It has been difficult with an automated production system to achieve compatibility between productivity and adaptability in the area where production volume and period are uncertain. Recently we have developed a new automated production system hy studying the way how a manual-operation system responds to the uncertainty, and applied this new system to an automotive starter assembly line. The number of machines in the system can easily he increased or decreased according to the production volume fluctuation. As a result, we have realized an epoch-making automated production system which can change its production capacity between 4 700 and 61 000 units/month through a rapid system transformation.
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