Diseconomies of Scale

Diseconomies of Scale

The decrease of efficiency in the making of a product by producing more of it. That is, diseconomies of scale occur when a company increases its output for a product such that it increases the cost per unit of the product. For example, assume that labor costs at a factory are constant as long as the factory produces between 100,000 and 500,000 units per month. If the factory produces more than 500,000 units per month, it may have to hire more workers, which would increase the cost per unit. It is easier for smaller companies to fall into diseconomies of scale because they have less control over their costs; indeed this can cause many smaller companies to be at a significant competitive disadvantage. See also: Economies of Scale.