Opportunities for Synchronization in Manufacturing as Key Performance Indicator

In the complex and dynamic conditions of global markets it is increasingly challenging for manufacturing companies to find or identify new reliable and meaningful key performance indicators. Traditional performance indicators like lead time, inventory level, on-time delivery rate and capacity utilization are still in focus, but interdisciplinary research suggests the inclusion of more innovative performance indicators, such as synchronization. The synchronization level of a manufacturing system can be viewed twofold: logistic and physical synchronization. Physical synchronization is defined as "the rhythm and repetitive behaviour of production processes", while logistical synchronization describes "the coupling of work systems that are linked by material flows." Both types of synchronization correlate with the logistics performance of companies. Previous research on this topic has already provided first insights, highlighting potentials and fields of application.
In this paper, we provide a structured literature review underlining relevant applications and explore their respective potentials. Thus, we show how synchronization effects can be exploited, and which systemic properties, such as network topology, characteristics and process time variation influence the occurrence of synchronization.