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Investigating the Impact of Product Volume and Variety on Production Ramp-Up

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Managing Complexity

Part of the book series: Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics ((SPBE))

Abstract

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems are attractive options for realizing the competitive strategy of mass customization, due to their ability to quickly introduce new products and rapidly change functionality and capacity. However, achieving such efficient reconfigurations requires continuous reduction of production ramp-up. This is a rather challenging task, as ramp-up periods generally are characterized by many unforeseen events and problems that create high uncertainty and difficulties in realizing planned performance. Therefore, the aim of this research is to empirically investigate ramp-up challenges in two case companies, a large enterprise producing high-volume standard electronic products and an SME producing low-volume customized excavators. Through this multiple-case study, significant differences in ramp-up challenges are identified and related to product volume, product variety, and company type. The findings provide a valuable addition to current research, which is mainly related to ramp-up in high-volume industrial settings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Ann-Louise Andersen, Mads Bejlegaard, Thomas D. Brunoe & Kjeld Nielsen

Authors
  1. Ann-Louise Andersen
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  2. Mads Bejlegaard
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  3. Thomas D. Brunoe
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  4. Kjeld Nielsen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ann-Louise Andersen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management & Technology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Jocelyn Bellemare

  2. Department of Management & Technology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Serge Carrier

  3. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Kjeld Nielsen

  4. Technology and Innovation Management, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

    Frank T. Piller

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Andersen, AL., Bejlegaard, M., Brunoe, T.D., Nielsen, K. (2017). Investigating the Impact of Product Volume and Variety on Production Ramp-Up. In: Bellemare, J., Carrier, S., Nielsen, K., Piller, F.T. (eds) Managing Complexity. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29058-4_33

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