Question

Something had to change on the production floor to make that possible. Several major developments have made U.S. companies more competitive:
(1) computer-aided design and manufacturing,
(2) flexible manufacturing,
(3) lean manufacturing, and
(4) mass customization.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answers are numbers (1), (2), (3), and (4).

Explanation:

Four major factors have allowed U.S. companies to become more competitive:

• Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing: includes Computer-aided Design (CAD), Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and the combination of both techniques in Computer-Integrated Manufacturing.

• Flexible Manufacturing: implementing multi-tasking machines so the output is as diverse as possible.

• Lean manufacturing: manufacturing with less amount of resources using technology for such purpose.

• Mass customization: tailoring goods that fulfill consumers' needs and expectations the closest and producing them on a large scale.