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Flexibility dual facilities

Use of dual facilities—specialized and flexible In this approach, a firm uses both specialized and flexible facilities. Specialized facilities produce a relatively stable output of products over time in an efficient manner. Flexible facilities produce a widely varying volume and variety of products, but at a higher unit cost. For instance, an electronics component manufacturer might have specialized facilities for each type of circuit board as well as a flexible facility that can manufacture all types of circuit boards. Each specialized facility can produce at a relatively steady rate, with fluctuations being absorbed by the flexible facility. [Pg.233]

Another setback for manufacturers of fuel cells trying to break into the distributed generation market has been the tremendous volatility of natural gas prices. In just the five-year period from the beginning of 1999 to the end of 2003, we ve had two major spikes in the price of natural gas, during which time companies that have dual-fuel facilities have shifted from natural gas to oil. Since most stationary fuel cells run on hydrogen produced from natural gas, the volatility in the price of gas translates into volatility in the price of power from the fuel cell. Most companies are risk averse and very nervous about committing to a power source that is dependent on a fuel whose price can double in a short period of time. This is a particular problem with low-temperature fuel cells, which have less fuel flexibility and less efficiency. [Pg.56]


See other pages where Flexibility dual facilities is mentioned: [Pg.229]    [Pg.242]    [Pg.222]    [Pg.223]    [Pg.250]    [Pg.191]    [Pg.191]    [Pg.672]   
See also in sourсe #XX -- [ Pg.233 ]




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