One-of-a-Kind Production
Despite the numerous competitive advantages of one-of-a-kind production (OKP), the low efficiency and high costs associated with OKP companies threaten to push their business opportunities into the hands of cheaper overseas suppliers.One-of-a-Kind Product
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Yiliu Tu Paul Dean •
One-of-a-Kind Production
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Prof. Yiliu Tu Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering University of Calgary 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada e-mail: [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-84996-530-9 DOI 10.1007/978-1-84996-531-6
Dr. Paul Dean CIM Systems Ltd. 142 Royal Oak Point NW Calgary, AB T3B 5C6 Canada e-mail: [email protected]
e-ISBN 978-1-84996-531-6
Springer London Dordrecht Heidelberg New York British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Ó Springer-Verlag London Limited 2011 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. The use of registered names, trademarks, etc., in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Cover design: eStudio Calamar S.L. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
My research on one-of-a-kind production (OKP) can be traced back to the early 1990s when I carried out my Ph.D. study under supervision of Professor Hans Holm in Aalborg University of Denmark. Not very long after I started the research, I quickly realized that I mixed up the concepts. The interesting point is that I am not the only one who mixes up the concepts as I am often asked by people about the differences between OKP and one-off or job shop production. After they hear my answers, the following questions are usually raised: What is difference between an OKP system and a flexible manufacturing system (FMS)? What is new in OKP research compared or contrasted with the research in computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) and mass customization? These questions have motivated me to write a book on OKP for many years. However, to clarify these questions is not our major motivation to write this book or developing the OKP system which enables companies to mass-produce customized products. Manufacturing business in developed countries, like Canada and USA, have followed a trend of moving manufacturing from these countries to Latin America or East Asia where there are favorable competitive conditions, e.g. large number of well-educated labours, low wages, etc. Some people in the countries like Canada and
