ABSTRACT
It is widely accepted that in the discrete product manufacturing industries a high degree of flexibility is required to meet the ever changing market demand, to respond quickly to market conditions and to maximise available resources to the highest possible degree. A high degree of flexibility means that the applied manufacturing system must be able to change various elements, processes, tools and information within the system without changing the physical layout of both
production machinery and ancillary equipment. The flexibility of this system allows for the manufacture of many different parts employing different processes.
