Research opportunities on manufacturing flexibility domain: A review and theory-based research agenda

Impact of Manufacturing Flexibility on Business Performance: Malaysian’s Perspective

“…This was chosen because it was predicted to reflect, to a certain degree, all of the seven manufacturing flexibility dimensions included in this research (Koste, Malhotra, and Sharma 2004). Meanwhile, analysis at the level of the manufacturing plant is also aligned with the past empirical research related to manufacturing flexibility (Larso, Doolen, and Hacker 2009, Koste, Malhotra, and Sharma 2004, Pérez-Pérez et al 2018.…”

“…In the same vein, a recent study by Mishra, Pundir, and Ganapathy (2014) presented a systematic review of 101 research papers, related to manufacturing flexibility, available in academic journal databases published from 1992 to January 2013, which stressed that not all past research found that manufacturing flexibility improves business performance, and it is a gap worth exploring further. In addition, a study done by Pérez-Pérez et al (2018) has further consolidated the view that there have been plenty of research opportunities into the context of manufacturing flexibility, and the content of manufacturing flexibility is still contentious. Appendix I shows a brief summary of the past research undertaken, based on this paper's literature review, where the author and year, type of study, the findings and remarks are tabled.…”

“…Mishra, Pundir, and Ganapathy (2014) Literature Review Not all past research found that manufacturing flexibility improves business performance. Pérez-Pérez et al (2018) Literature Review Plenty of research opportunities in the context of manufacturing flexibility.…”

Digital Machines, Space, and Time: Towards a Behavioral Perspective of Flexible Manufacturing

“…Perez‐Perez, Bedia, Lopez‐Fernandez, and Garcia‐Piqueres (2018) have argued that there is still ambiguity on the role and effects of manufacturing flexibility on individuals and organizations’ performance. Firms are unlikely to obtain disruptive results from the stand‐alone adoption of flexible manufacturing technologies if these technologies are not supported by design‐manufacturing integration (Swink and Nair, 2007).…”

“…When considering the specific adoption of new production machines (also referred to as “manufacturing configuration”), scholars suggest a consideration of the “fit” within the specific context of application and its related features (Perez‐Perez et al, 2018). For instance, the classic “product‐process” matrix developed by Hayes and Wheelwright (1979) provides useful guidelines to classify different technologies along several degrees of manufacturing flexibility, ranging from production lines (characterized by a standardized structure with high volume, low variety, and high rigidity) and cellular‐based manufacturing (where flexible systems play a key role), to job shops (processes in which small batches of a variety of customized products are made) and individual projects (featuring higher adaptability and opportunities for customization, but limited efficiency).…”