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    Flexible Manufacturing System

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    Farshan Sulaiman
    Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) allow manufacturing systems to react to changes by incorporating flexibility throughout the entire product lifecycle from design to distribution. An FMS is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts without time-consuming machine setup changes. As competition increased from Asian automakers in the US market, American car companies like Chrysler, GM, and Ford adopted FMS to improve profitability and maintain market share, following the example set by Japanese companies like Toyota that had been using FMS since 1985.

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    Flexible Manufacturing System

    Uploaded by

    Farshan Sulaiman
    176 views9 pages
    Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) allow manufacturing systems to react to changes by incorporating flexibility throughout the entire product lifecycle from design to distribution. An FMS is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts without time-consuming machine setup changes. As competition increased from Asian automakers in the US market, American car companies like Chrysler, GM, and Ford adopted FMS to improve profitability and maintain market share, following the example set by Japanese companies like Toyota that had been using FMS since 1985.

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    Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) allow manufacturing systems to react to changes by incorporating flexibility throughout the entire product lifecycle from design to distribution. An FMS is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts without time-consuming machine setup changes. As competition increased from Asian automakers in the US market, American car companies like Chrysler, GM, and Ford adopted FMS to improve profitability and maintain market share, following the example set by Japanese companies like Toyota that had been using FMS since 1985.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODP, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odp, pdf, or txt
    176 views9 pages

    Flexible Manufacturing System

    Uploaded by

    Farshan Sulaiman
    Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) allow manufacturing systems to react to changes by incorporating flexibility throughout the entire product lifecycle from design to distribution. An FMS is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts without time-consuming machine setup changes. As competition increased from Asian automakers in the US market, American car companies like Chrysler, GM, and Ford adopted FMS to improve profitability and maintain market share, following the example set by Japanese companies like Toyota that had been using FMS since 1985.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODP, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odp, pdf, or txt
    of 9

    Flexible Manufacturing

    System
    Introduction

    A Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is a manufacturing system in which there is a certain


    degree of flexibility that allows the system to react in the case of changes, whether predicted
    or unpredicted. According to Maleki  , flexibility is the speed at which a system can react to
    and accommodate change. To be considered flexible, the flexibility must exist during the
    entire life cycle of a product, from design to manufacturing to distribution. Flexible
    Manufacturing System is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts or
    products in any order, without the time-consuming task of changing machine setups.
    History of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

    At the turn of the twentieth century, FMS did not exist. There was no pressing need for
    efficiency because the markets were national and there was no foreign competition.
    Manufacturers could tell the consumers what to buy. During that period, Henry Ford had
    been quoted as saying “People can order any colour of car as long as it is black.” All the
    power remained in the hands of the manufacturer and the consumers hardly had any
    choices.
    Flexible Manufacturing System at The Hattersley Newman Hender (H.N.H.)

    This company, located in U.K. manufactures high and low pressure bodies and caps for water,
    gas and oil valves. These components require a total of 2750 parts for their manufacture.
    That is why they decided to go for the system of F.M.S. to fulfill their machining requirements
    in a single system. 
    Their FMS consists of primary and secondary facilities.
    FMS Adoption in Automobile Industry

    The Big Three of the American Automotive Industry namely General Motors, Ford Motors
    and Chrysler Motors enjoyed a monopolistic environment for a very long time. This in some
    way inhibited their innovation capabilities as there was no competition in the market which
    could drive them to innovate. These companies, therefore, maintained production facilities
    that were suitable for mass production of any single model, which ensured economies of
    scale and plant profitability. But gradually as Asian car makers gained prominence in the
    automotive market, the Big Three of the United States faced huge challenges across all
    product lines. 


    Continued..

     The main Asian competitors that came into picture were Toyota, Honda, Nissan and
    Mitsubishi from Japan and Hyundai from South Korea. With these Asian countries
    exporting vehicles to the United States of America, competition heightened and the
    profitability of the Big Three decreased. To improve its profitability and maintain its
    market share Chrysler Corporation, General Motors and Ford Motor Company
    employed Flexible Manufacturing System in their production lines following what had
    been started in Japan.

    Advantages of Flexible Manufacturing System

     Less scrap
     Fewer workstations
     Quicker changes of tools, dies, and stamping machinery
     Reduced downtime
     Improved quality through better control over it
     Reduced labour costs due to increase in labour productivity
     Increase in machine efficiency


    Continued..

     Reduced work-in-process inventories


     Increased capacity
     Increased production flexibility
     Faster production
     Lower- cost/unit
     Increased system reliability
     Adaptability to CAD/CAM operations
    Japanese Companies and Latest FMS

     Toyota
     Toyota has been at the forefront of adopting flexible manufacturing system which has
    been in place since 1985. In 2002, Toyota unveiled its Global Body Line (GBL), a
    radical, company-wide overhaul of its already much-envied FMS.

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