One of the major requirements of agile manufacturing strategies for the 21st century is to introduce intelligent information technology into manufacturing. The main contribution of this paper is an innovative new FMS design methodology. The operation-driven FMS design methodology is introduced, as the concept of concurrent product and process development is being widely used to enhance the productivity and quality of manufacturing. The new FMS design theory is developed from axiomatic design theory established by Suh (1990). The general design theory based on two design axioms and a set of theorems and corollaries is concretized for the FMS design. The proposed methodology works well as an effective decision support system for FMS designers in determining the appropriate FMS configuration at the design stage. This is illustrated via a successful implementation exercise resulting in configuring FMS in real manufacturing settings.

Feature technology is considered an essential tool for integrating design and manufacturing. Automatic feature recognition (AFR) has provided the greatest contribution to fully automated computer-aided process planning system development. The objective of this paper is to review approaches based on application of artificial neural networks for solving major AFR problems. The analysis presented in this paper shows which approaches are suitable for different individual applications and how far away we are from the formation of a general AFR algorithm.

Unlike previous studies that have revealed a link between quality improvement programs and organizational culture typologies in individual companies, this study describes organizational culture dimensions that affect the use of quality improvement tools and methodologies and how both affect supply chain company performance. Structural equation modeling methods are applied to a sample of 200 organizations in the supply chain of a Canadian multinational company. The results show that employee promotion and investment constitutes the most influential cultural dimension. Organizational objectives and an employee reward system individually affect Kaizen. When the level of formalization in an organization is high, Kaizen and total quality management tools are used more intensively. When the level of formalization is low, lean manufacturing and internal audits are used more intensively. Superior communication in an organization causes plan–do–check–act approaches, lean manufacturing methods, corrective actions and internal audits to be used less intensively. Generally speaking, most quality improvement tools and methodologies positively influence business performance. These results suggest that organizations can improve business performance levels by selecting appropriate quality improvement programs depending on existing organizational culture dimensions and may thereby develop an organizational culture that enables successful quality improvements in a supply chain context.