Manufacturing flexibility and business environment uncertainty: Establishing supporting practices within manufacturing flexibility

Abstract

Purpose: There is a growing interest in the role of flexibility in manufacturing companies, especially in its relevance to managing business uncertainties. Several studies have been conducted on manufacturing flexibility, but no study has examined a possible support practice among the practices of manufacturing flexibility. This study explores that literature gap in a Sub-Saharan business environment. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a cross-sectional survey approach and criterion sampling method to select and administer its research instrument to respondents of the study. The sample size was 416, and the hypotheses were tested via the structural equation model. Findings: Study revealed that mix flexibility had a direct impact on supply uncertainty; production flexibility had a direct impact on supply uncertainty; and product flexibility had direct and indirect impact supply uncertainties. Volume flexibility is the only flexibility dimension with no impact on supply uncertainty, both directly and indirectly. In addition, product flexibility is the only practice with indirect impact on supply uncertainty. Practical implications: Managers can adopt manufacturing flexibility to combat supply uncertainty. Funding production and product flexibility will enhance capacities in managing supply uncertainties. Managers should establishing product flexibilities prior to other forms of flexibilities. Practitioners considering implementing one dimension can employ production flexibility to limit supply uncertainty, because it has the most impact on supply uncertainty individually. Originality/value: This study contributes to literature by uniquely examining manufacturing flexibility impact on supply uncertainty exclusively. It is also the first empirical investigation into supporting practices among manufacturing flexibility practices in any business environment. Keywords: Manufacturing, Flexibility, Uncertainty, Production.