Incorporating the Voice of the Client in Establishing the Flexibility Requirement in a Production System

This work proposes a methodology to consider the perspective of the client in the establishment of the level of flexibility required for a production system. For doing, the current level of manufacturing flexibility is measured and compared with the market requirements for the current products. The methodology uses the Kano design and the QFD technique to identify the required product s characteristics. These characteristics are input into the House of Flexibility, using the QFD approach to deploy manufacturing flexibility and determining the flexibility level required to manufacture the product. This flexibility is contrasted with the factory s current level of manufacturing flexibility. The purpose of the methodology is to evaluate the level of manufacturing flexibility of the factory, to know if it is necessary make investments in order to increase both the company s flexibility and its competitiveness in the markets with the products. The application of the proposed methodology in an apparel company is shown as an illustration. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.