On the application of agility principles in ramp-up management: Approaching the challenges in the high-end powder metallurgy industry

In recent years, the field of ramp-up management has received wide attention in both science and industrial practice. However, current research mainly focuses on discrete manufacturing and assembly industries, whereas companies in process-oriented industries are still lacking a practicable approach to manage their highly interdependent ramp-up operations.
This paper presents findings of a detailed requirements analysis at a world leading metal producing and processing company. It outlines the specific characteristics of such hybrid industries and emphasizes the need for agility considerations in ramp-up management in order to outperform competitors in increasingly volatile and uncertain business environments. Main criteria for agile ramp-ups are derived from theoretical as well as industry-specific considerations and first steps towards a practice-oriented management approach are taken. This paper shows that early and reliable information on product and process maturity is a major imperative for process-oriented industries and reveals how standardized ramp-up readiness levels shall contribute substantially to the success of future ramp-up projects.