What is XPS?

by T. Netland

XPS stands for “Company-specific Production System” [1], and describes a corporate-wide system that aims to improve and maintain a competitive operations system. Many multinational companies have implemented an XPS today: Examples are the Bosch Production System, Boeing Production System, Audi Production System, Lego Production System, John Deere Quality and Production System, Alcoa Business System, REC Production System, Electrolux Manufacturing System, and so on and so on…

Example of a typical XPS: the Electrolux Manufacturing System [2]

Many of these systems are corporate Lean manufacturing programs, heavily inspired from Toyota Production System. XPS is an abbreviation of “your company name here” Production System [3], but also includes similar labeling variants also , such as “Business System” (e.g. Alcoa, Elkem, Danfoss), “Manufacturing System” (e.g. Electrolux, Airbus, Delphi), “Production Way” (Nissan), or unique labels such as “cLEAN” by Novo Nordisk or “Synchro” by Trumf. However, because “Production System” is by far the most common label, the term XPS is said to cover all these variants.

The overall aim of XPS is increased competitiveness through controlled coordination and standardization of operational efforts throughout the manufacturing network. XPSs are developed and deployed in order to help the company – and its subsidiaries – to excel in all the key operational performance objectives: Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Flexibility, Environment, and People – which is often abbreviated to variants of SQCFDEP. Need more information about XPS? Stay tuned to better-operations.com.

Sources:

  1. Netland, T. (2010). Can Production Systems give competitive advantage?– A case study of the Volvo Production System. EurOMA Conference, Porto, Portugal, 6.-9. June 2010.
  2. Elextrolux (2011) Fact Sheet Electrolux Manufacturing System. Available online at http://goo.gl/fYs2i
  3. Netland, T. H. and H. Andersen (2011). Bedriftsspesifikke produksjonssystemer – XPS: Kontinuerlig forbedring satt i system. Logistikk & Ledelse. Oslo, Norway, Hjemmet Mortensen Fagmedia AS: 26-30. (in Norwegian)
  4. Netland, T.H., (2013). Exploring the phenomenon of company-specific Production Systems: One-best-way or own-best-way? International Journal of Production Research, Vol 51. Issue 4, pp. 1084-1097