Agile Manufacturing is a revolutionary approach which opens up a new pathway in designing and implementing manufacturing systems using new and emerging technologies and organizational managements, that is, management, technology, workforce to achieve the goals of competitive advantage. It is a continuous driving enterprise involving a quantum leap in our current thinking about manufacturing systems; development of the needed capability to respond to the demands of highly customized products of high quality. Agile manufacturing calls for integration of management, highly skilled and knowledgeable methods to penetrate highly competitive and dynamic niche market environments to successfully achieve world-class performance, even outperforming the best of competitors. All these requirements are mutually interdependent and hence we need a formidable strategy not only to become agile but also to exploit and dominate that agility. We concurrently need new productive skills and knowledge-enhancing research-based technologies so crucial to support the futuristic manufacturing systems without any traditional barriers that would frustrate profitable deployment of the system.

The present book discusses all the aspects related to agile manufacturing. Broadly it covers its advantages, applications, inputs and outputs, importance, core concepts and certain case studies to prove the point.

This book will be highly useful for industries, engineering students, practising engineers, and people involved in industrial and business management.