Agile Manufacturing

Agile Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry has up until lately always been producer-led. The variety of products available to the consumer was--- the consumer had to wait to get what he/she was offered.

For the past ten years a quality revolution has arose because now, the marketplace has become global. A sophisticated and aware customer base has grown because of the increase of service industries where the customer plays a direct role in the delivery process. No longer can companies assume they can put out products to customers at the manufacturers schedule and quality levels.

Many companies have realized this. Many have researched for was to make positive changes, which will permit them to identify, and quickly respond to the customer likes and complaints. At the same time, these changes must allow the manufacture the ability to get their products quickly to market.

This is known as Agile Manufacturing. Agility means to have the ability to change
quickly. The development of manufacturing support technology, which permits marketers, designers, and production personnel the ability to share a common database of parts and products, is one contributing factor a manufacturer must have in order to become an agile manufacturer.

Goldman et al. (1995) suggest that Agility has four underlying components: Deliver value to the customer; be ready for change; value human knowledge and skills; form virtual partnerships.

If some of these components look or sound familiar, they are. The first three are
the attributes of lean manufacturing.



 

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