A Theoretical Background for the Reconfigurable Layout Problem

The production system configuration must be able to adapt to varying market demands. The global competition, high product variety and variable volumes require the launch of products with short life cycle and high customization degree. Thus, the approaches to solve this problem should achieve more flexible layouts, while optimizing performance measures. This work presents a systematic literature review of the Reconfigurable Layout Problem (RLP), which has shown potential to satisfy the current manufacturing needs. Specifically, it combines a bibliometric, a network and a content analysis to verify the existence of clusters and the evolution of this subject over the years.