An Industry-Applicable Screening Tool for the Clarification of Changeability Requirements

Manufacturing companies need changeability in order to adapt to change drivers, such as unpredictable market demand and increasingly relevant sustainability requirements. Specific change drivers determine different changeability requirements, thus leading to the need for different changeability enablers. Therefore, before starting the identification and design of changeability enablers, companies should effectively identify their changeability requirements. In this study, an industry-applicable screening tool for the clarification of changeability requirements is proposed. The tool allows companies to discern whether they need flexibility or reconfigurability enablers. The tool has been validated with industry experts and is ready to be disseminated in industry.