THE MANAGEMENT OF MANUFACTURING FLEXIBILITY

Manufacturing flexibility has become an issue of critical competitive importance for a growing range of industries. However, it remains an ill-understood concept and the ambiguity in its use creates formidable barriers to effective management. This article presents a framework to help managers more clearly identify and analyze important forms of flexibility for their organizations. It also presents a number of case studies showing how the framework may be applied and how it may be used to clarify common sources of confusion.