Assessing and improving the responsiveness of manufacturing production systems

In a market where rapid changes in demand, product mix and volumes are now commonplace and where the requirement for a production operation to be reliable in terms of quality and delivery performance is now a base-level expectation, an appropriate set of response capabilities is critical. This paper presents a link between agility, responsiveness and flexibility in the context of production operations and examines the key issues associated with determining the most appropriate manner for improving production responsiveness, and, in particular, considers the role of flexible decision making and control strategies in this context. (7 pages)