Journal: Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management

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Emerald

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ISSN

1741-038X

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Publications 1 - 7 of 7
  • Capability mapping to improve manufacturing network performance: how a factory can target growth
    Item type: Journal Article
    Thakur-Weigold, Bublu (2021)
    Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
    Purpose This paper explores growth opportunities for a contract manufacturer (CM), which operates a global virtual manufacturing network (GVMN). The Swiss factory should play a profitable role in the holding's competitive strategy, in spite of lower-cost alternatives within its network. Design/methodology/approach The study applied a design science method over a period of two years of collaboration with the partner firm to complete three iterations of solution incubation and refinement. Findings The design artefact is a growth strategy for a CM with independently-managed, heterogeneous sites. A novel capability mapping tool reveals competitive advantage by deploying the GVMN as an order fulfilment system. Engineering and sales are integrated with production to project higher revenue streams in multiple locations including Switzerland. Research limitations/implications The research expands the operations management (OM) focus on optimization and continuous improvement. Results indicate that local and global manufacturing capabilities can be configured to target network performance, implying that the smile curve flattens in certain GVMN configurations. The exploratory case study is limited by a lack of statistical generalizability and is specific to the contract electronics manufacturing industry. Practical implications Managing manufacturing as a network can restore feed-forward and feedback loops, which are disrupted by de-verticalization and externalization. The visualization positions a Swiss plant in an inimitable role, serving growth accounts, which require co-development. The order fulfilment strategy and capability maps can be adapted to other GVMNs. Social implications The study presents an alternative to shuttering high-cost locations using performance improvements instead of protectionist interventions. This could have a material impact on de-industrialization in developed nations like Switzerland. Originality/value The strategy innovation originates in practice. Its synthesis drew on multiple disciplines to position OM as a strategic lever for competing in global value chains (GVCs). The author finds alternatives to the internationalization logic of cost arbitrage and adds to developed country studies. This is an OM contribution to the broader debate on globalization dominated by the social sciences.
  • Manufacturing network integration and culture: an institution-based view
    Item type: Journal Article
    Arellano, Maricela C.; Sancha, Cristina; Netland, Torbjörn; et al. (2021)
    Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
    Purpose In pursuit of increased competitiveness, global manufacturers often seek tighter integration among the plants in their production networks. However, this is a challenging task because plants are dispersed across multiple institutional environments. Although the literature provides abundant evidence of how formal institutional environments affect the integration among plants, little is known about the role of the informal institutional environment – such as culture. In this study, the authors investigate the relationship between different dimensions of culture and manufacturing network integration. Design/methodology/approach The authors combine survey data from the most recent International Manufacturing Strategy Survey with secondary data that capture cultural dimensions. They then analyze the responses from 581 assembly plants in 21 countries obtained from the survey using a multilevel regression model. Findings The study results show that plants located in masculine and long-term-oriented national cultures are associated with lower levels of integration with other plants. The results for the other four Hofstede dimensions of national culture were not statistically significant. At the level of organizational culture, the authors found that a collaborative plant environment positively relates to higher levels of network integration. They did not find statistically significant evidence for the relationship between cultural or geographical distance and network integration. Practical implications This research provides managers with practical insights into the types and combinations of cultural environments that affect the integration of plants in a global network. This knowledge is useful for informing effective integration strategies and tactics. Originality The authors provide new, empirical evidence of the relation between the informal institutional environments of a plant and its integration in a manufacturing network. Drawing on an institution-based view, they contribute to the literature on manufacturing networks by discussing and testing empirically the role of national and organizational culture in network integration.
  • Value-driven clustering of industrial additive manufacturing applications
    Item type: Journal Article
    Fontana, Filippo; Klahn, Christoph; Meboldt, Mirko (2019)
    Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
  • Drones in manufacturing: exploring opportunities for research and practice
    Item type: Journal Article
    Maghazei, Omid; Netland, Torbjörn (2019)
    Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
  • Corporate makerspaces as innovation driver in companies: a literature review-based framework
    Item type: Journal Article
    Rieken, Finn; Boehm, Thomas; Heinzen, Mareike; et al. (2020)
    Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
  • Supply chain resilience and international manufacturing strategy: a case study from the semiconductor industry
    Item type: Journal Article
    Fleisch, Lukas; von Dzengelevski, Oliver (2024)
    Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
    Purpose: This paper studies the interrelations between the concepts of supply chain resilience and international manufacturing strategy. On the basis of an in-depth case study of a company in the semiconductor industry, the paper seeks to integrate the concept of resilience into international manufacturing strategy. Design/methodology/approach: In an explorative qualitative single case study of a semiconductor manufacturer, a systems thinking model is developed from expert interviews and literature research that displays the interrelations of constituent constructs of supply chain resilience and international manufacturing strategy. Findings: Forecast accuracy and organizational inertia are identified as barriers to resilience, whereas information technology (IT) capabilities and vertical integration are identified as major levers. Causal relations between constructs are identified, and a concrete suggestion for theory refinement of the manufacturing strategy framework of Miltenburg (2009) is provided. Originality/value: Prior literature on international manufacturing networks (IMNs) has not sufficiently taken into account the importance of resilience in the formulation of international manufacturing strategies. This paper aids in the integration of this increasingly important concept, in a critical industry that has recently been subject to major disruptions.
  • Integration of new technologies for internet-based collaboration in engineering
    Item type: Journal Article
    Nyffenegger, Felix; Bacs, Christian (2008)
    Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
    Purpose In today's globalized economy, distributed collaboration in engineering is important. Participants of engineering teams, with their specific knowledge situated in different locations, must be able to work together as efficiently and as comfortably as possible to provide an optimum contribution to product development. This paper aims to improve the effectiveness of internet based communication. Design/methodology/approach Analysis of the current situation was carried out from different perspectives. First, an in‐depth state‐of‐the‐art study of existing hardware and software concepts was done. Second, these tools were evaluated by collaboration experiments. Finally, a concept for improved internet collaboration was elaborated and implemented. Findings The main technical method used in this concept is a data overlay which allows different interactive information levels to be mapped on top of a video stream. In addition, eye‐to‐eye video conferencing hardware and a perceptive user interactions system are combined in an integrated system. Practical implications An application framework was developed, which integrates the different technologies. Using this framework, three application scenarios were implemented and tested. One focusing on brainstorming using the metaplan‐technique, second is used to build function‐structures and the third allows engineers to plan a plant on 2D, while it is shown in 3D. Originality/value Participants can now interact with digital information objects, yet being able to directly face their colleague and discuss simultaneously with the use of gestures such as pointing on objects. Users are free to adjust dynamically their focus between digital information and video by choosing transparency levels.
Publications 1 - 7 of 7