COST-EFFECTIVE AGILITY IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LOW VOLUME HIGH MIX PRODUCTS

By adopting a modular design strategy, manufacturers of low volume, high mix, high value products can source subassemblies from low cost suppliers whilst undertaking final assembly, test and configuration in-house. This stabilises the demand and improves the commercial viability of the work for the module suppliers whilst allowing large numbers of variants, last-minute changes in demand and custom configurations to be provided cost-effectively. This paper explores the alternatives and considers the issues involved in successfully adopting this strategy.