Which manufacturing technology enables producing a variety of products at low cost?

• A. Economies of Scale
• B. Minimum Efficient Scale
• C. Flexible Manufacturing
• D. Mass Customization

Answer: (C)

Flexible manufacturing is about what lets a plant switch between different products quickly while keeping costs low. It uses automation, programmable machines, modular tooling, and integrated control systems so changeovers are fast and downtime is minimized. With this setup, the same production line can produce a variety of product models or families without sacrificing efficiency, making each unit cost stay low even as product mix changes.

Economies of scale focuses on lowering unit cost by producing very large volumes of a single product, which doesn’t help when you need variety. Minimum efficient scale is about the plant size needed to achieve the lowest long-run average cost, not about handling different products. Mass customization describes delivering customized products at near-mass-production costs, which is a strategic outcome enabled by flexible manufacturing rather than the technology itself.