Publication

Flexible manufacturing: customised products for the cost of commodities

An article from Breakout issue 5

Flexible manufacturing is a response to the breakdown of traditional mass production approaches in the face of contemporary changes to the market. The early 20th century saw the introduction of the first moving assembly lines, and with them the rise of mass production. The approach brought economies of scale, which served large companies well until the late 20th century.

Today, however, changes to the business environment mean that mass production cannot always deliver what the market requires. Competitors are becoming ever more numerous and aggressive, and are operating on a global scale.

Customers, meanwhile, are more demanding and – particularly with the emergence of the Internet as a business channel – are more able and more willing to switch suppliers. The result is that markets are subject to significant and sudden variations.