Evaluating the variables affecting flexibility in FMS by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors from the variables of the flexible manufacturing system (FMS) which affect flexibility in FMS. The study was performed by conducting a cross-sectional survey within manufacturing firms in India through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). By performing EFA, factor structure is identified whereas CFA verified the factor structure of a set of observed variables. CFA is carried by structural equation modeling (SEM) statistical technique. In this paper, EFA is applied to extract the factors in FMS by The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20) software and confirming these factors by CFA through Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS 18) software. Fifteen variables are identified through literature, and four factors extracted, which affects the flexibility of FMS in Production Flexibility, Machine Flexibility, Product Flexibility, and Volume Flexibility. SEM using AMOS 18.0 was used to perform the first-order four-factor structure (Production Flexibility, Machine Flexibility, Product Flexibility and Volume Flexibility) of the FMS flexibility. © Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management 2013.