How to Change Cost-Effectively

A method for the appropriate design of transformability

JournalIndustrie Management
Issue Volume 20, 2004, Edition 2, Pages 12-16
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Abstract

In today’s changing market forecasts have become much less certain, thus seriously affecting in-house planning. The need to be able to adapt, on the other hand, is increasing. Transformability has therefore become a decisive key factor in the competitiveness of manufacturing companies in addition to the classical target factors of costs, time and quality. Nevertheless, transformability is seldom taken into sufficient consideration or implemented in practice, for it requires additional investments and the returns are not always clear. This paper describes a method that makes it possible for companies to calculate the relevant costs of changeability using the technique of scenario planning.

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