This PhD dissertation is the result of a three-year research project at the Department of Materials and Production at Aalborg University in close collaboration with Vestas Wind Systems A/S. The project is motivated by an industrial need and research deficit of methods and models for the financial evaluation of reconfigurable manufacturing systems in global production networks.

The research project aims to support decision-making to advance a paradigm shift in the production domain that can enable efficient adaptability and resilience to uncertain changes. These capabilities are needed to secure a competitive advantage in the global wind energy industry. The fierce competition amongst firms increases the introduction rate of larger wind turbines for the onshore and offshore markets. Like the markets, the production is global across multiple factories and countries. Supply disruptions, transportation restrictions, and localization requirements pressure the firms to produce near the demand. However, the demand fluctuates on variety, volume, timing, and location, requiring the production mix of the factories to be adapted accordingly. This imposes frequent reinvestments in capital-intensive assets, which is further intensified when using dedicated manufacturing systems.

The main contribution of the research project is a method and model for the financial evaluation of reconfigurable manufacturing systems in global production networks. The method supports the evaluation of manufacturing systems where reconfigurability is suitable to accommodate new product introductions based on the potential to reduce reinvestment costs. The model supports the calculation of the impact of reconfigurable designs, which includes the investment, reconfiguration, production, inventory, and transportation costs. In brief the method supports to answer which systems are suitable to be reconfigurable? The model supports to answer what are the monetary benefits?

The contributions are validated through industrial application. The results indicate monetary savings of forty to ninety-five million euros per wind turbine blade family over half a decade. The monetary savings are enabled by an efficient, adaptable, and resilient global production network of blade factories with reconfigurable blade molds. The results motivated the decision to patent and implement the design.

From a theoretical perspective, the contribution is a set of works that interconnects the research areas: financial evaluation, reconfigurable manufacturing systems, and global production networks. From an industrial perspective, the contribution can motivate global manufacturing firms to advance the development of reconfigurable manufacturing systems.