Lean Changeability

For factory planning, the concept of a factory that is competitive and economical throughout its lifecycle has the highest priority. Lean production and the design of a versatile factory are two tried and tested concepts for achieving this goal. To some extent, these philosophies represent different views and are therefore controversially discussed. The Lean Changeability project aims to unite the two philosophies. They are to be combined into a planning methodology that allows small and medium-sized enterprises to make use of both lean influences and the ability to change when planning factories. The strategic planning of factories is to be combined with simple, operational methods. The challenge is to define correlations between these two philosophies, to point out common features, to highlight differences and, if necessary, to resolve conflicting goals. This methodology, which is tailored to the needs of the kmU, is intended to enable a company to position itself actively between the poles of' versatile' and' lean', in order to plan an optimum use of resources and capacity for change that is specific to the company. In order to guarantee this, a planning support tool is being developed which maps the integrated methodology in a way that is appropriate for the application.