The mission of the Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, formerly known as the International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, is to publish original, high-quality research papers in the field of services and manufacturing management. All aspects in this field including the interface between engineering and management, the design and analysis of service and manufacturing systems as well as operational planning and decision support are covered. The journal seeks papers that have a clear focus on the applicability in the real business world including all kinds of services and manufacturing industries, e.g. in logistics, transportation, health care, manufacturing-based services, production planning and control, and supply chain management. Flexibility should be understood in its widest sense as a system’s ability to respond to changes in the environment through improved decision making and business development procedures and enabling IT solutions. The journal is interdisciplinary in nature considering work from Management Science, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research as well as other disciplines that contribute to the understanding, development and improvement of service and manufacturing systems. It is the aim of the journal to publish papers which are relevant to both researchers and practitioners in the world of services and manufacturing. Topics could include, but are not limited to areas such as the following: Operations management in process and manufacturing industries Production planning and control Monitoring and control of manufacturing system Operations management in service organizations Operations strategy and development Design of services and manufacturing facilities Performance evaluation and productivity analysis of services and manufacturing systems Supply chain management Logistics, transportation and warehousing Intermodal transportation and traffic systems Computer-based planning systems Health care systems Modelling and simulation in services and manufacturing industries Manufacturing-based service and service-embedded manufacturing Decision making and business development procedures for services and manufacturing Reviews and surveys Case studies All papers appearing in the Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal undergo a first editorial screening followed by a rigorous peer review by at least two anonymous referees. Focuses on services and manufacturing management through improved decision making, business development procedures, and enabling IT solutions Publishes papers combining a rigorous scientific approach with the applicability in the real business world including all kinds of services and manufacturing industries Is interdisciplinary in nature considering work from Management Science, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research as well as other disciplines that contribute to the improvement of service and manufacturing systems