Cloud manufacturing: from a concept to a way for being lean

Abstract

Today, a production enterprise cannot survive without using computer-based machines. Nevertheless, not all enterprises have enough money to invest in such manufacturing resources. On the other hand, handling the resource or providing appropriate platform is not easy at all. For companies, Cloud-based strategies give them a chance to bring their inherent knowledge and intelligence to every business case and cause a quick response by reducing the cost of investment. Manufacturers know that providing capacity, according to demand will increase the profit and help them to get new work contracts. In the recent century, intelligent manufacturing would be the one in which all information is available in the most useful way, right where and when that it is needed to hold an optimum operation or response such as cloud manufacturing. This paper aims to provide a framework for how using cloud services emerge at obtaining lean concepts in the manufacturing companies. The research has conducted through semi-structured interviews among professionals in Cloud-based environments and production systems. Key managers or employees from different levels have selected. Analyzing interview transcripts using a constructivist approach to grounded theory is supposed to result in a model for how to develop cloud service models according to the lean concepts, especially in manufacturing frameworks.

Keywords

• cloud manufacturing
• lean principles
• manufacturing system
• grounded theory
• manufacturing resources