Cellular manufacturing system: a descriptive bibliometric analysis, framework, implementation steps and future research direction

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the cellular manufacturing system (CMS) literature published from 1982–2021 to identify key issues and trends for the future.Design/methodology/approachA six-stage methodology is used to conduct a literature review, which includes: (1) article collection; (2) inclusion/exclusion criteria; (3) reviewing the articles; (4) analyzing the articles; (5) framework development; and (6) future research directions. A total of 936 CMS-specific articles are reviewed. This paper made use of three software tools: the R package, VOSviewer and SciMAT.FindingsAccording to the findings, the majority of CM researchers focused on cell formation and design. The USA, Iran and India are the top three leading publishers. Additionally, the gap and future direction of CM are discussed.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first attempt to investigate CMS evaluation through bibliometric and thematic analysis and provides a decisional framework as well as steps for CMS adoption. For individuals who are interested in understanding more about CMS and its evolution, this paper offers a starting point.