Agile manufacturing: A taxonomic framework for research

In today´s world of increased global competition, companies have to respond quickly to customer demands by introducing products the customer wants at lowest possible prices in the shortest possible time. Lean principles enable companies to streamline their operations by eliminating wastes. Mass customization principles enable companies to introduce customized products at costs comparable to mass production. Agility integrates lean principles and mass customization and provides the necessary framework to implement mass customization. In this work, we take a look at the current state of art in research in the area of agile manufacturing and propose a taxonomic framework for the literature in this area. We conclude by presenting potential directions for future work in this area.