Flexible manufacturing systems in Africa (A review)

In comparison to the rest of the world, Africa has a low rate of adoption of innovative manufacturing technologies and concepts such as flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). Studies show that advanced manufacturing technologies and concepts boost a production firm's total performance, which is why the African manufacturing industry should adopt these technologies and concepts in order to quickly be industrialized. The goal of this research is to investigate manufacturing and its influence in Africa, as well as the adoption and state-of-the-art of flexible manufacturing in Africa, but also the challenges and research possibilities that come with adopting modern manufacturing technologies. Based on the literature research, in comparison to the rest of the world, the adoption of flexible manufacturing systems in the African manufacturing industry is quite low. The importance of African manufacturing enterprises adopting FMS and other modern manufacturing technologies and concepts, as well as research potential for smart FMS, are discussed in this study. This study also reveals that if a large percentage of African manufacturing enterprises implement FMS and advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT), the continent's manufacturing profile will be transformed in unprecedented ways.