New product introduction flexibility in High- Mix, Low-Volume (HMLV) manufacturing
Abstract
High-Mix-Low-Volume (HMLV) manufacturing faces increasing performance, technological and regulatory pressures while managing high product complexity under concurrent production. These conditions place New Product Introduction (NPI) at the centre of competitive advantage but also heighten the risk of disruption to ongoing operations. This study examines how NPI flexibility enables organisations to adapt design and manufacturing systems during the transition from development to serial production. A qualitative single-case study was conducted at a leading European aerospace OEM operating in a regulated HMLV environment. Guided by an abductive logic, the study combined 11 semi-structured interviews, fieldwork observations supported by operational measures, and a focus group with 10 experts. These data informed the iterative development and validation of an empirically grounded framework for NPI flexibility. NPI projects in HMLV contexts exhibited higher defect rates, longer lead times and more frequent engineering revisions than serial production. These inefficiencies were driven by weak cross-functional coordination, limited knowledge reuse and fragmented information systems. The study identifies Concurrent Engineering, Knowledge Management Systems and Integrated Information Systems as interdependent enablers of NPI flexibility, supporting coordination, learning and feedback during NPI under concurrent production conditions. This study conceptualises NPI flexibility as a dynamic, process-level capability, extending manufacturing flexibility theory beyond steady-state production to the transitional phase of NPI. It shows that flexibility is shaped less by structural or resource-based adjustments and more by learning, escalation and knowledge transformation mechanisms that remain under-specified in existing flexibility typologies. While grounded in aerospace, the framework offers transferable insights for complex, regulated, low-volume manufacturing environments.