From mass production to flexible/agile production

Abstract

In industrial management, the 1980s marked the end of the twentieth century, an epoch dominated by US manufacturers, the alleged masters of mass production. This system has now been outstripped in several dynamic sectors by flexible/agile production. Increases in the pace of technological progress, training and aspirations have made the modern context so dynamic that firms which manage to harness the creativity and initiative of a good part of their workforce have an advantage over those that can only count on the input of their experts and managers. In sectors undergoing relatively broad and rapid change, twenty‐first century firms must adopt a more flexible and innovative type of organization to achieve manufacturing excellence.