Reconfigurable manufacturing system design: The case of mobile manufacturing system

Mobile manufacturing is an enabler to increase the possibility to change and to adapt to altering needs, where the geographical position is not fixed. The main idea with the mobile manufacturing concept is to easily and quickly reuse manufacturing capacities between different orders or projects. This paper examines the concept of mobile manufacturing system by addressing issues related to manufacturing system mobility management. Review of reconfigurable manufacturing system is conducted. Issues as reconfigurable manufacturing system design and the make or buy problem in the special context of multi-site environment are discussed