During the past fifteen years, manufacturers have focused much of thei
r energy on increasing the flexibility of their factories. Vast improv
ements have been made, applying just-in-time (JIT) and world class man
ufacturing (WCM) concepts. Today, some companies can deliver custom pr
oducts in only a few days-compared to weeks or months just a few years
ago. It is obvious, however, that there is a limit to manufacturing f
lexibility, at least from a cost-effective standpoint. At some point,
extreme flexibility is either impossible or prohibitively expensive. W
hen you reach this stage, it's mandatory to ask yourself what other ch
oice you have. But maybe you should ask this question sooner, before y
ou unnecessarily spend money increasing flexibility beyond what is nee
ded.