Globalisation means products are now put together using parts from all over the world. The company with its name on a product does less and less of the actual manufacturing - they just put it together.

OEMs, tiers of suppliers, modules, platforms - this film explains the complex global supply chain which produces the radiator cap for a US pickup truck, the Dodge Ram.

INDIA: Sundram Fasteners in India manufactures the radiator cap for the US pickup truck. Sundram also supplies eighty percent of all Chrysler vehicles assembled in the US, including the Dodge Ram.

UK: Meanwhile In the UK two British companies are suppliers to Sundram, providing them with parts to make the radiator caps. Berck and PCR compete with cheaper labour from emerging markets by using technology to increase productivity.

US: The radiator caps travel from India to Tenessee, US, where another company assembles the radiator, the first tier supplier Modine Radiator. Modine ships the radiator to another factory in Warren, Michigan, where the pickup truck is finally assembled.

OFF-SHORING: But constant competition means that supply chains are always changing. To stay in the supply chain, suppliers off-shore work to lower cost countries to keep their costs down. China is a prime location.

MODULES & PLATFORMS: Car makers are squeezing more and more out of their suppliers by the use of modules and platform sharing. But as their supply chains spread out across the world and become more complex, manufacturers face a growing array of problems - any of which could cost them dear.

Duration: 28 mins
Year: 2010
DVD - VHS

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Textbooks speak of three methods of production - job, batch and continuous flow. This film shows how these methods work in the real work. Also: how do companies choose which type of manufacturing meets their needs? And what about bigger questions, like the impact of different methods of production on the environment and on society?

Duration: 28 mins
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS
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Textbooks speak of three methods of production - job, batch and continuous flow. This film shows how they work in the real work.

JOB: Job production is when you're making a one-off - anything from a dam to a musical instrument. A skilled craftsman explains the challenge in making a viola de gamba.

BATCH: Batch production is using the same basic equipment to make batches of different products. The simplest example is a bakery, making different types of bread and cakes. But you can apply the same basic principles to everything from chocolate bars to DVD players.

CHANGEOVER: The biggest problem with batch production is the changeover - the time it takes to switch from making one type of product to another.

CONTINUOUS: Continuous flow, mass production is the most well-known type of manufacturing. Cars, toothpaste, crisps -- the emphasis is on speed and the making of the product is broken down into small, simple tasks, carried out by people - or robots.

WHICH METHOD? Choosing the method of production depends on many factors - from the type of product you're making and the skills needed to make it to the capital cost and the size of the market. There's no point in mass manufacturing a product for which the demand is low or fluctuating.

FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING: In Britain there's very little mass manufacturing on the scale of the factories in countries such as China. Here companies tend to go in for flexible manufacturing - producing different versions of products to meet changing demand.

THE BIG QUESTION: But what about bigger questions, like the impact of different types of production on the environment and on society? Should we be aiming for sustainable production -- making products locally and not for profit but for need?

Duration: 28 mins
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS

This film explains how UK company Arcam designed and manufactured an upmarket DVD player called Solo Movie. It describes every stage of the process, from making a prototype to the final assembly. Now the big marketing question: will it sell?

Duration: 28 mins
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS
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This film explains how UK company Arcam designed and manufactured an upmarket DVD player called Solo Movie.

THE PROTOTYPE: A key decision was what components to use -- and how to put them together. To work this out, Engineer Mike Buckley put together a prototype. Computer-aided design allowed him to pinpoint many problems before anything was actually put together.

EXTERNAL DESIGN: The look of the product is vital, too. It has to appeal to its target users AND have the controls laid out in the best possible way. But functionality always comes first.

MANUFACTURING: A critical decision was WHERE to manufacture the product. Many UK companies now make their products in China, because of cheaper labour costs. But Arcam decided to make Solo Movie in their Cambridge factory - why?

STOCK CONTROL: Stock control is a major challenge. The trick is to keep stock as low as possible, at the same having enough to cover unexpected changes of plan. A computer plays a central role.

ASSEMBLY: The product is assembled together by Arcam's small production team. A production control system is used to check all the individual units in a batch are completed. Testing is vital -- including the most crucial test of all: does it play DVDs?

BUT WILL IT SELL? Arcam want their products to be used for as long as possible - up to 30 years! But they can badly stung by changes in the market. The launch of the new Blu-ray system will have a drastic effect on the likely lifespan of Solo Movie.

Duration: 28 mins
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS

A PCB, a printed circuit board, is the electronic heart of the modern gadget. But how is one made? This film follows a PCB for a DVD player through design and every stage of the production process. Testing and quality checks are vital to success.

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS
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A PCB, a printed circuit board, is the electronic heart of the modern gadget. But how is one made? This film follows a PCB for a DVD player through every stage of the production process.

DESIGN: It all starts with an electronic engineer, who designs the PCB. The PCB has to fit inside a super-compact DVD player and space is at a premium. The engineer's job is made easier by the use of computer-aided design.

MRP: the PCB design goes to a factory called Connor Solutions to be manufactured. Here the Material Resources Planning system plays a central part in the production process, making sure the company has all the parts they need to make the PCB.

SMT: The next stage is called surface mount technology, because parts are, literally, stuck to the surface of the board. But first there's PRINTING to do, using a stencil which ensures the parts are stuck and then soldered in the right places.

INSERTION: Some through-hole components are inserted into the PCB using automation. But there are two kinds of through-hole components, radial and axial, and these need different machines to do the inserting. Larger components are put on by hand and some boards have to be manually soldered, too.

WAVE SOLDERING: Next the PCB goes into a wave-soldering machine, to solder in place the components which have been inserted into the board. Controlling the temperature is vital. Thermal shock, where the board gets too hot too quickly, must be avoided.

FINAL CHECKS: A computer-controlled "bed of nails" test checks the various circuits on the board. The last test is the final hurdle: will the board actually work when you want to watch a DVD?

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS

Converging technologies have revolutionised our lives. Computers and communications created the internet. Devices once used just to make phone calls or play games are now crowded with functions. But what are the downsides of this marketing-driven technology revolution?

Duration: 31 mins
Year: 2008
DVD - VHS
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In 1994 it would have taken about 7 days to send someone a copy of your holiday snaps. Now using a digital camera and email it takes about 10 minutes. This is a result of what we call convergence - technologies coming together.

In the early days computers were huge and needed to be kept in air-conditioned rooms. Next they moved to the desktop and the internet was developed, memory and processing power increased, and computers can now do more than ever before.

Phones have also changed dramatically. They can now send messages, take and send photos, access the internet and play music -- called functional convergence.

Another example is the games console on which you can download movies, stream your music, chat, view your photos and make video calls.

But is industry convergence a good thing? Some argue that the "corporate monsters" who make and sell these products are too powerful.

At the heart of converging technologies are the marketing techniques used to sell the products to an ever expanding customer base.

The Xbox is targeted at hardcore gamers while the PS3 is more of a multimedia console. The Wii is different again and marketed for its interactivity among families.

Manufacturers, it seems, are trying to squeeze every last penny out of their customers. They release products with limited functions initially so they can then release version two and version three later in the year.

And what about the downsides of converging technology? Phones can become unstable if they have too many functions and can crash. If your entire home entertainment is based on one device and it breaks down you are left with nothing.

The Blackberry is aimed at business people - but it is bad for your quality of life? And what about "happy slapping" - is this a result of too much technology?

In the final analysis, it seems, there's a contradiction in the idea of convergence. If companies pack all the functions into one box, what will there be left to sell the customer?

Duration: 31 mins
Year: 2008
DVD - VHS

The worldwide web has given birth to a new profession – the website designer. What does a website designer do? How have websites evolved? What are the “golden rules” of website design?

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Duration: 30 mins and 17 mins
Year: 2007
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The worldwide web has given birth to a new profession - the website designer. What does a website designer do? How do you design a website that works? Mark Shufflebottom, lecturer in interactive media design at Bournemouth University and Catherine Tidnam, web manager of the Food & Drink Federation, give their views.

THE EARLY DAYS: The early days of website design were anarchic - with garish designs, numerous sites dedicated to people's cats (among other things), and problems of technology compatibility. Then standards were established and - a crucial step -- design and content were separated by means of CSS and XHTML files.

"THE GOLDEN RULES": PLAN IT OUT But how do you set about designing a good website? What are the "golden rules"? The first is plan it out: you work out a list of everything on your site -- the site map. Next you work on the graphics - how it's going to look.

REMEMBER THE AUDIENCE: Critical to everything the website designer does is the audience the site's aimed at. What might work for a young audience, might seem too jokey for an older audience. Sometimes the best design is the one you don't even notice...

TEST IT OUT: It's vital to try out the website - make sure it works before you launch it. But testing is an ongoing thing, too - otherwise you run the risk of complacency.

NAVIGATION: Buttons and links help us navigate around a website - but it must be obvious what lies behind the button or link. Standard controls are helpful, too.

FONTS AND PICTURES: Typography and the choice of fonts you can use are more limited on the web. And it's important not to overload your site with images.

THE HOME PAGE: Experts say the website has only two seconds to catch its visitor - so your home page must communicate instantly, directly.

WEBSITES IN ACTION: But how well designed are the famous-name websites? Amazon, Nike, eBay and Transport for London are assessed and their strengths and weaknesses analysed.

THE WEB 2.0 REVOLUTION: Web 2.0 is the next generation of websites. The technology hasn't really changed but now the emphasis on sharing - sharing pictures, video, experience.

AND THE FUTURE? The broadband revolution means more convergence of radio, television, news and the web. Rss -- really simple syndication -- feeds have made possible "citizen journalism". We can now find out about what's going on in the world more quickly and directly than ever before.

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Duration: 30 mins and 17 mins
Year: 2007
DVD - VHS

This film tells the story of a "green factory", of a company called Ecover, which claims it is possible to make a profit and help save the planet.

Belgium-based Ecover make washing products - for washing clothes, dishes, floors and more. But one thing their products have in common is they're made from what they call "living nature". Unlike the big brands they avoid ingredients based on petrochemicals, which, Ecover claim, damage the environment.

PRODUCING LIQUID PRODUCTS: Ecover produces many liquid products -- washing up liquid is the main one. Production involves mixing a variety of raw ingredients. It's vital they're mixed in the right amounts - and in the right order. Bottling takes place in the filling room - one line can fill 23,000 litres in one shift, all controlled by a single person. When the bottles are filled and boxed, robots put them onto pallets, ready for wrapping and warehousing.

POWDER PRODUCTION: The other main production process at Ecover is making washing powder. Washing powder is a complex product - with up to 22 ingredients. Glycerine is used to stick together the mix of ingredients into granules.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: A sustainable product is one thing - but how sustainable is Ecover's process? The company uses a unique granulating technique which requires less energy than the norm. The liquids are pumped about the factory using an air compressor - very energy efficient. And in the warehouse, sensors ensure lights only go on when they're needed.

All electricity they do use comes from renewable sources.

PACKAGING: Ecover is constantly fighting what it calls its war on packaging. Bottles are made of biodegradable plastic. The bottles are sold in larger volumes to minimise packaging. Customers can take refill bottles back to health food shops. Ecover's cardboard boxes may be reused up to 15 times, going to and fro between them and a supplier.

THE BUILDING: Ecover claims its factory is the first ecological factory. The building is made mainly of renewable raw materials, sourced as near to home as possible. It's designed to be energy-efficient and there's even a "green" roof covered in plants which absorb water and help to prevent flooding. The factory's waste water is cleaned biologically - using a waste eating bacteria.

SCHEDULING SYSTEM: Booming sales means the company has a problem meeting demand. A computer system called Odyssey to help them keep in stock of the materials they need to meet incoming orders.

PLCS & SENSORS: Vital to running Ecover's automated lines are light sensors which detect when a bottle goes past them. They feed this information back to a PLC -- a programmable logic controller, in effect the brains of the production line. But operators can intervene using a HMI - a human machine interface. Touch panels allow operators to vary how the factory's robots work, too.

Duration: 35 mins
Year: 2007
DVD - VHS

Why are Indian farmers killing themselves to give us the T-shirts we buy on the high street? This film investigates the “white gold” business -- growing cotton. It follows the process from cotton field through the textile factory to the European high street.

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 2007
DVD - VHS
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Why are Indian farmers killing themselves to give us the T-shirts we buy on the high street? This film investigates the "white gold" business -- growing cotton.

Farmers in southern India switch to growing cotton because it brings in more money than food crops. Anand is one of the farmers who switched over and hopes to make a lot of money, fast.

But growing cotton means using dangerous pesticides. After using it, Anand is dazed. His tongue is numb and thick in his mouth, and he feels sick. The poison also lands on the cornfields and so gets into the food chain. At the local hospital people are dying. They have all poisoned themselves.

Highly dangerous pesticides like the cancer-inducing Lindane are sold over the counter in the area. In Europe, these pesticides have been banned for years because of their deadly effect on humans. But in India business is booming.

EU-banned pesticides are produced in the industrial area of Vapi in India. The factories let the poisonous waste water flow into the communal sewage plant. Entire regions have been contaminated.

The cotton farmers are driven to buy new chemicals to deal with the pests. The newer they are, the more expensive they are. The farmers get into huge debt. Last year alone, 700 farmers committed suicide. They drank the poison that couldn't kill the pests.

When the cotton has finally been harvested, Anand drives, full of hope, to the cotton market. But cotton as a raw material is worth less and less. Anand pockets only 20 euros -- the result of six months of hard work in the fields.

From the cotton market the cotton is transported to the city of Tirupur for textile production.

It's all still full of pesticide. But no one checks here to see if the cotton is contaminated. The workers draw the poison, along with the cotton particles, into their lungs.

To produce white and coloured T-Shirts, more chemicals have to be used. In small factories, the cotton is bleached. Because of pressure from consumers in Europe, quickly evaporating chemicals have to be used in the bleaching process - with bad effects on the workers. For European textile traders, it's important that only few traces of the strong bleach remain in the T-Shirt. The poison should stay in India.

The result of the bleaching and dying process is highly contaminated waste water. The waste processing plants can't filter out the extreme quantities of poison. Even the processed water is still highly contaminated -- with 3 grams of chlorine per litre. Women dig in the poisonous sludge with bare hands. Nobody knows how to dispose of it properly.

The coming environmental catastrophe in this city of textiles can't be stopped. Barely any water flows in the rivers, and what there is, is contaminated. The textile workers have to queue to get water for their families.

Textiles from Tirupur end up all over the world, including the big high street stores in Europe. They're tested before they're sold - but that doesn't meant they're free of pesticides.

To be sure of having pesticide-free T-shirts the shops would have to buy organic cotton - but this is more expensive. Just 4 per cent of the cotton used to make clothing is grown without pesticides. The pesticide trade, however, is booming.

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 2007
DVD - VHS
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This is the story of the highly successful company Innocent Drinks - a company that claims to have been ethical in all aspects of its business. Innocent makes fruit smoothies - and is now using its healthy image to carve out a unique position for itself in the drinks market.

HOW IT ALL STARTED: The company was set up by three young men in 1998 who knew each other at college and always wanted to have their own business. The early days were difficult - raising the start-up money was a particular problem. Business boomed and the firm's turnover is now running at over £70 million.

A NEW WAY OF MARKETING: Their main market is people like themselves - the cash-rich, time-poor. At the heart of their marketing approach is the language they use to sell their drinks - engaging with customers in a lively, jokey, informal way. Customers chat back with e-mails.

NEW PRODUCTS: Building on the success of their smoothies, the company has launched a range of other products, all with a health-related angle. They moved into the children's market in 2005. It's been a big success -- in one year they've seen £10 million revenue from selling kids' smoothies alone.

ADVERTISING: Their first TV advert they made themselves with their own video camera. The second they made out of "recycled" existing clips and footage. The accent, as in all their marketing, is, they say, on a simple, homely, honest approach - "the innocent way".

THE INNOCENT WAY: Grass covered vans, grass even on their office floor and fun events like "Fruitstock" are all part of the Innocent way. But it also takes an ethical approach which includes giving 10 per cent of its profits to charities which run community projects in the countries it gets its fruits from. But is 10 per cent enough?

THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS: Innocent outsources the actual manufacture of their juices to other companies. Innocent claim they are pushing them to be ethical, too - but would not allow the film-makers to visit their factories.

HOW GREEN IS MY COMPANY: The firm has its own "sustainability squad" whose job is to monitor and reduce the company's carbon dioxide emissions. Their cars and vans are hybrids or run on bio-fuel, they use green electricity in the office and they're introducing 100% compostible packaging.

BUT IS IT ENOUGH? But how much difference does one off-beat company like Innocent make in the scheme of things? Is Innocent part of a trend to healthier eating and drinking, and more environmentally friendly ways of doing a business? Or a mere drop in the ocean of the big companies and the capitalist system?

AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW: But exactly how innocent is Innocent? How healthy are their products? Dietician Catherine Collins outlines her own reservations about the company and argues that they stand guilty of misleading marketing. (This section is at the end of the video and is an extra on the DVD.

Duration: 27 mins
Year: 2006
DVD - VHS

What does it take to make a bag of crisps? This film explores how two very different companies -- the giant Walkers and the tiny Tyrrells -- manufacture their products.

Duration: 29 mins
Year: 2006
DVD - VHS
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Walkers and Tyrrells both make the same basic thing -- crisps. But they’re very different outfits. One is a huge, mass production operation; the other produces hand-cooked, select “chips”. But success for both of them depend on HOW their crisps are made -- on what happens INSIDE the factory.

CHANGING MARKET: Owned by PepsiCo -- the world’s biggest snack food company -- Walkers dwarfs its crisp-making rivals. But changing tastes and new crisp makers are changing the face of the market. The brightest new star in the crisp industry is called Tyrrells.

HOW CRISPS ARE MADE: Crisp-making at Tyrrells starts with the potatoes grown in fields near its factory. They’re washed, peeled, sliced and fried in oil. The chips are spun dry, then flavoured, weighed and dropped into a tube of film which is sealed air-tight at each end. And that’s how you make a bag of crisps.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Despite Tyrrells’ carefully cultivated rural image, they’re keen users of information technology. “Magic eyes” – electronic sensors -- are dotted throughout the factory and monitor and control all aspects of the production process.

PRODUCTION CONTROL: Electronic sensors actually PULL the crisps through the production process, summoning up more product whenever it’s needed. The whole point is to never let the line stop -- a big improvement on the less sophisticated system they had in their old factory.

WALKERS V TYRRELLS: Whether it’s Walkers or Tyrrells, manufacturing crisps is the same basic process. But there are crucial differences, too.

Tyrrells use different, older, varieties of potato – which they reckon make tastier crisps. And, unlike Walkers, Tyrrells don’t just make crisps from potatoes but also parsnips, carrots, beetroot, and even apples.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRODUCTION: But the biggest difference between Walkers and Tyrrells lies in the types of production they employ. Walkers manufacturing is continuous flow – continually producing as many crisps as possible as cheaply as possible. Tyrrells, on the other hand, operate BATCH production – in other words constantly making short runs of products.

KEEPING UP STANDARDS: Crisp-making means meeting crucial standards in areas like quality, hygiene and food safety, and the environment. Maybe the biggest thing Tyrrells has got going for it environmentally is that it’s a prime example of what’s called local production.

BUT AREN’T THEY BAD FOR YOU? Health worries have hit crisp sales in recent years. Walker’s answer? Make healthier crisps, heavily promoted in a campaign starring their advert star Gary Lineker. But how do Tyrrells’ crisps compare in health terms? And regardless of the brand, are we just eating too many salty snacks?

EXTRAS ON DVD:

• INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN A CRISPS FACTORY
• TYRRELLS FOUNDER, WILLIAM CHASE
• CRISPS & YOUR HEALTH
• WALKERS TV ADVERT
• GARY LINEKER & WALKERS
• WALKERS BAKED CRISPS

Duration: 29 mins
Year: 2006
DVD - VHS

New Orleans carnival revellers throw shiny beads to pretty girls. But where do the beads come from and how are they made? This award-filming film visits a factory in China to explore the shocking human realities of globalisation.

Duration: 33 mins
Year: 2006
DVD - VHS
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New Orleans carnival revellers throw shiny beads to pretty girls to get them to take off their clothes. But where do the beads come from? This acclaimed film visits a factory in China to reveal the human realities of globalisation.

The Chinese factory workers, mainly teenage girls, work long hours for low pay, and are “punished” for making mistakes or missing quotas. The Chinese factory boss says punishment is crucial to productivity.

The workers earn 1 cent for every 12 necklaces they make – necklaces which in the US sell for as much as $20 dollars each. The US holiday-makers who flock to the carnival have no idea of the conditions in which the beads they buy are made.

Both the Chinese factory boss and the US company who buy the beads from China deny charges of exploitation. If the young Chinese girls didn’t work in the factory, the US boss claims, they’d be labouring in the fields, doing harder, more poorly paid work.

The film climaxes when carnival-goers in the US are shown the harsh realities in the factory which makes their beads, and the Chinese factory girls see what happens to the beads they make. Both sides are shocked.

DVD contains full-length version of the film and many extras including an interview with Noam Chomsky

Duration: 33 mins
Year: 2006
DVD - VHS

This highly visual documentary traces the fantastic journey of Africa's most popular shoes -- the flip-flop -- from manufacture in Mombasa Kenya to ultimate recycling and resale as toys and mobiles.

In the process it colourfully illustrates a striking form of sustainable development and its impact on the environment and economy of a developing world country.

The story begins when the flip-flops are made in a factory in Mombasa, Kenya.

Worn-out, they are taken to cobblers who specialise in flip-flop maintenance.

But some are too damaged to be repaired and end up as litter on the streets, where monsoon rains wash them with the island's rubbish to the ocean.

Sea borne for years, their buoyancy and resilience are put to good use by ocean hitch-hikers.

Colonised by goose-barnacles and boarded by swimming crabs, they eventually come to rest on

distant coastlines. Here they bring specks of vibrant colour to washed-up debris.

Here islanders carve the flip-flops into dolphins, turtles and mobiles -- a cottage industry which provides precious income for many families. Their children craft model boats from the rubber soles, making their own toys from the ocean's debris.

Newly transformed, the flip-flops begin yet another journey. Leaving the quiet shores of Kiwayu, they are transported back to the shop-lined shores of Mombasa, where their first journey began.

Particularly suitable for students at Key Stage 3 (13-14 years old).

Customers' feedback: "Well paced and very enjoyable. The changing aspects and locations maintain the pupils' interest." Ken Morrison, Belfast High School

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 2006
DVD - VHS

With the fastest growing economy in the history of the world, China is the workshop of globalisation. But are workers paying the price? This unique fly-on-the-wall documentary investigates life in a Chinese factory.

Duration: 33 mins
Year: 2005
DVD - VHS
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With the fastest growing economy in the history of the world, China is the workshop of globalisation. But are workers paying the price for a manufacturing revolution? This unique fly-on-the-wall documentary uncovers the hard realities of working conditions in a Chinese factory.

The film focuses on a German-owned company in Shenzhen, China, which makes the chargers for Nokia's mobile phones. Nokia sends in a two-woman team to carry out an “ethical audit” on its working practices.

The inspection reveals people are working 12 hour shifts, also problems of noise, smells and

hazardous chemicals stored near drinking cups. Worst of all, the factory is ignoring local laws on minimum wages. Some workers are being paid the equivalent of £14 pounds a month.

Workers live eight people per room in a huge dormitory near the factory. Living conditions are basic. State-controlled birth control is compulsory. Workers speak candidly about their working life. Hours are long and tiring. There are bullying supervisors and the food is bad.

Duration: 33 mins
Year: 2005
DVD - VHS

This is the story of how Cadbury’s makes a chocolate bar. Alison Hammond takes us round their famous factory and explains the systems that underpin the process

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 2005
DVD - VHS
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This is the story of how Cadbury’s makes a chocolate bar. Alison Hammond (from Big Brother) takes us round their famous factory and explains the systems that underpin the process.

QUALITY CONTROL is a vital part of the business, ensuring that the right ingredients are mixed at the right temperature.

PROCESS CONTROL: Cadbury's have a computer system which ensures each part of the process works in harmony with the rest.

PACKING: In the old days, the chocolate was packed by hand. Everything's now done by machines.

BUT WHAT ABOUT OBESITY? Cadbury's say their chocolate has been around since long before obesity was a national problem - but can they avoid responsibility?

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 2005
DVD - VHS

Information systems in use in two very different factories: toothpaste manufacturer Glaxo Smith Kline and the much smaller plastic moulding company Time RPS.

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 2004
DVD - VHS
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This film looks at the key systems used in a factory, using two case studies: the Glaxo Smith Kline toothpaste factory and a smaller plastic injection moulding company called Time RPS.How do they compare?

TYPES OF PRODUCTION: GSK is an example of continuous flow production: they make a million tubes of toothpaste a day. Time RPS mostly does lower volume, batch production.

CAD/CAM: We show one product from design stage on the CAD screen through to final production. We explain how computer aided design feeds through to computer aided manufacture.

STOCK CONTROL AND PRODUCTION PLANNING: We look at the importance of ordering the right amounts of raw materials to fulfill orders: at GSK, this is achieved by two key systems: materials requirement planning and scheduling.

PRODUCTION AND QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEMS: Quality is an essential factor in both factories. We look at individual quality systems and the overall role of ISO 9000.

ROBOTIC CONTROL SYSTEMS: What work do robots do? How are they controlled? What are the benefits? We use examples from both factories.But what's it all for? Cleanliness and efficiency INSIDE the factory is one thing. What about pollution caused by transportation? How useful are the products anyway?

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 2004
DVD - VHS

What makes a company tick? This film explains basic business functions inside Cameron Balloons, the world's largest maker of hot air balloons.

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 2004
DVD - VHS
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What makes a company tick? This video explains basic business functions inside Cameron Balloons, the world’s largest maker of hot air balloons.

Marketing: Like all firms, Cameron has to market its balloons. Specialist publications, “word of mouth” and the internet are vital parts of its “marketing mix”.

Production: We show how a balloon is manufactured from the basic design to the production line.

Personnel: Cameron employs 70 people and it’s down to the human resources department to do everything from hiring and firing to training people.

Accounts: Tight control of the firm’s money is a key aim of the accounts function. To ensure they

get paid, Cameron has a very simple formula - no money, no balloon.

Structure: Textbooks imply businesses are divided up into functions and departments, but the real world doesn’t work like that. In Cameron everyone has to muck in to meet deadlines and solve problems.

Customers’ feedback: “Very good as a general introduction.” Mrs H Shergold, Blue CE School.

“Very good. I am very pleased with it.” Jonathan Blane, Latymer School.

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 2004
DVD - VHS
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How is a car manufactured? Alison Hammond goes inside BMW's Mini factory in Oxford and explores the production process.

Duration: 29 mins
Year: 2003
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How is a car manufactured? Alison Hammond, of “Big Brother” fame, goes inside BMW’s Mini factory in Oxford and explores the production process.

First comes the production planning. Orders are analysed by a program called “Kiss”. Stage two is “Body in White”. 228 robots weld the basic framework together.

Quality control is essential and the main aim is to spot any problems before the car is painted and finished. Painting each mini takes 10 hours including the pre-treatment, electro painting, and drying time.

Parts come from all over the world. They're ordered on just in time principles, to minimise on storage space and costs.

Stage four is the final assembly of the car. Teamworking and worker health and safety are important but do we really need lots more cars on our roads?

Customers' feedback: "Ideal. Pupils instantly have an interest, and the humour of the presenter goes down well. The content is well balanced and the pace maintains interest." Peter Chillingworth, Head of Design Technology, Sherborne School.

Duration: 29 mins
Year: 2003
DVD - VHS

How does a factory work? This is a detailed account of how British manufacturer Leisure Consumer Products makes one of its cookers.

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 2001
DVD - VHS
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How does a factory work? This describes how Leisure Consumer Products makes its cookers. . Production at LCP starts with the design for the product, in which appearance and healthy eating are the key considerations.

Manufacturing begins with batch production as sheet metal is formed into batches of key components. In the assembly section, flow production begins as single products are made on a continuous basis.

Recently the company has undergone a revolution - they've gone over to lean manufacture. This means cutting out waste at every level. Just in time techniques are designed to match production to demand by supplying goods to order and parts only when they're needed.

This cuts down stocks of raw material and reduces bottlenecks.

The factory's workers are now organised into a number ofself-managing teams. They're expected to be multi-skilled and able to do each other's jobs.

Management believe that such changes are leading to the end of “them and us” attitudes in the factory. But people on the shop floor disagree and speak candidly of their grievances.

Customers' feedback: “Very thorough introduction to factory life. As it's nowadays more difficult to organise visits, this film is particularly useful.” Claire Jackson, Moat Community College.

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 2001
DVD - VHS
Support Booklet

Computers don’t necessarily mean cutting people out of manufacturing. These case studies show how technology can be used in a “human-centred” way.

Duration: 31 mins
Year: 1994
DVD - VHS
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Computers don’t necessarily mean cutting people out of manufacturing. These case studies show how technology can be used in a “human-centred” way.

In Germany operators program their own CNC machine tools, achieving high degrees of flexibility and productivity. A UK wire-making company uses a computer-based planning and scheduling system to make best use of their machines and people.

A paint spray firm takes a cellular approach to manufacturing, with islands of technology, in

which workers are self-managing and have control over their work.

The video ends with a demonstration of a futuristic system designed to “informate” the production worker of tomorrow.

Customers' feedback: “Gets the message across.” Lynne Parker, Nene College

Duration: 31 mins
Year: 1994
DVD - VHS
Support Booklet

You design an innovative product – but how do you get it manufactured? This tells the story of the development of a new kind of wheelchair.

Duration: 29 mins
Year: 1994
DVD - VHS
Support Booklet:
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This is the story of an attempt to design a new kind of wheelchair. It explores the issue of mass-manufacturing for the disabled and questions the capacity of private firms to cater for such needs.

Physiotherapist Pauline Pope is working on SAM - a wheelchair to use with children with cerebral palsy. But they can only produce SAM on a costly, one-off basis.

She needs someone to manufacture the new chair in large quantities.

Working with a senior designer for the leading wheelchair manufacturer Sunrise Medical, she produces a prototype for the new SAM.

Eventually, there's one last problem. Sunrise Medical won't actually go ahead and manufacture SAM unless it can prove it will make enough money on it - and that is by no means certain.

Duration: 29 mins
Year: 1994
DVD - VHS
Support Booklet

Can Japanese-style working practices succeed in Britain? This film looks at a factory which claims to have empowered its workforce and achieved world class productivity.

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 1992
DVD - VHS
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Can Japanese-style working practices succeed in Britain? This video looks at a factory which claims to have empowered its workforce and achieved world class productivity.

Oxford Automotives Components, part of the Unipart Group, makes fuel tanks for cars. Once upon a time it ran itself like traditional British manufacturers and had traditional problems, such as chronic “them and us” attitudes.

But in 1989 total quality management and Japanese-style working practices were introduced.

Clocking in and supervisors were abolished. Team-working and quality circles were brought in. The factory was de-unionised.

Management claim these changes have not only transformed productivity but also reinvigorated the workforce, giving them a chance to have a real input into how products are made. But union leaders disagree. One worker claims that in reality shop floor morale is at rock bottom.

Customers' feedback: “Superb, excellent.” A Parks, Rockingham College.

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 1992
DVD - VHS
Support Booklet

What is “total quality management”? How Kemble Instruments tried to improve quality at all levels of the company.

Duration: 24 mins
Year: 1992
DVD - VHS
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What is “total quality management”? This film tells the story of Kemble Instruments, a manufacturing firm which set out to improve quality at levels by transforming the culture of the company.

The starting point is to involve the workforce and gain their commitment to change. At the same time the company introduces a just in time approach to manufacture. This is aimed at minimising money tied up in stock and storage.

The company claims significant improvements in productivity. But not everyone signs up to the changes and there are casualties along the way.

Customers' feedback: “Works very well. Excellent material for discussion purposes.” A Parks, Rockingham College.

Duration: 24 mins
Year: 1992
DVD - VHS
Support Booklet

Critical to product design is the choice of material. This film shows how a company choose the material for a mobile phone.

Duration: 21 mins
Year: 1989
DVD - VHS
Support Booklet:
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The design of a product is, of course, critical to its success. But a key part of any design is the choice of material to be used. Lifeboats, aeroplanes, even fillings for teeth - innovations in the use of materials have led to great advances and big profits. But how does a company set about making the choice of material to suit a particular design? This video explores this question through a case study of a company which makes cellular telephones

Duration: 21 mins
Year: 1989
DVD - VHS
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