Extreme manufacturing — Agility to greater productivity and quality

This contribution introduces a new way to productivity and quality improvement - Extreme Manufacturing (XM). The Author examines the origins and significance of this new approach which is based on well-known idea of Agility - a concept originated in the area of software development. But the Author employs this concept for increasing an efficiency and flexibility of product design - namely in the field of electronics manufacturing, for example component and PCB manufacturing, soldering, etc. The idea of Extreme Manufacturing is demonstrated by the proposal of Extreme Agile Product Design (XAPD), primarily intended as a tool for rapid design of electronic products. This work builds on the achievements resulting from the previous works of the Author regarding Agility in the area of electrical manufacturing. Here is explained how the basic principles of Extreme Manufacturing may be employed in the field of product design. Further, we clarify how the employment of this approach may increase a quality of the whole design process as well as the quality of final product. Finally, it will be presented some recommendations on how to successfully apply Extreme Manufacturing approach in practice.