Definition and classification of manufacturing flexibility types and measures

Flexibility is one of the most sought-after properties in modern manufactur ing systems. Despite this interest, flexibility remains poorly understood i n theory and poorly utilized in practice. One reason for this is the lack o f general agreement on how to define flexibility: over 70 terms (types and measures) can be found in the literature. This paper concerns developing a framework and classification scheme for use in defining and classifying the various terms regarding flexibility found in manufacturing. The framework consists of six attributes: level of manufacturing requirements specificati on, manufacturing system specification, manufacturing environment specifica tion, flexibility dimension, flexibility measurement approach, and time fra me. A six-field hybrid classification scheme is developed based on this fra mework. The framework serves as a guide for developing new flexibility term s, whereas the classification scheme provides a mechanism for summarizing t he important aspects of and assumptions behind a given term. The approach i s demonstrated by using the classification scheme to classify over 50 exist ing flexibility terms. The results indicate that the classification scheme is an effective tool to aid in understanding different flexibility terms an d how they compare to one another. At the same time, the difficulty of the classification exercise indicates the need for a suitable framework when de fining such terms.