Flexibility consideration in the design of manufacturing systems: An industrial case study

Flexibility is an important aspect of manufacturing systems, but it is difficult to properly consider during a real system's design. In this paper, a case of flexibility consideration in designing the punching department, in a commercial refrigerator's industry, is analyzed. Three alternative technology solutions, defining the volume and the products that need to be produced within a time horizon, have been studied, under different sets of market requirements. The capability of the alternative system designs to expand and increase their capacity and production range in order to meet the demand, has been studied with the use of the Penalty of Change method.