What are Economies of Scale

Maryamshaukat
6 min readFeb 23, 2023

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Economies of scale are the cost advantages a company has as a result of increasing its output level. The benefit results from the inverse connection between the quantity produced and the fixed cost per unit. The fixed cost per unit decreases as production volume increases.

With an increase in output, economies of scale also cause a decrease in average variable costs (average non-fixed expenses). Due to increased manufacturing scale, operational efficiency and synergies are responsible for this.

A company can achieve economies of scale at any point during production. Production in this context refers to the economic notion of production and includes all operations involving the good, excluding those affecting the ultimate consumer.

Thus, a company may elect to employ a sizable number of marketing experts to implement economies of scale in its marketing division. A company can do the same by switching from human to machine labor in its input sourcing division.

Economies of Scale

Benefits of Economies of Scale

There are many benefits of economies of scale. Because scale economy organizations can give organizations a competitive edge in their industry. Thus, businesses will want to achieve economies of scale whenever possible, just as investors would look for them when choosing which investments to make. One particularly well-known instance of an economy of scale is the network effect.

Benefits of Reduction of economy scale

Businesses that achieve economies of scale when their level of output increases experience lower costs. Cost reduction increases the likelihood that businesses may cut their pricing in order to increase sales. The main advantage of economies of scale is this.

High Staff Salary of Economies of Scale

Costs per unit of manufacturing are reduced via economies of scale. Top management will be able to do this in order to increase employee pay scales and hire and train new talent. These factors will all support the business’s ongoing expansion.

More Return to Investors in Economies of Scale

Investors want to see a profit. Economies of scale lower the overall financial overhead of the business, which improves profitability by lowering the bottom line. Over time, the capital savings will increase, allowing management more flexibility to reward shareholders with better returns or dividends.

Economies of Scale Business Geographics

Now that expenditures have been reduced and there is more financial flexibility, the corporation can attempt to expand its business activities to more geographic locations. Management might think about buying a business or starting a new subsidiary in a different area.

Disadvantages of Economies of Scale

Spreading the expense of production over a greater variety of goods allows larger firms to produce more. An industry may be able to estimate the pricing of a product if numerous businesses in the same sector create comparable things. That’s why Economies of Scale have many disadvantages as well as its Advantages.

Increase Cost in Output After Specific Point

The company’s production procedures start to become less effective beyond a certain point. The average cost per unit will increase as the business starts to produce more products above a certain threshold. Diseconomies of scale are what is meant by this. The main drawback of economies of scale is this.

Control Loss in Economies of Scale

Management will find it more challenging to keep control over corporate operations as the company grows. Managing thousands of highly productive employees will be challenging in Economies of Scale. In turn, this will make the business’s operations less effective.

Economies of Scale Reduced Staff Morale

It will become more difficult for management to keep control over business operations as the company grows. It will be challenging to manage thousands of highly productive employees. The effectiveness of economies of scale in the business’s activities will consequently decline.

Pollution in Environment Effect on Economies of Scale

An environmental impact will be caused by numerous large enterprises. The environmental harm will worsen as the business expands. Bad environment huge losses in any country’s economy.

Understanding the Economies of Scale

In general, economies of scale depend on the size of the company. The amount of cost reductions increases with business size. Scale economies might be internal or external. While external economies of scale are influenced by external circumstances, internal economies of scale are based on management decisions.

Accounting, IT, and marketing are examples of internal functions that are also seen as operational efficiency and synergies. Economies of scale, which represent the cost savings and competitive advantages larger organizations have over smaller ones, are crucial ideas for any business in any industry.

The majority of customers don’t comprehend why a smaller firm would price more for a comparable product offered by a bigger corporation. Because of how much the company produces, the cost per unit varies. By spreading the expense of production over a greater volume of items, larger enterprises are able to create more. If numerous businesses are producing comparable goods inside a certain industry, that industry may also be able to control how much a product costs.

Several factors contribute to economies of scale resulting in cheaper per-unit costs

1. First increased worker specialization and technological integration increase production rates.

2. Second cheaper per-unit expenses may result from supplier bulk orders, larger advertising purchases, or lower capital costs.

3. Third spreading internal function costs over a greater number of manufactured and sold units aids in cost reduction.

Internal and External Economies of Scale Difference

Internal Economies of Scale

originate within the organization as a result of adjustments to the way the business operates or produces its products

Internal economies of scale are exclusive to a given company since they result from internal cost reductions. This can be the outcome of the company’s size in general or of decisions made by the management of the organization. Different types of internal economies of scale exist. Including these Technical, Risk bearing, Managerial, Purchasing, Financial, and Marketing.

Because they may, for instance, buy resources in bulk, have a patent or particular technology, or have access to more cash, larger organizations are frequently able to achieve internal economies of scale — lowering their costs and raising their output levels.

External Economies of Scale

originate within the organization as a result of adjustments to the way the business operates or produces its products

Considering variables that impact the entire industry rather than just one particular business

Internal economies of scale are exclusive to a given company since they result from internal cost reductions. This can be the outcome of the company’s size in general or of decisions made by the management of the organization. Different types of internal economies of scale exist. Including these Technical, Risk bearing, Managerial, Purchasing, Financial, and Marketing.

On the other hand, external economies of scale are attained as a result of external causes or factors that have an impact on the entire sector. This implies that no corporation manages costs independently. These happen when there is a pool of highly skilled workers, when there are tax breaks or subsidies, when there are partnerships and joint ventures, or whenever there is anything else that can reduce costs for numerous businesses in a given sector.

Because they may, for instance, buy resources in bulk, have a patent or particular technology, or have access to more cash, larger organizations are frequently able to achieve internal economies of scale — lowering their costs and raising their output levels.

Thus, by hiring additional people, businesses with less than 10,000 employees may be able to reduce their average cost of production. This is an illustration of an external economy of scale, which is one that has an impact on an entire industry or economic sector.

Why Economies of Scale is Important

Because they can give businesses a competitive edge in their industry, economies of scale are crucial. Therefore, businesses will always aim to achieve economies of scale, just as investors would look for them when choosing investments. The network effect is one well-known instance of an economy of scale.

Causes of Economies of Scale

Generally speaking, there are two strategies to gain economies of scale. A corporation can first achieve internal economies of scale by rearranging how its resources — such as staff and equipment — are allocated and utilized within the organization. Second, a business can achieve external economies of scale by becoming larger than its rivals and exploiting that larger size to engage in competitive activities like haggling for discounts on large purchases.

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