Potential Benefits and Challenges of Changeable Manufacturing in the Process Industry

Changeable manufacturing, as an enabler of Mass Customization, has gained increasing interest from industry and academia over the last decade. However, despite increased attention, research has focused primarily on discrete manufacturing, which is likewise expressed through most industry examples. The applicability and requirements of changeable manufacturing in the process industry consequently remains mostly unexplored by academia. Therefore, this research investigates potential benefits and challenges of implementing changeable manufacturing in the process industry through a case study from Danish industry. The findings indicate substantial benefits from implementing changeable manufacturing principles in the process industry.