Feasibility of Agile Manufacturing for the interior vision of 2025
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Abstract
Agile manufacturing is a method of integration where organisation, people and
technology act as a whole. The NS has proposed an interior vision for 2025. The goal
of this thesis is to “assess the feasibility of Agile Manufacturing for the interior vision
of 2025”. Is the application of Agile Manufacturing feasible within the organisation
NS? Are the application costs realistic for the company? Moreover, are the changes to
adapt agile production desirable within the organisation? To answer these questions,
extensive research has been done which has been divided into four main chapters in
this report: Discover, Design, Develop and Deploy.
The Discover phase consists of a thorough analysis of the subject by doing desktop
research, field research, interviews and more methods to thoroughly analyse the
subject. Requirements were based on the discovery and the norms regarding the
safety of the EU. Multiple interviews and brainstorming sessions were held with
experts of different backgrounds,
The Design phase focused on the technological aspect of Agile Manufacturing.
Therefore, with a focus on Digitalisation, Fabrication and Design automation, multiple
ideas where created. This resulted in an App and two demonstrations that were
developed in the development phase.
In the Develop phase, the App was designed and programmed to give designers and
engineers a quick tool to process different manufacturing techniques, including most
types of 3D printing. The two demonstrations were made to exploit the possibilities within a type of production. Laser cutting and CFF ( Continuous Fiber Fabrication)
were chosen to press the benefits. The App and two demonstrators were tested on
NS employees for their desirability.
The Deploy phase resulted that the App was well desired. However, more development
is needed to make the App work properly. The Laser cut demonstrator needed more
design attention with regards to aesthetics and comfort. The CFF demonstrator was
not desirable due to its price. Future developments that make 3D printing cheaper,
ecological and quicker to produce would regain their interest.