Consumer Goods Manufacturing

Consumer goods represent final value-added products that are distributed for consumption in mass consumption markets. In this sense, consumer goods are also referred to as household goods and are produced in tremendous volumes not reached by niche market goods, industrial goods, or other products purchased only by industry and businesses. Consequent their scale of production, consumer goods represent a major global manufacturing sector responsible for the production and supply of goods diverse as children’s toys, apparel, household furniture, home improvement or hardware products, recreational and educational software, consumer electronics, pet products, jewelry, eating utensils, kitchen supplies, cosmetics, stationary, household supplies like laundry detergents, and automotive accessories.

The diverse nature of consumer goods prevents a comprehensive or otherwise thorough accounting of the various production processes required, although most consumer goods adhere to a similar supply chain and production chain. Raw materials are converted into structural components, fabrics, and component materials. Additional products such as motors, gears, wire, decorative glass, and fabric are also added to the value of a consumer product. Finished consumer products also require several stages of packaging that make use additional production line equipment, raw materials supplies, and marketing and graphic design services. While automation is increasingly adopted in factories worldwide, labor costs continue to represent a major contributor to the prices of consumer goods, which has resulted in outsourcing and contract manufacturing in developing economies with lower labor costs such as China, India, and other countries in East Asia, South Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.