Agile Manufacturing as the 21st Century Strategy for Improving Manufacturing Competitiveness

Abstract

Manufacturing strategy can be defined as a framework whose objective is the increased competitiveness of the organization. To achieve this, management strategy should aim at designing, organizing, managing, and developing the company's manufacturing resources and shape a consistent pattern of manufacturing decisions so that that they can result in an adequate mix of performance characteristics which will allow the company to compete effectively in the future. Manufacturing strategy makes important contributions to enhance competitiveness. There are three factors that highlight the significance of management strategy. The first is the increased pressure owing to the growing international manufacturing competitiveness made more intense by the recent movement towards globalization. The second is the increased potential to be gained from the development of new manufacturing technologies and, the third is the development of a better understanding of the strategic role of manufacturing.