A case study to find out to what extent cellular manufacturing techniques are implemented and barriers affecting it

Abstract

This study addresses the applicability of Cellular Manufacturing (CM) techniques in situations where such a configuration is not obvious. Over the years, the academic community has shown a wide interest in CM. Case studies of successful CM implementations and model-based research clearly indicate the merits of typical CM techniques, like set-up reduction, a flow layout, pull production, etc. However, industry surveys indicate that completely cellularised manufacturing systems are rare in practice. Apparently, CM techniques are only applicable to a limited extent. What keeps the non-user from implementing CM techniques is not clear from the literature. The research forms an attempt to fill this knowledge gap by means of a multiple case study. Firstly, to what extent the techniques of CM are applicable in a number of non-cellular situations is addressed. Secondly, the barriers and enablers determining the success or failure of CM techniques in these situations are identified. The subjects of study are manufacturing companies, which do not or only partially, apply CM techniques. The exploration and subsequent analysis of these cases lead to the identification of a number of factors influencing the applicability of CM techniques.