties and hence, FM systems became main-stream in manufacturing to accommodate new changes whenever required. During the 1980s for the first time manufacturers had to take in consideration efficiency, quality, and flexibility to stay in business. According to Hoeffer, the change in manufacturing over time was due to several factors. (Hoeffer, 1986) Increased international competition, The need to reduce manufacturing cycle time, and Pressure to cut the production cost. Everyday new technologies are being developed and even FM systems are evolving. However, overtime FM systems have worked for many manufacturers and hence will be around for the time to come. The Process of Flexible Manufacturing Systems As has been discussed above the flexible manufacturing system can be broadly classified into two types, depending on the nature of flexibility present in the process, Machine Flexibility and Routing Flexibility FMS systems essentially comprise of three main systems.[3] The processing stations: These are essentially automated CNC machines. The automated material handling and storage system: These connect the work machines to optimize the flow of parts. Central control computer: This controls the movement of materials and machine flow. The FMS as a system stands out because it does not follow a fixed set of process steps. The process sequence changes according to requirement to allow maximum efficiency. Sequence of material flow from one tool to another is not fixed nor is the sequence of operations at each tool fixed. Key Features of the Process[4] Some characteristics that differentiate FMS from conventional manufacturing systems are their technical flexibility, i.e., the ability to quickly change mix, routing, and sequence of operations within the parts envelope and also complexity resulting from the integration, mechanization, and reprogrammable control of operations i.e., parts machining, material handling, and tool change. Some key features of the process are discussed below. Cell: It consists of several groupings of two or more automated machines within a company. Each grouping is called a cell. All the machines present are controlled by a computer. They are programmed to change quickly from one production run to another. A key feature is the automated flow of materials to the cell and the automated removal of the finish item. Several cells are linked together by means of an automated materials-handling system, and the flow of goods is controlled by a computer. In this manner a computer-integrated manufacturing process is initiated. Random bypass capability: The material handling system has a random bypass capability, i.e. a part can be moved from any tool in the interconnected system to another because the transport system can bypass any tool along the path, on demand. This implies: Each part can traverse a variable route through the system. Again, this flexibility in material handling, in combination with multipurpose tools, makes it possible for a flexible manufacturing system to process a great diversity of parts. Automation: Computers are the heart of automation. They provide the framework for the information systems which direct action and monitor feedback from machine activities. As FMS involve a wide variety of components, each with their own type of computer control, many of these computer components are installed as islands of automation, each with a computer control capable of monitoring and directing the action. Each of the computer controls has its own communication protocol based on the amount of data needed to control the component. Thus, the task of computer integration is to establish interfaces and information flow between a wide range of computer types and models. Computer software provides the ability to transmit timely and accurate status information and to utilize information which has been communicated from other computers in FMS. Component redundancy: In FMS as the equipment is highly integrated, the interruptions of one component affect other components. This results in a greater time to trace the problem when compared with isolated components. In some cases, the interruption might be due to some other integration effect, and greater downtime may result before the actual cause of the problem is found. In this situation, component redundancy provides flexibility with the opportunity for choice, which exists when there are at least two available options. Flexible manufacturing contains functionally equivalent machinery. So in case of failure of one machine the process flow is directed towards a functionally equivalent machine. Multiple Paths: A path in flexible manufacturing represents a part sequence and requisite fixtures to complete its required operations. In a conventional machine environment, only one path exists for a part because a single fixture remains at a single machine. However, this is not the case within flexible manufacturing systems, where there are multiple paths. The number of paths which are present within flexible manufacturing is a measure of the degree of flexibility. Obviously, the higher the number of paths, higher is the degree of flexibility. Flexibility ranks high in Japan†²s manufacturing strategy but not in America†²s. A true flexible factory will not only build different versions of the same car, like a coupà © or a station wagon, on the same production line, but also a completely different car. This is what the Japanese factories are setting out to do. The cost of one factory can be spread across five or ten cars. Apart from lower fixed cost, it is also less painful to stop making one of those cars if it fails to sell. FMS as a system of manufacturing process can be compared to other processes in terms of the product volume it generates and its capacity for creating part variations. The above depicts the position of FMS vis-à  -vis that of stand-alone machine and transfer lines. The horizontal axis represents production volume level and the vertical axis shows the variability of parts. Transfer lines are very efficient when producing parts at a large volume at high output rate, whereas stand-alone machines are ideally suited for variation in workplace configuration and low production rate. In terms of manufacturing efficiency and productivity, a gap exists between the high production rate transfer machines and the highly flexible machines. FMS, has been regarded as a viable solution to bridge the gap and as a gateway to the automated factory of the future. The Process: With Reference to particular companies[5] Though the features of this manufacturing innovation process are similar across all types of firms, the manner in which they are adopted and implemented depends on product type, manufacturing, maintenance, process planning and quality control processes. It is also contingent upon the people carrying out these processes; the productive resources being used and the organizational arrangements used to divide and coordinate the processes distinguished. The description of the layout of a company that has adopted the flexible manufacturing system gives a clear idea of how the system works in practical life. It has all the features as mentioned before of a typical FMS. Flexible Manufacturing System at The Hattersley Newman Hender (H.N.H.) This company, located in U.K. manufactures high and low pressure bodies and caps for water, gas and oil valves. These components require a total of 2750 parts for their manufacture. That is why they decided to go for the system of F.M.S. to fulfill their machining requirements in a single system. The process described below shows how FMS is used for efficient production for this company. Their FMS consists of primary and secondary facilities. The primary facilities include 5 universal machining centres and 2 special machining centres. The secondary facilities consist of tool settings and manual workstations. System layout and facilities: Flexible Manufacturing Systems [F.M.S] Primary facilities: Machining centres: The FMS contains two 5-axis horizontal ‘out-facing machines and five 4-axis machining centres under the host control. All the machines have a rotating pallet changer each with two pallet buffer stations. These stations transfer pallets to and from the transport system which consist of 8 automated guided vehicles. The 5 universal machining centres have 2 magazines with capacity of 40 tools in each magazine. The special purpose out-facing machines (OFM) each have one magazine having a capacity of 40 tools. The tool magazines can be loaded by sending instructions to the tool setting room either from the host computer or the machines numerical controller. Processing centres: The system contains two processing centres a wash machine and two manual workstations. Ø Wash machines: It contains two conveyor belts where one is for input and one for output of pallets, each with a capacity of three pallets to transfer the pallets. The wash booth has a capacity of three pallets. The pallets are washed in the booth and turned upside-down to drain out the water. Then they are dried with blown air. Ø Manual workstations (ring fitting area): The operator fits metal sealing rings into the valve bodies at the manual workstations. He receives work instructions via computer interface with the host. Secondary facilities: Auxiliary stations: Ø Load/unload stations: The FMS has four-piece-part load and unload stations. Loading and unloading is performed at these stations with the instructions again received via computer interface with the host. Ø Fixture-setting station: At these stations the fixtures are readjusted to accommodate different piece parts. Ø Administration of tools: Tools are assembled manually. The tool-setting machine checks the dimensional offsets of the tools and generates a bar code for further identification of the tool that has been set. Auxiliary facilities: Ø Transport system: The transport system consists of a controller and 8 automated guided vehicles (AGV). The system also contains an A.G.V. battery charging area. Ø Buffer stores: The FMS has 20 buffer stores in order to store the empty and loaded pallets while they are waiting to be taken to another transfer station (i.e. a load/unload station or a machine tool etc.). Ø Maintenance Area: This facility caters to pallets that may be damaged or need servicing or for storing scrapped piece-parts. Ø Raw Material Stores: These stores are located in front of the load / unload stations and are used to store the raw materials (like forged valve bodies etc). The store is served by two fork-lift-stacker cranes and motor roller conveyors. It has a capacity of 80 containers. Ø Fixture store: The fixtures that are not stored in FMS are stored here. It has a capacity of storing 120 fixtures. The store is served by a stacker crane and motor roller conveyors. Flexible Manufacturing System at TAMCAM Computer Aided Manufacturing (TAMCAM) Lab. This is an example of flexible manufacturing system that is used to describe the TAMCAM Simulation-Based Control System (TSCS)[6]. This system is located within the TAMCAM Computer Aided Manufacturing (TAMCAM) lab. The system consists of three CNC milling machines, one CNC turning centre, two industrial robots, and an automated cart based conveyor system. In addition to the automated equipment, human operators are used to load and unload some machines and perform assembly and inspection tasks. Advantages of Flexible Manufacturing System Why would firms embrace flexible manufacturing systems? What benefits does FMS provide? Answers to these two questions are important to the success of flexible manufacturing systems. It is important to understand the impacts on product life cycle, direct labour input and market characteristics. Various advantages arise from using flexible manufacturing systems.[7] Users of these systems enlist many benefits: * Less scrap * Fewer workstations * Quicker changes of tools, dies, and stamping machinery * Reduced downtime * Improved quality through better control over it * Reduced labour costs due to increase in labour productivity * Increase in machine efficiency * Reduced work-in-process inventories * Increased capacity * Increased production flexibility * Faster production * Lower- cost/unit * Increased system reliability * Adaptability to CAD/CAM operations Since savings from these benefits are sizeable, a plethora of examples from the manufacturing industry are available to illustrate these benefits. â€Å"A major Japanese manufacturer, by installing a flexible manufacturing system, has reduced the number of machines in one facility from 68 to 18, the number of employees from 215 to 12, space requirements from 103000 square feet to 30000 and processing time from 35 days to a 1.5 days† â€Å"Ford has poured $4,400,000 into overhauling its Torrence Avenue plant in Chicago, giving it flexible manufacturing capability. This will allow the factory to add new models in as little as two weeks instead of two months or longer. The flexible manufacturing systems used in five of Ford Motor Companys plants will yield a $2.5 billion savings. By the year 2010, Ford will have converted 80 percent of its plants to flexible manufacturing.† The benefits enlisted above are the operational benefits.[8] Flexible Manufacturing Systems also give rise to benefits in terms of strategy for the firm. Operational Benefits Strategic Benefits Lower Costs per unit A source of competitive advantage in present and future. Lesser workstations Less space in plant required. Reduced Inventories Less of Storage Space. Plant Layout gets simplified. The space is freed up for other activities. Increase in labour productivity Lesser workforce required. Operational Flexibility Ability to meet varying customer demands in terms of numbers (seasonality) and choices. Improved Quality Increased customer satisfaction Less inspection costs Lesser lead time Increased Machine Efficiency Less technical workforce for handling maintenance and repair Less Scrap and Rework Consistent Production Process On a macro level, these advantages reduce the risk of investing in the flexible manufacturing system as well as in ongoing projects in such a firm. Let us look at how flexibility helps firms. To maximize production for a given amount of gross capacity, one should minimize the interruptions due to machine breakdowns and the resource should be fully utilized. FMS permits the minimization of stations†² unavailability, and shorter repair times when stations fail. Preventive maintenance is done to reduce number of breakdowns. Maintenance is done during off hours. This helps to maximize production time. Cost of maintaining spare part inventories is also reduced due to the fact that similar equipment can share components. Hence we can see that higher the degree of flexibility of the workstation, the lower the potential cost of production capacity due to station unavailability. To make a product every day, the trade off between inventory cost and setup cost becomes important. However, each time the workstation changes its function, it incurs a set-up delay. Through flexibility one can reduce this set-up cost. [9] CAD/CAM aids in computerized tracking of work flow which is helpful in positioning inspection throughout the process. This helps to minimize the number of parts which require rework or which must be scrapped. FMS changes the outlook of inspection from a post-position to an in-process position. Hence, feedback is available in real time which improves quality and helps product to be within the tolerance level.[10] Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are virtually always used in conjunction with just-in-time (JIT) order systems. This combination increases the throughput and reduces throughput time and the length of time required to turn materials into products. Flexible Manufacturing Systems have a made a huge impact on activity-based costing.[11] Using these systems helps firms to switch to process costing instead of job costing. This switching is made possible because of the reduced setup delays. With set-up time only a small fraction of previous levels, companies are able to move between products and jobs with about the same speed as if they were working in continuous, process type environment. To look at another aspect of strategic benefits, enterprise integration can be facilitated by FMS. An agile manufacturer is one who is the fastest to the market, operates with the lowest total cost and has the greatest ability to delight its customers. FMS is simply one way that manufacturers are able to achieve this agility.[12] This has also been reported in many studies that FMS makes the transition to agility faster and easier. Over time, FMS use creates a positive attitude towards quality. The quality management practices in organizations using FMS differs from those not using it. The adoption of flexible manufacturing confers advantages that are primarily based upon economies of scope. As a result of aiming simultaneously at flexibility, quality and efficiency, the future manufacturing industry will strive towards: producing to order, virtually no stock, very high quality levels, and high productivity. [13] Disadvantages of Flexible Manufacturing System[14] Now that we have looked at the multiple advantages flexible manufacturing systems offer, the next obvious question is, if they are so good and so useful then why are they not ubiquitous by now? It is essential to look at the other side, especially the impact these systems have on costing, product mixes decided by the company and the inevitable trade- off between production rates and flexibility. Following are the major disadvantages that have been observed Complexity These sophisticated manufacturing systems are extremely complex and involve a lot of substantial pre planning activity before the jobs are actually processed. A lot of detail has to go into the processing. Often users face technological problems of exact component positioning. Moreover, precise timing is necessary to process a component. Cost of equipment[15] Equipment for aflexiblemanufacturingsystem will usually initially be more expensive than traditional equipment and the prices normally run into millions of dollars. This cost is popularly known as the Risk of Installation. Maintenance costs are usually higher than traditional manufacturing systems because FMS employs intensive use of preventive maintenance, which by itself is very expensive to implement. Energy costs are likely to be higher despite more efficient use of energy. Increased machine utilization can result in faster deterioration of equipment, providing a shorter than average economic life. Also, personnel training costs may prove to be relatively high. Moreover there is the additional problem of selecting system size, hardware and software tailor made for the FMS. Cost of automation in the form of computer integration is the most significant cost in a flexible manufacturing system. The components require extensive computer control. Also, the costs of operation are high since a machine of this complexity requires equally skilled employees to work or run it. Adaptation Issues There is limited ability to adapt to changes in product or product mix. For example, machines are of limited capacity and the tooling necessary for products, even of the same family, is not always feasible in a given FMS. Moreover, one should keep in mind that these systems do not reduce variability, just enable more effective handling of the variability. Equipment Utilization Equipment utilization for flexible manufacturing systems is sometimes not as high as expected. Example, in USA, the average is ten types of parts per machine. Other latent problems may arise due to lack of technical literacy, management incompetence, and poor implementation of the FMS process. It is very important to differentiate between scenarios where FMS would be beneficial (ex, where fast adaptation is the key) and those where it wouldnt (ex where a firms competency is based on minimizing cost). Product/Job Costing[16] Arguably the biggest disadvantage of flexible manufacturing systems is the difficulty faced by the company in allocating overhead costs to jobs. Usually, several products share the same resources with different consumption characteristics. Ideally, the overhead allocation should be directly proportional to the resource consumption. But this becomes complicated in the case of flexible manufacturing systems since it is very difficult to estimate which product used which machine for which purpose and for how long. Often this leads to under costing of some products and consequently over costing of others. In systems that use FMS, usually the fixed costs are quite high due to the following reasons: * The machines are costly, material handling is more expensive and the computer controls are state of the art, thereby leading to a higher depreciation than seen in traditional manufacturing systems. * A lot of items which are otherwise usually treated as direct costs are counted under indirect costs in case of flexible manufacturing systems. For example, labour is normally attributed to the job directly done, but in FMS, the same workers work on machines that usually run two jobs simultaneously. Hence even labour costs are to be treated as overhead or indirect costs. * In order to ensure smooth running of the flexible manufacturing systems, a lot of support activities carried out by engineers and technicians. Keeping the above points in mind, we can infer that in order to cater to these scenarios, Activity Based Costing techniques are used with FMS to reduce distortion of product costs. FMS Adoption in Automobile Industry The Flexible manufacturing system has been adopted extensively in the manufacturing industry in this day and age. It addresses the issue of automation and process technology which is a key area for concern of manufacturing management along with inventory production planning and scheduling and quality. One industry which has extensively adopted this system is the Automobile Industry. Almost all global giants now follow the Flexible Manufacturing system and many have developed their own manufacturing system keeping FMS as an integral part of it. The Big Three of the American Automotive Industry namely General Motors, Ford Motors and Chrysler Motors enjoyed a monopolistic environment for a very long time. This in some way inhibited their innovation capabilities as there was no competition in the market which could drive them to innovate. These companies, therefore, maintained production facilities that were suitable for mass production of any single model, which ensured economies of scale and plant profitability. But gradually as Asian car makers gained prominence in the automotive market, the Big Three of the United States faced huge challenges across all product lines. The main Asian competitors that came into picture were Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi from Japan and Hyundai from South Korea. With these Asian countries exporting vehicles to the United States of America, competition heightened and the profitability of the Big Three decreased. To improve its profitability and maintain its market share Chrysler Corporat ion, General Motors and Ford Motor Company employed Flexible Manufacturing System in their production lines following what had been started in Japan. The essential driving force for adoption of FMS in Automobile industry is 1. The emphasis on increasing product variety and individualization has created a strong need to develop a flexible manufacturing system to respond to small batches of customer demand. 2. Cost savings were required to be more competitive. Newer varieties needed to be introduced in lesser time and at lesser cost. Given below are examples of some companies and their motive for adopting FMS as well as the benefits that they have achieved through it Japanese Companies and Latest FMS Toyota Toyota has been at the forefront of adopting flexible manufacturing system which has been in place since 1985. In 2002, Toyota unveiled its Global Body Line (GBL), a radical, company-wide overhaul of its already much-envied FMS.[17] The GBL process was developed so Toyota could implement a common vehicle-assembly â€Å"platform† at any and all of its worldwide assembly locations — regardless of volume or method of assembly. GBL helps Toyota to meet its goal â€Å"To seamlessly manufacture our products in any country, at any volume† The advantages that GBL delivers over the older FBL system of Toyota are * 30% reduction of the time a vehicle spends in the body shop. * 70% reduction in time required to complete a major model change. * 50% cut in the cost to add or switch models. * 50% reduction in initial investment. * 50% reduction in assembly line footprint. * 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to lower energy usage. * 50% cut in maintenance costs. More than 20 of Toyotas 24 worldwide body lines already have been converted, and the rest either are in the process of conversion or will be refitted for GBL in conjunction with upcoming model changes. Operations in Toyota Older Flexible Body Line (FBL) System : Each vehicle would require three pallets — each tightly gripping either a major bodyside assembly or the roof assembly and assuring its adherence to dimensional hard points — as the body panels travelled through the various stages of welding to the floorpan and to one another. Three pallets limited the number of vehicles that could be in the build sequence at any given time in some plants the number was 50. Also, the design of the pallets — which held the bodysides and roof panels from the outside — limited the access of welding robots and required a lot of floor space. Planners had to â€Å"guess† about how many pallets to build and work that guess into the plants vehicle mix (FBL-equipped plants could handle as many as five different models). Bad guesses about pallet allocation were very costly. Also, quick reaction to a change of production mix was discouraged by the 3-pallet system. Newer Global Body Line (GBL) System : GBL design solves those problems by replacing FBLs three pallets with a single pallet, one that now holds all three major body panels from the inside. This â€Å"master pallet,† layout eliminates the need for predicting initial pallet demand. Since each model or variant requires only the lone pallet, switching new models in or out of the production mix is a breeze. Thus the 70% reduction in time required to facilitate a model change[18]. GBL doubles the amount of floor space that can be occupied by robots, and, on a GBL tour here, every inch appears to be used. In the Georgetown plant of Toyota, the floor space freed by GBL allows a second GBL line — helping the plant achieve a recently announced capacity increase to 500,000 units. Highly advanced robots are central to leveraging the advantages of the GBL layout the system was designed to make the most of new-generation body shop robots that are smaller, more precise and more energy efficient. The number of robots has increased from about 250 to nearly 350. GBL system is enhanced by initial vehicle designs that ensure commonality for various hardpoints. This makes it easier to accommodate a variety of models: GBL-ready plants now can build as many as eight, rather than five with the FBL system. However even with the ability to produce eight different models, there is a limit to GBLs flexibility. Once pressed, engineers admit that not everything Toyota makes, from Vitz to Land Cruiser, can be produced on a single GBL line. There are two siz