Implications of agile manufacturing in the automotive industry for order management in the factories-evidence from the practitioner’s perspective

Abstract

Agile manufacturing in the automotive industry increases customer orientation and allows a faster reaction to changing market conditions, but it also complicates the task of sequencing and scheduling orders for production in the factories. This paper provides empirical data about the constraints under which sequencing and scheduling takes place. Based on a formal model in generic terms, it describes order volumes, factory layouts, production efforts and types of quality criteria which are frequently used in practice. It shows that extant algorithmic solution approaches are still applicable under such condition, but need to be reinterpreted regarding their role in the process.