Supporting flexibility of kit preparation for mixed_model assembly

Flexibility is key with mixed-model assembly, and kitting is often applied here as a flexible approach of materials supply. While the flexibility benefits of kitting are understood, there has been a lack of guidance on how to support flexibility of the kit preparation process. Accordingly, this paper’s purpose is to support the design of flexible processes for kit preparation.To achieve this, a framework is developed based on empirical data from five industrial cases. Flexibility is considered amongst five flexibility types – new product, modification, mix, volume and delivery – and six kit preparation design aspects: location, layout, work organisation, packaging, material-handling equipment, and picking information system. The paper contributes guidance of how to support kit preparation flexibility within industry, which has been rare in literature. Several of the findings may be exploited in similar contexts, for example in warehouse order picking and assembly