Shaping Flexibility in Complex Manufacturing Systems

Product customization and dynamically changing customer requirements cause multiple versions of the same product to be created with minute modifications, e.g.: different colour, material used, accessories, etc. Adapting to changing tendencies determines the manufacturer`s competitiveness. This article presents the analysis of the flexibility of a complex convergent production structure. The analysis has been conducted using the EPE (Every Part Every…) indicator. To maintain the accuracy of the system`s evaluation, the flexibility determining algorithm has been adjusted to the analyzed cell structure. A flexibility indicator EPE shows the lowest possible frequency at which the rotating production of a batch is repeated. In practice, it informs us after what time we may manufacture the same lot of goods again, taking into account the time necessary for delivering accepted orders. The conclusions from the conducted analyses helped to develop strategic development plans which assumed increasing the volume of the manufactured assortment both in number and variety.