De Mesa, Mary Angelie M.

D5C – IEFTSEM

Learning Journal

Seminar Report
Hosting Institution: De La Salle Lipa
Seminar Date and Venue: September 19, 2018 BHV Gym, De La Salle Lipa
Seminar Title: Agile Manufacturing

Objective of the Seminar

To be able to define agile manufacturing and its importance, its relationship to lean manufacturing, the key
elements and provide real world examples of its application.

The Speaker
Engr. Michael Armamento, REE
He started his career as a Marketing Engineer and shifted to Production Systems Engineer. He has
been working in manufacturing for more than 8 years. He currently holds the Assistant Manager
Position for a Japanese-Owned Global Brand Manufacturing Company.

The Seminar

Figure 1. Engr. Armamento introducing Agile Manufacturing

The second speaker for the day who will talk about Agile Manufacturing was Engr. Michael
Armamento. He was an electrical engineer who pursued a career in the manufacturing industry and have
acquired knowledge and skills through his experience. The topic, agile manufacturing, which we never
heard before, is a step after lean manufacturing which is prevalent and relevant to industries nowadays. The
seminar started with the introduction to the present situation of the manufacturing industry and the lean
world. Now, the industry is rapidly changing and the demands of the customers for high Quality, low cost
and short lead time products rise with it.
According to Engr. Armamento, agile manufacturing is a method for manufacturing which combine
organization, people and technology into an integrated and coordinated whole. It is a term applied to an
organization that has created the processes, tools, and training to enable it to respond quickly to customer
needs and market changes while still controlling costs and quality. It is a relatively new operations concept
that is intended to improve competitiveness of manufacturing companies. He emphasized that agile
manufacturing is driven by the need to respond quickly to changing customer requirements.
Then, the relationship of lean manufacturing to agile manufacturing was explained. Lean and agile
manufacturing refer to modern advances in production technology and manufacturing methodology that
have led to reduced costs, quicker response time and improved customer service in manufacturing
companies. "Lean" and "agile" refer to two distinct concepts, but they share certain similarities. Deciding
whether to design processes to be lean, agile or both is an important first step in planning for a
manufacturing business. Moreover, lean manufacturing is generally considered to be a precursor to agile.
Many lean practices are also enablers for agile manufacturing.
Engr. Armamento also discussed the reasons why we need to be agile in our business. He stated
that swift changes in demand can really be anything; economic downturns, advancement in technology,
customer preference, etc, which agile accounts for these dramatic changes. This is why facilities that are
flexible with and prone to swift changes in demand would be more compatible with agile manufacturing
principles. It places an extremely strong focus on rapid response to the customer – turning speed and agility
into a key competitive advantage. An agile company is in a much better position to take advantage of short
windows of opportunity and fast changes in customer demand.
Lastly, the speaker discussed about the different keys to agility and flexibility which all focuses on
being able to quickly adapt and respond to the changing customer requirements, key elements of agile
manufacturing and real world example of the challenges faced by Japanese car manufacturers.

Evaluation
The topic, agile manufacturing, is very interesting because I never heard of the term or the concept
before. It is very relevant to our program and will be very useful in our future profession. Back then, all I
knew was that agility and flexibility are both important for an individual to be considered physically fit and
healthy. After the seminar, I have learned that the two concepts are also very vital in the business world.
Agility is defined by quick and well-coordinated movements with a sense of adaptability and versatility.
The learnings I have gained from Engr. Armamento are very necessary to cope up with the rapid changes
in the demands of the customers. Nowadays, consumers love instant gratification. They are increasingly
getting used to it and they are often willing to pay for it. They also love choices and are very fickle in such
a way that their interests shift and move in unpredictable ways. Agile is effective because it directly
addresses these issues. It acknowledges the realities of the modern marketplace and transforms them into a
competitive advantage.
I think that the seminar went very well, because the speaker relates with us, the audience, very well.
He tried his best to make us understand his presentation easily and have provided real life examples. The
real life examples are very helpful for us to connect with the ideas and keep them in our minds. I hope that
in the future, I can also enter a company that practices agile manufacturing or I can be part of the team that
will establish it.