Product market, turbulence and time compression : Three dimensions of an integrated approach to manufacturing system design

Discusses the conventional approach to manufacturing system design. Argues that this top‐down, uni‐directional approach is not sufficiently robust or easy to implement, particularly in brown‐field sites where maintaining focus has been found to be difficult. Suggests a three‐dimensional approach which incorporates product‐market considerations through focus, turbulence minimization and time compression, and looks at each of these three dimensions in detail. Presents the generic steps for implementing the new approach and describes a case example.