Developing an Agility Model for Maximum Responsiveness to the Changes in Customer Requirements for SMEs

Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) face increased market pressure due to demand fluctuation and the shift of the consumer focus from high volume/low mix to high mix/low volume environment. Costumer requirement as seen by SME’s can be summarized as: quantity scaling, unpredicted and sudden demands, on-time and quicker delivery times, and increased number of customized products. This paper proposes an agility realization model for SMEs to achieve higher responsiveness to these requirements. The agility model is based on integrating four main agility enablers: quick manufacturing response strategies, multi channel manufacturing approach, high mix/low volume techniques and collaborative networks. A case study is presented to demonstrate the proposed approach. The framework presented in this paper represents a roadmap for SMEs to raise their internal efficiency, achieve maximum responsiveness that will increase their competitive edge.