Agile Manufacturing Paradigm Research Articles

Evaluation of the effect of forming strategy in newly introduced flexible roll forming process

In recent years, with the emergence of Industry 4.0 trends and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agile manufacturing paradigm has gained increasing significance. Substantial efforts have been directed towards introducing new methods, driven by the dual objectives of flexibility and agility. This paper presents an innovative machine that employs two rollers to apply localized deformation to sheet metal through repetitive movement along the length of the sheet. As with all incremental forming processes, the forming strategy is a critical parameter influencing both the forming force and the dimensional accuracy of the manufactured workpiece. In this research, two different forming strategies, internal and external, were implemented for manufacturing elongated 90 deg bends on 1 mm and 3 mm thick AISI 304 sheets. Both numerical and experimental analyses were performed to assess the effects of these different strategies. The results confirm that the forming force with the external strategy is 50 % and 47 % less for the 1 mm and 3 mm sheets, respectively. Moreover, the external forming strategy allows for better control of the obtained angle, but limits the minimum obtainable bending radius.

Automatic grouping of production data in Industry 4.0: The use case of internal logistics systems based on Automated Guided Vehicles

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) have become an indispensable component of Flexible Manufacturing Systems. AGVs are also a huge source of information that can be utilised by the data mining algorithms that support the new generation of manufacturing. This paper focuses on data preprocessing, aggregation, and clustering in the new generation of manufacturing systems that use the agile manufacturing paradigm and utilise AGVs. This paper presents a method by which it is possible to automatically detect the types of work performed by an AGV based on streaming information. The paper presents a comparison of results obtained with two different classical clustering algorithms: K-Means and DBScan. As the results show, using at least one of the proposed algorithms, it is possible to automatically detect the types of work performed by AGVs and to detect new, previously unknown types. Additionally, to a limited extent, it is possible to identify anomalies using this method. The proposed methodology can be used as the initial step for production optimisation, predictive maintenance activities, production technology verification, or as a source of models for the simulation tools that are used in virtual factories. This is an extended version of the ‘Data preprocessing, aggregation and clustering for agile manufacturing based on Automated Guided Vehicles’ paper [43].

Prioritisation of agile characteristics in products using fuzzy AHP approach through the referencing of the features of mobile phones

In order to face the intensification of competition, modern companies are required to implement agile manufacturing paradigm. Since mobile phone manufacturers have implemented the characteristics of agile manufacturing paradigm, the mobile phone industry thrives in this competitive world by frequently bringing out several models of mobile phones with amazing features. In the context of this observation, the research reported in this paper was carried out. In this research, 30 features that ascribe the agile characteristics of mobile phones were identified. Subsequently, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique was applied to prioritise the features and characteristics that infuse agility in mobile phones. The outcome of this research revealed that functional characteristic has been playing major role in enhancing the agility of the mobile phones. This result indicates that modern companies are required to prioritise the infusing of functional characteristic in products for exercising speedy implementation of agile manufacturing paradigm.

Performance measurement of the leagile supply chain

In this paper, a model is contributed to enable the companies to measure the performance of the leagile supply chain. Leagile supply chains are incorporated with the principles of lean and agile manufacturing paradigms. A unique feature of this measurement model is that it is incorporated with the provision to accommodate the decoupling point of leagility. Decoupling point refers to the point that separates leanness and agility. In order to utilise this measurement model, responses against a questionnaire are to be gathered to measure the leagile supply chain performance of the company. The data gathered by getting those responses are substituted in a mathematical model to calculate the leagile supply chain performance index of the company. By referring to the leagile supply chain performance index, the company can strive to move towards imbibing agility for acquiring competitive strength.

An empirical investigation of agility factors in select Indian manufacturing industries

In the era of dynamic and customised demand, the organisations cannot be rigid. Rigidity can be reduced by adopting agile manufacturing paradigm. The objective of this study was to identify chief predictors of agile manufacturing and to distinguish agile developers and enablers. The survey-based study has been conducted to identify and pinpoint factors of agility to help managers to identify the areas to be focused. A hypothetical agile manufacturing framework has been proposed. The study indicates that nine hypothesised factors have statistically significant relationship with agility. Linear regression model has been developed to recognise agile manufacturing predictors. Linear regression model equation of agile manufacturing has been compared and tested with the mean value of agility. The results obtained from linear regression model and survey was found to be in close proximity. Further using principal component analysis, proposed empirical framework has been restructured as per empirical results of study.

Computer aided design-based assembly sequence planning: a next stage in agile manufacturing research

Today, certain manufacturing companies have developed agile capabilities to react quickly in accordance with the dynamic demands of the customers. These manufacturing companies are regarded by the modern researchers as 'agile manufacturing companies.' Other companies are unable to compete with agile manufacturing companies. In order to facilitate companies to acquire agility, modern researchers are required to identify the next stage of research whose outcome will enable today's manufacturing companies to become agile manufacturing companies. In this background, in this paper, a literature review is reported. At the end of conducting this literature review, the benefits of implementing agile manufacturing and assembly sequence planning were gathered and compared. Based on this comparison, this paper is concluded by suggesting that determining optimal assembly sequences of the components to produce products for implementing agile manufacturing paradigm in today's manufacturing companies shall be the next stage of research.

Computer aided design-based assembly sequence planning: a next stage in agile manufacturing research

Today, certain manufacturing companies have developed agile capabilities to react quickly in accordance with the dynamic demands of the customers. These manufacturing companies are regarded by the modern researchers as 'agile manufacturing companies.' Other companies are unable to compete with agile manufacturing companies. In order to facilitate companies to acquire agility, modern researchers are required to identify the next stage of research whose outcome will enable today's manufacturing companies to become agile manufacturing companies. In this background, in this paper, a literature review is reported. At the end of conducting this literature review, the benefits of implementing agile manufacturing and assembly sequence planning were gathered and compared. Based on this comparison, this paper is concluded by suggesting that determining optimal assembly sequences of the components to produce products for implementing agile manufacturing paradigm in today's manufacturing companies shall be the next stage of research.

An empirical investigation of agility factors in select Indian manufacturing industries

In the era of dynamic and customised demand, the organisations cannot be rigid. Rigidity can be reduced by adopting agile manufacturing paradigm. The objective of this study was to identify chief predictors of agile manufacturing and to distinguish agile developers and enablers. The survey-based study has been conducted to identify and pinpoint factors of agility to help managers to identify the areas to be focused. A hypothetical agile manufacturing framework has been proposed. The study indicates that nine hypothesised factors have statistically significant relationship with agility. Linear regression model has been developed to recognise agile manufacturing predictors. Linear regression model equation of agile manufacturing has been compared and tested with the mean value of agility. The results obtained from linear regression model and survey was found to be in close proximity. Further using principal component analysis, proposed empirical framework has been restructured as per empirical results of study.

Quantification of agility level using fuzzy logic approach: a case study in a battery manufacturing organisation

In globalised market environment, it is inevitable for the manufacturing sectors to face competition. In order to face this competition, the manufacturing sectors need to imbibe agile manufacturing (AM) paradigm. However, these manufacturing sectors may be practicing AM paradigm at slower/higher pace. In order to identify the pace at which AM paradigm is practiced, agility level of these companies has to be assessed. In this background, the scope of this paper is to carryout agility assessment using fuzzy logic approach. This is due to the reason that, fuzzy logic uses linguistic variables for assessment. The agility assessment covers thirty criteria reported by the previous researchers in the literature. The case study has been carried out in a battery manufacturing company. Initially agility index from this company was gathered and analysed. Subsequently, weak criteria prevailing in the case company has been identified. Further, proposals were derived to strengthen these weak AM criteria. Overall, the process of applying fuzzy logic for agility assessment has been explained with a case study in this paper.

Quantification of agility level using fuzzy logic approach: a case study in a battery manufacturing organisation

In globalised market environment, it is inevitable for the manufacturing sectors to face competition. In order to face this competition, the manufacturing sectors need to imbibe agile manufacturing (AM) paradigm. However, these manufacturing sectors may be practicing AM paradigm at slower/higher pace. In order to identify the pace at which AM paradigm is practiced, agility level of these companies has to be assessed. In this background, the scope of this paper is to carryout agility assessment using fuzzy logic approach. This is due to the reason that, fuzzy logic uses linguistic variables for assessment. The agility assessment covers thirty criteria reported by the previous researchers in the literature. The case study has been carried out in a battery manufacturing company. Initially agility index from this company was gathered and analysed. Subsequently, weak criteria prevailing in the case company has been identified. Further, proposals were derived to strengthen these weak AM criteria. Overall, the process of applying fuzzy logic for agility assessment has been explained with a case study in this paper.

A Literature Review on the Progression of Agile Manufacturing Paradigm and Its Scope of Application in Pump Industry.

During the recent years, the manufacturing world has been witnessing the application of agile manufacturing paradigm. The literature review reported in this paper was carried out to study this progression. This literature review was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, the literature was reviewed to trace the origin of agile manufacturing paradigm and identify its enablers. Further, during this phase, the applications of agile manufacturing reported in literature arena were reviewed. It was also discernable that certain research works have been initiated to apply agile manufacturing paradigm in pump industry. During the second phase, the researches reported on applying agile manufacturing in pump industry were reviewed. At the end of this review, it was found that so far the implementation of agile manufacturing in pump industry has been examined by the researchers by considering only certain components of pumps. In fact, the holistic implementation of agile manufacturing in the pump industry is yet to be examined by the researchers. In the context of drawing this inference, this paper has been concluded by stating that high scope exists in examining the infusing of agility characteristics in designing and manufacturing of pumps.

Design of agile supply chain assessment model and its case study in an Indian automotive components manufacturing organization

Agile Manufacturing (AM) paradigm is fast instilled in modern organizations. AM enables an organization to evolve products and services quickly and economically in response to the customers’ dynamic demands. The effectiveness of AM is largely determined by the performance of Agile Supply Chains (ASC). In order to assess their performance, an ASC assessment model was reported in this research paper. This model is encompassed with agile supply chain attributes whose performance levels need to be determined for assessing the overall ASC performance of the organization. The computation was performed using fuzzy logic approach. The working of this model was examined by conducting a case study in an Indian automotive components manufacturing organization. The experience gained by conducting this case study favored the use of a computerized system which will ensure accuracy of computations involving fuzzy logic.

Integrating lean and agile manufacturing paradigms: a dynamic simulation analysis

The systems-based integration of lean and agile manufacturing philosophies plays an important role in enhancing the operational performance of manufacturing systems. However, there is need for in-depth understanding of the dynamics involved. In this research, we seek to address this issue by: 1) identifying a set of performance criteria for a typical manufacturing system; 2) developing a system dynamics simulation model for the system; 3) performing experimental ‘what-if’ simulation analyses, deriving useful managerial implications. By using the system dynamics simulation methodology, we investigate the impact of the application of lean and just-in-time policies on a traditional inventory-focused manufacturing system. System dynamics modelling is used to capture the dynamic causal linkages between different components of the manufacturing system. Different scenarios are generated in order to investigate the dynamics of the system under assumed demand scenarios. The results of the simulation study reveal that manufacturing systems can benefit from the introduction of lean and just-in-time paradigms, depending on the extent to which the necessary structural changes are implemented. The paper concludes by providing useful managerial insights for effective implementation of lean and agile manufacturing paradigms.

A case study on mapping air dryer capabilities from agile manufacturing perspectives

Pneumatic products employ compressed air to execute mechanical actions. The atmospheric compressed air contains moisture which is removed using air dryers. Specifications of the air dryers vary dynamically as the atmospheric compressed air is required to be dried for reaching varied dew points. This kind of dynamic variations can be faced if agile manufacturing (AM) criteria are adopted. The AM paradigm enables a company to respond quickly in accordance with the customers’ dynamic demands. Considering the dynamic demands of the air dryers, the AM criteria need to be mapped with the characteristics of the air dryers. This paper reports a research in which this mapping exercise has been theoretically and practically carried out. The results of this exercise indicated that refrigeration and regenerative types of air dryers are found to possess maximum AM characteristics. The paper is concluded by appraising the need for more researches and applications in this direction.

Application of fuzzy VIKOR for concept selection in an agile environment

Due to the increasing competition, modern manufacturing organisations are adopting agile manufacturing (AM) paradigm. AM enables the speedy production of customised, high-quality products in varying lot sizes. Concept selection in the context of AM is a typical multi-criterion decision making problem as it involves several agility criteria. The case organisation needs to select the best concept among five alternative designs. VIKOR (VlseKriterijumskaOptimizacija I KompromisnoResenje in Serbian, meaning multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution) has been used to select the best concept design. Based on the inputs gathered from decision makers, concept design (A3) has been found the best concept design from the perspective of agility. The result derived from Fuzzy VIKOR has been compared with fuzzy TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution) methodology. The selected concept design has been subjected to implementation in the case organisation.

A review of agile and lean manufacturing as issues in selected international and national research and development programs and roadmaps

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyze international and national research and development (R&D) programs and roadmaps for the manufacturing sector, presenting how agile and lean manufacturing models are addressed in these programs.Design/methodology/approachIn this review, several manufacturing research and development programs and roadmaps – national programs from the USA and Canada, and international programs from the European Union and from one international organization – are reviewed.FindingsThe major finding of this review is that the main concerns in agile manufacturing, as highlighted in these programs, are networks, supply chain and product/service customization, and lean manufacturing's inclination towards achieving better cost efficiency. Although the lean manufacturing approach has been considered in many past and present programs, analysis of the most recent programs shows a greater priority is given to the agile manufacturing approach. The path towards sustainable manufacturing is delineated by pro‐active attitude and action towards customers.Research limitations/implicationsThe study analyzes two national R&D programs from the USA, one international program from the European Union, three international roadmaps from the European Union, one business plan from Canada and one international roadmap from the global organization Intelligent Manufacturing Systems.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper are intended to help managers, researchers and practitioners from the manufacturing sector to enhance their understanding and define suitable strategy for their organizations' sustainability and identify suitable manufacturing path with respect to agile and lean philosophies. This study could also help academics in defining course curricula for students more coherent with the R&D policies and/or requirements towards sustainable manufacturing with respect to agile and lean philosophies.Originality/valueThere are reviews comparing agile and lean manufacturing paradigms, but there are no reviews about how the two manufacturing concepts are addressed in manufacturing R&D programs and roadmaps.

A combined AHP- and DEA-based approach to measure agility of manufacturing systems

This paper is related to a real life study carried out in Indian manufacturing organisations to assess the extent to which the agile manufacturing paradigm is recognised and deployed, as this paradigm has been a major objective of many companies. A multi-level framework developed by the authors, along with a questionnaire was used to identify various enabling factors of agility in Indian manufacturing industries. This model helps to determine the measure of agility called ‘Effectiveness Index’ (EI) at the various hierarchical levels of an organisation. In this paper we propose an approach to measure the agility of manufacturing systems by combining the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodologies. The method of AHP was used to identify important agility enablers by deriving appropriate weights (Importance Index). DEA was used to compare and find out the priorities of various units of organisations by making use of the values of EI and Importance Index for agility.

Enhancing total agility level through assessment and product mapping: A case study in the manufacturing of refrigeration air dryer

The world’s manufacturing community has been questing for ways to face the onslaught of competition. One of those ways is the adoption of agile manufacturing (AM) paradigm. AM paradigm enables a company to quickly respond to the customers’ dynamic demands. In order to implement AM paradigm, a model named “model for enhancing total agility level” (METAL) is proposed in this paper. METAL enunciates the assessing of the total agility level (TAL), identifying the weak AM criteria and subsequently strengthening them. The practicality of METAL has been explored in an air dryer manufacturing company. During this case study, refrigeration air dryer was considered as AM capable product. After assessment, three weak AM criteria were identified. Proposals were drawn to strengthen these three weak AM criteria. These proposals envisage the strengthening of the weak AM criteria through the removal of nonvalue adding activities, utilization of mathematical models, and creation of web portal. The reassessment has indicated the possibility of enhancing the TAL value in the above company through the implementation of these proposals. The experience of carrying out this research has revealed that the deployment of METAL would facilitate the contemporary companies to systematically infuse AM paradigm and enhance their TAL values.

Application of goal programming to manage agility in manufacturing systems

This paper is related to a real life study carried out in Indian manufacturing organisations to assess the extent to which the agile manufacturing paradigm is recognised and deployed, as this paradigm has been a major objective of many companies. A multi-level framework developed by the authors along with a questionnaire was used to identify various enabling factors of agility in Indian manufacturing industries. The data collected from the industries was analysed by the model called objectivated agility realisation model (OARM) developed by the authors. This model helps to determine the measure of agility called 'effectiveness index' (EI) at various hierarchical levels of an organisation. The authors also proposed an approach to measure the agility of manufacturing systems by combining the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodologies. The approaches of AHP, OARM and DEA are essentially in the category of diagnostic methods. Therefore, a need was felt to resort to an appropriate method, which may provide proper guidelines for deploying the enablers and also use a suitable method of optimisation. Goal programming method has been identified suitable to deal with this problem and the salient details of which is presented in this paper.

Modeling of agile intelligent manufacturing-oriented production scheduling system

Agile intelligent manufacturing is one of the new manufacturing paradigms that adapt to the fierce globalizing market competition and meet the survival needs of the enterprises, in which the management and control of the production system have surpassed the scope of individual enterprise and embodied some new features including complexity, dynamicity, distributivity, and compatibility. The agile intelligent manufacturing paradigm calls for a production scheduling system that can support the cooperation among various production sectors, the distribution of various resources to achieve rational organization, scheduling and management of production activities. This paper uses multi-agents technology to build an agile intelligent manufacturing-oriented production scheduling system. Using the hybrid modeling method, the resources and functions of production system are encapsulated, and the agent-based production system model is established. A production scheduling-oriented multi-agents architecture is constructed and a multi-agents reference model is given in this paper.