Making Manufacturing Flexibility Operational Part 2 - Distinctions and an Example

Structures the concept of flexibility by making clear distinctions in three generic dimensions, describes the use of the framework for manufacturing flexibility by working through a concrete example. The framework was presented in “Making manufacturing flexibility operational – part 1: a framework”, IMS, Vol. 6 No. 2. Makes distinctions between the concept of flexibility in the three generic dimensions: utilized flexibility versus potential flexibility, external flexibility versus internal flexibility, and requested flexibility versus replied flexibility. The framework makes a clear distinction between the internal and the external factors impinging on the company, and brings together the market demand for flexibility, the characteristics of the production system, and the flexibility of the suppliers. Furthermore, pursues the connection from the strategic level to the single resource characteristics in the production system. Using the framework as a systematization for handling flexibility related issues in companies, can be especially useful for managers.