TAF PUBLISHING

This paper provides a literature review to investigate how Agile Manufacturing (AM) capabilities could be used in different plants within a company's Global Production Network (GNP). To do this, this paper makes use of Ferdows, Vereecke, and De Meyer (2016) subnetworks positions framework. Each of the subnetwork positions has its manufacturing characteristics and missions. From the four subnetworks, this paper focused on the main two, footloose and rooted. Seventeen articles were analyzed, and this paper found four major AM capabilities categories: responsiveness, flexibility, integration, and competency. Each of the AM capabilities categories could be used differently in each subnetworks depending on the focus factors emphasized in each category. With that, this paper has presented how AM system capabilities could help plants in the footloose and rooted subnetworks to achieve their missions. Further, this study provides an early phase to understand how AM system could accommodate different plants positions in the GPN. This study also set out an insight that, despite being founded 29 years ago, AM system with its capabilities is still relevant to be continuously implemented in the present time. This paper does not provide any empirical validation yet for the findings. Thus, this paper also provides avenues for future research.