A taxonomy for alternative equipment groupings in batch environments

There is much ambiguity and variation in what the term cellular manufacturing refers to in both academia and industry. To help clarify the definition of cellular manufacturing a taxonomy for equipment groupings in batch environments is presented. The taxonomy categorizes equipment groupings on two continuous dimensions: the purpose for grouping equipment together into cells, and the amount of interdependence between the cells. Operational implications and insights obtained by mapping academic studies and actual case studies onto the taxonomy are discussed.