Developing an agile manufacturing system and its standards for supply chain of the automotive industry

Increasing global competition and increasing customer demands motivates every firm to work on products with new technology and advanced features, which reduces the product life and allows less time for product development. To be competitive in this environment, an organization should be nimble in its process, and effectively leverage its resources.; To achieve the agile features, of reacting quickly and effectively, automotive manufacturers are investing time in reengineering manufacturing and product development process. This research report illustrates that such efforts toward implementation of an agile manufacturing system in the automotive industry should be focused outward on to its supply chain. This is necessary because this industry involves a vast supply chain that is spread worldwide with various levels of technology and economical competence. This report also gives the inherent characteristics that need to be built into the supply chain to make it more agile. It also gives the key measurable for such systems and a method for overall improvement of agility in the automotive industry.