A furniture manufacturer is planning to introduce CAD and CAM into the production process. Discuss the extent to which this could make the business more competitive.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Feb/Mar 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [17-20] Effective evaluation of the extent to which the introduction of CAD and CAM into the production process could make a furniture manufacturer more competitive.
2. [15-16] Limited evaluation of the extent to which the introduction of CAD and CAM into the production process could make a furniture manufacturer more competitive.
3. [11-14] Analysis of whether the introduction of CAD and CAM could make a business/manufacturer more competitive.
4. [5-10] Limited analysis, with application, of whether the introduction of CAD and/or CAM could make a business more competitive.
5. [1-4] Knowledge and understanding of CAD / CAM / production process / being competitive.
6. Knowledge and Understanding 4 marks: Clear understanding of CAD. Clear understanding of CAM. Clear understanding of production process. Clear understanding of being competitive.
7. Application 4 marks: Reference to whether the introduction of CAD could make a manufacturer more competitive (product designs, computer animation, special effect in movies, graphic design). Reference to whether the introduction of CAM could make a manufacturer more competitive (automated production, use of robots, programming machines).
8. Analysis 6 marks: The benefits of reduced costs, increased productivity, improved quality, good visualisation, accuracy, easy to re-use, precise manufacturing, faster production, faster lead time, more flexible, more design variants, increased customisation, technical economies of scale. The disadvantages of complexity of programmes, need for worker training, recruitment of specialist employees, cost of hardware, cost of programmes, processing power required, hardware or software failure, repairs/maintenance, complex and time-consuming to resolve, obsolete/regular updates needed, quality assurance still needed.
9. Evaluation 6 marks: A judgement/conclusion is made as to the extent to which the introduction of CAD and CAM into the production process could make a furniture manufacturer more competitive. These judgements/conclusions may be made at any point in the essay not only in a concluding section. Consideration of the significance of the size of the business. A small business may not be able to afford the technology. Balance between short-term and long-term considerations. Consideration of whether the opportunity cost of introducing the technology is too high. Are there other factors which are more important than introducing CAD and CAM to make the manufacturer more competitive: buying cheaper materials or otherwise adding value; changing the marketing mix in such a way as to make the manufacturer and its products better than its rivals and therefore more likely to be bought. Competitiveness will depend on the market and preferences of consumers. Some may prefer hand crafted, unique designs. For a large furniture manufacturer which is designing many different items of furniture and trying to achieve mass customisation, the use of CAD and CAM may be essential and cost effective. Much may depend on the type of furniture being manufactured. Simple, standard designs are unlikely to need CAD or CAM.