Glossary · Manufacturing systems
Production flexibility
Also known as: Manufacturing flexibility
German: Produktionsflexibilität
In manufacturing, production flexibility is the ability of a production system to handle changes in product mix, variants, volume or process with limited time, cost and quality loss.
- Manufacturing systems
In one sentence
Production flexibility is the ability of a production system to handle changes in products, variants and volume with little loss.
Example
The line can switch between six product variants with recipe changes only, which gives it high mix flexibility.
How it applies
- Engineering: Flexibility has several dimensions: mix flexibility (different products), volume flexibility (different quantities), routing flexibility (alternative paths) and expansion flexibility. Design decisions trade flexibility against cost and efficiency.
- Operation: Short changeover times, recipe-based setups and multi-skilled operators increase flexibility in daily operation.
- Compliance: Flexible systems must be safe and validated in every configuration they are meant to run. The range of variants and settings belongs in the intended use and in the risk assessment.
- Documentation: Flexible production needs variant-aware documentation: instructions, settings and checks for each product and configuration, delivered at the right place. Structured content with conditional processing helps to manage such variants.
Production flexibility vs. adaptive manufacturing
Flexibility is a capability. Adaptive manufacturing uses data to exercise that capability automatically during operation.