Flexibility Needs and Enablers in Assembly Systems

The purpose of the research presented in this paper has been to analyze flexibility needs and enablers in assembly systems. The methodology used for the research has been a literature review and a case study at a Swedish manufacturing company. Flexibility as a competitive factor has been shown to be needed in order to satisfy the changing demands, at low cost and with delivery precision. The level of customization and changes in volume also increases the flexibility needs. The results from the case study indicate that there are four flexibility enablers in assembly systems: capacity and production planning, production development, material supply, and work organization. The needs of flexibility should be considered during the design process of the assembly system to respond to changes in product variants and production volumes in a cost-effective way.