Extension of the Learning Curve — Some Empirical Results

Abstract

The learning curve or start-up model is extended to three examples of labour-intensive manufacture-automobile assembly, apparel manufacture and the production of large musical instruments. Prediction of the parameters of the model and the occurrence of steady-state "plateaux" are examined in relation to the findings. The results of the investigation suggest the wider applicability of the learning curve model in labour-intensive industries, provide additional data to evaluate an empirical approach to parameter prediction and demonstrate the difficulty of generalizing about the occurrence and predictability of steady-state plateaux. In addition, the application of different cost indices in learning curve research is demonstrated among new product start-ups in both single and multiple facilities.