Development of modular manufacturing systems—a review

Abstract

Manufacturers throughout the world are facing major new challenges, including shorter product life cycles and increasing competition. As companies strive to rationalize engineering design, manufacturing, and support processes and to produce a large variety of products at lower costs, modularity is becoming a focus. This paper reviews the methodologies for determining modular manufacturing systems while considering cost and performance. The manufacturing concept, termed modular production systems and modular manufacturing systems are aimed specifically at "hard" low to medium technology products, as typified by goods such as children's toys and kitchen appliances. It was proposed to increase the flexibility of the manufacturing operation in terms of its range of function, product, and service by modularizations and its ability to be easily reconfigured in the face of changing conditions.

Overcoming the Challenges for a Mass Manufacturing Machine for the Assembly of PEMFC Stacks

“…are used. There are several publications on the topic of automated assembly lines, e.g., References [21][22][23], from which general approaches to methodology can be derived. However, the specific developments are mostly confidential and unpublished.…”

Modularity, Lead time and Return Policy for Supply Chain in Mass Customization System

“…Copyright: the authorsparts can be customized-produced and assembled by the downstream firm on basis of the consumer special requirement, hence it ensures that the consumers' specification and shorter response time can be satisfied [20] [21]. In the MC setting, the point that departs the supply chain into two stages--upstream MP mode and downstream CP mode, is called customer order decoupling point (CODP) (seen in Fig.1).…”

An Investigation on Implemented Actions to Improve Responsiveness in Manufacturing Firms

“…Nowadays, manufacturing firms need to survive in the current context characterized by unpredictable and frequent market changes and the demand for products with shortened life cycles [1]. In this scenario, responsiveness is more and more a decisive competitive advantage [2]. Responsiveness is the speed at which a system can meet changing goals at an affordable cost, producing according to new requirements or technology changes [3], [4].…”

“…Responsiveness is the speed at which a system can meet changing goals at an affordable cost, producing according to new requirements or technology changes [3], [4]. In the interest of being responsive, manufacturing firms need to develop the reconfigurability capability [2], [3], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. Reconfigurability is the ability to repeatedly change and/or rearrange the components of a system in a cost-effective way, to meet new environmental and technological changes [10].…”