005 - Manufacturing Today

Activity One - Case Studies

Watch the video in the link and answer the questions in the table below. The clip is from a publishing company could Esquire who focus on what men's fashion, health and interests are. The clip focuses on four very British manufacturing companies mainly based in the Midlands area of the UK. While the companies produce different items ranging from coats to underwear they all have the same ethos. It is your job to find out how and why they are surviving in this competitive world of cheap imports.

• Esquire - Where James Bond's Underwear Comes From

Activity Two - A Very British Company

1. Watch the clip below and right down what looks the same and what is different in the manufacturing of clothes since Arkwright was alive.
2. Using the roundme.com image below answer the following questions.
   • What innovation was created in the Medieval Times?
   • What gender are the workers?
   • What is being made? What evidence is there of that?
   • What evidence is there of a production line?
3. Using the article in the useful resources section, answer the following questions:
   • How has the factory adapted to modern life?
   • What has stayed the same since the conception of Sunspel?
   • Is there anything familiar about the people you have read about?

Useful Resource

Activity Three - Case Study - Manufacturing

Choose a company like Sunspel who are trying to make their goods within a High Income Country e.g. Apple (technology - USA), The Cambridge Satchel Company (leather bags - UK), John Smedley (knitwear, UK), Le Crueset (cast iron goods - France), L'Occitane (Skin Products - France)etc and create a case study for that product.

Content Requirement

• Name of the company
• Where the company is located - city and country
• What do they produce - famous or important products
• Short history of the development of the company - What did they bring to the industry?
• How are the goods produced?
• What is the supply chain for the product? Raw materials, machines to make the goods, where made and sold where?
• Why has the brand become more globally known? Think about the introduction of the internet, films, advertising, global interactions.
  • What makes the products unique?
• How successful are they in making locally produced products?
  • Can they produce everything locally?
  • Are elements of the product or brand still made abroad? Why is this?

Formal Requirements

• Presented on no more than two sides of A4.
• Size 11 or 12 font if typed (this could be hand produced)
• All images used need to be sourced, given a figure number and a title
• Bibliography

How will I be assessed?