IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v51y2005i2p151-166.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Structural Flexibility: A New Perspective on the Design of Manufacturing and Service Operations

Author

Listed:
  • Seyed M. Iravani

    (Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208)

  • Mark P. Van Oyen

    (School of Business Administration, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60611)

  • Katharine T. Sims

    (Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208)

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new perspective on flexibility in manufacturing and service operations by exploring a type of operational flexibility that we term Üstructural flexibility (SF).Ý We focus on strategic-level issues of how flexibility can be created by using multipurpose resources such as cross-trained labor, flexible machines, or flexible factories. The proposed structural flexibility method uses the structure of the capability pattern to generate indices that quantify the ability of a system to respond to variability in its environment. Simulations of serial and parallel queueing networks provide evidence that this index is useful in predicting the performance rank of alternative designs for implementing multifunctionality in the face of variability. The proposed methodology supports managerial insight into structural design of manufacturing and service systems at the strategic level.

Suggested Citation

  • Seyed M. Iravani & Mark P. Van Oyen & Katharine T. Sims, 2005. "Structural Flexibility: A New Perspective on the Design of Manufacturing and Service Operations," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(2), pages 151-166, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:51:y:2005:i:2:p:151-166
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1040.0333
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0333
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0333?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Askin, Ronald G. & Iyer, Anand, 1993. "A comparison of scheduling philosophies for manufacturing cells," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 438-449, September.
    2. Avishai Mandelbaum & Martin I. Reiman, 1998. "On Pooling in Queueing Networks," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(7), pages 971-981, July.
    3. Jan A. Van Mieghem, 2003. "Due-Date Scheduling: Asymptotic Optimality of Generalized Longest Queue and Generalized Largest Delay Rules," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 51(1), pages 113-122, February.
    4. John O. McClain & Kenneth L. Schultz & L. Joseph Thomas, 2000. "Management of Worksharing Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 49-67, July.
    5. John J. Bartholdi & Donald D. Eisenstein, 1996. "A Production Line that Balances Itself," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 44(1), pages 21-34, February.
    6. Xavier de Groote, 1994. "The Flexibility of Production Processes: A General Framework," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(7), pages 933-945, July.
    7. Wallace J. Hopp & Eylem Tekin & Mark P. Van Oyen, 2004. "Benefits of Skill Chaining in Serial Production Lines with Cross-Trained Workers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(1), pages 83-98, January.
    8. Oded Berman & Richard C. Larson & Edieal Pinker, 1997. "Scheduling Workforce and Workflow in a High Volume Factory," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 43(2), pages 158-172, February.
    9. Stephen C. Graves & Brian T. Tomlin, 2003. "Process Flexibility in Supply Chains," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(7), pages 907-919, July.
    10. William C. Jordan & Stephen C. Graves, 1995. "Principles on the Benefits of Manufacturing Process Flexibility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(4), pages 577-594, April.
    11. John J. Bartholdi & Donald D. Eisenstein & Robert D. Foley, 2001. "Performance of Bucket Brigades When Work Is Stochastic," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 49(5), pages 710-719, October.
    12. Sigrún Andradóttir & Hayriye Ayhan & Douglas G. Down, 2001. "Server Assignment Policies for Maximizing the Steady-State Throughput of Finite Queueing Systems," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(10), pages 1421-1439, October.
    13. Izak Duenyas & Diwakar Gupta & Tava Lennon Olsen, 1998. "Control of a Single-Server Tandem Queueing System with Setups," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 46(2), pages 218-230, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wallace J. Hopp & Eylem Tekin & Mark P. Van Oyen, 2004. "Benefits of Skill Chaining in Serial Production Lines with Cross-Trained Workers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(1), pages 83-98, January.
    2. Eser Kırkızlar & Sigrún Andradóttir & Hayriye Ayhan, 2012. "Flexible Servers in Understaffed Tandem Lines," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 21(4), pages 761-777, July.
    3. Eser Kırkızlar & Sigrún Andradóttir & Hayriye Ayhan, 2010. "Robustness of efficient server assignment policies to service time distributions in finite‐buffered lines," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(6), pages 563-582, September.
    4. Sennott, Linn I. & Van Oyen, Mark P. & Iravani, Seyed M.R., 2006. "Optimal dynamic assignment of a flexible worker on an open production line with specialists," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(2), pages 541-566, April.
    5. Sigrún Andradóttir & Hayriye Ayhan & Douglas G. Down, 2007. "Compensating for Failures with Flexible Servers," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 55(4), pages 753-768, August.
    6. S.M.R. Iravani & J.A. Buzacott & M.J.M. Posner, 2005. "A robust policy for serial agile production systems," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 52(1), pages 58-73, February.
    7. Wallace J. Hopp & Seyed M.R. Iravani & Biying Shou & Robert Lien, 2009. "Design and control of agile automated CONWIP production lines," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(1), pages 42-56, February.
    8. Peng Wang & Kai Pan & Zhenzhen Yan & Yun Fong Lim, 2022. "Managing Stochastic Bucket Brigades on Discrete Work Stations," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(1), pages 358-373, January.
    9. Seyed M. R. Iravani & Bora Kolfal & Mark P. Van Oyen, 2007. "Call-Center Labor Cross-Training: It's a Small World After All," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(7), pages 1102-1112, July.
    10. Yun Fong Lim & Bingnan Lu & Rowan Wang & Wenjia Zhang, 2020. "Flexibly Serving A Finite Number of Heterogeneous Jobs in A Tandem System," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(6), pages 1431-1447, June.
    11. Achal Bassamboo & Ramandeep S. Randhawa & Jan A. Van Mieghem, 2012. "A Little Flexibility Is All You Need: On the Asymptotic Value of Flexible Capacity in Parallel Queuing Systems," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 60(6), pages 1423-1435, December.
    12. Yi‐Chun Tsai & Nilay Tanık Argon, 2008. "Dynamic server assignment policies for assembly‐type queues with flexible servers," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(3), pages 234-251, April.
    13. Nilay Tanık Argon & Sigrún Andradóttir, 2017. "Pooling in tandem queueing networks with non-collaborative servers," Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 87(3), pages 345-377, December.
    14. Sigrún Andradóttir & Hayriye Ayhan & Douglas G. Down, 2001. "Server Assignment Policies for Maximizing the Steady-State Throughput of Finite Queueing Systems," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(10), pages 1421-1439, October.
    15. Gregory Dobson & Tolga Tezcan & Vera Tilson, 2013. "Optimal Workflow Decisions for Investigators in Systems with Interruptions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(5), pages 1125-1141, May.
    16. Timothy C. Y. Chan & Douglas Fearing, 2019. "Process Flexibility in Baseball: The Value of Positional Flexibility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(4), pages 1642-1666, April.
    17. Rujeerapaiboon, Napat & Zhong, Yuanguang & Zhu, Dan, 2023. "Resilience of long chain under disruption," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 309(2), pages 597-615.
    18. David Simchi-Levi & Yehua Wei, 2012. "Understanding the Performance of the Long Chain and Sparse Designs in Process Flexibility," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 60(5), pages 1125-1141, October.
    19. Mabel C. Chou & Geoffrey A. Chua & Huan Zheng, 2014. "On the Performance of Sparse Process Structures in Partial Postponement Production Systems," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 62(2), pages 348-365, April.
    20. Tianhu Deng & Zuo-Jun Max Shen, 2013. "Process Flexibility Design in Unbalanced Networks," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 15(1), pages 24-32, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:51:y:2005:i:2:p:151-166. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.