Implications of automation in engineer-to-order production:a case study

doi:10.1007/s40436-014-0071-4

Abstract

Abstract: In order to retain a certain level of production in Norway, suppliers to the Norwegian maritime industry need to lower their production costs. Automation is generally an effective way of achieving this in standardized high-volume, low variety production. However, manufacturing companies in the Norwegian maritime industry typically supply capital-intensive, advanced and customized products in low volumes. In this engineer-to-order production situation, manual labor is traditionally preferred over automation. Nonetheless, such companies increasingly automate parts of their production. This paper presents
a case of a supplier that has chosen to automate its welding operations, the implications and determinants of this decision.

Key words: Engineer-to-order (ETO) , Automation , Maritime industry , Case study

B?rge Sj?bakk ? Maria Kollberg Thomassen ?Erlend Alfnes. Implications of automation in engineer-to-order production:a case study[J]. Advances in Manufacturing, 2014, 2(2): 141-149.

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