HYBRID MANUFACTURING FRAMEWORK TO IMPROVE SMALL TO MEDIUM-SIZED MANUFACTURERS’ FLEXIBILITY TO MARKET TURBULENCE IN A MULTI–PRODUCT ENVIRONMENT: CASE STUDY OF A MANUAL ASSEMBLY LINE

Market flexibility can be described as the ability to react competently to customers’ fluctuating demands. This ability has become critical to the survival of small to medium-sized enterprises. This study aimed at improving small to medium-sized manufacturers’ flexibility. The framework proposed in this paper has a mixed make-to-order and make-to-stock strategy, supported by a manual assembly line setup based on workers’ movements at its core. The hybrid system designed through this study allows small to medium-sized manufacturers to improve their responsiveness to the current dynamically changing market environment, and to stay competitive by providing them with the tools for fast customer response and financial expansion.