Many manufacturing firms are expanding their global footprint to explore new opportunities for efficient and effective production. The strategic perspective on international manufacturing networks involves both the network level and the plant level. A key aspect is the relationship between the network and the role of plants. In this research, we investigate the relationship between the network and plant perspectives in international manufacturing networks. We use an embedded case study that includes five plants in two product networks over a period of three years. We analyse how changing the role of one plant affects the network as well as the roles of the other plants in the networks. We find that decisions on plant roles are, to a very high degree, network decisions and not decisions for individual plants. Based on the insights into the case study, we also develop a framework for mapping manufacturing networks, including market coverage, plant location and site competence.

For firms that combine manufacturing and service operations in onesystem, the task of managing capacity is not straightforward. New goods and services may not have the same set of competitive priorities, and the models and concepts available in the literature for service operations differ from those for manufacturing operations.We address this problem and review the concepts and modelsfor capacity management in the long term in both streams of literature, i.e. manufacturing and services, to develop a unified framework for manufacturing and service operations. The framework creates transparency between new goods manufacturing and service operations, since the same long-term capacity management structure is used for both product types, as well as between capacity strategy and planning strategy, since new goods and services are treated simultaneously. In the framework, the concepts of chase and level strategies are redefined for service operations to allow for integration with manufacturing operations. A case study demonstrates the usefulness of the integrated approach for long-term capacity management. 

Supply chain integration is widely considered by both practitioners and researchers a vital contributor to supply chain performance. The two key flows in such relationships are material and information. Previous studies have addressed information integration and material (logistics) integration in separate studies. In this paper, we investigate the integrations of both information and material flows between supply chain partners and their effect on operational performance. Specifically, we examine the role of long-term supplier relationship as the driver of the integration. Using data from 232 Australian firms, we find that logistics integration has a significant effect on operations performance. Information technology capabilities and information sharing both have significant effects on logistics integration. Furthermore, long-term supplier relationships have both direct and indirect significant effects on performance; the indirect effect via the effect on information integration and logistics integration.

Manufacturing firms aim at improving both internal and external processes to improve the competitive advantage. Such initiatives include lean practices as well as supplier rationalization and integration. In this paper, we analyze these improvement initiatives and their impact on business performance. In particular, we explore potential differences between make-to-order (MTO) and make-to-stock (MTS) firms. We use data from 216 Australian manufacturing firms. We find a clear difference of improvement focus between MTO and MTS firms. MTO firms exhibit a significant impact of supplier integration on business performance, but not for lean practices and supplier rationalization. The situation is completely reversed for MTS firms, since they have significant effects for internal lean practices and supplier rationalization, but not for logistics integration with supplier. The results show that the distinction between MTO and MTS firms is important when analyzing manufacturing and supply chain improvement initiatives. 

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and test a new model for competitive capabilities.Traditionally, a cumulative model has been viewed as having one sequence of building competitivecapabilities in a firm in support of market needs, including quality, delivery, cost efficiency andflexibility. Although appealing as a conceptual model, empirical testing has not been able to fullysupport the cumulative model. This paper acknowledges the need for a hybrid approach to managingcapability progression. It brings together the literature on trade-offs, cumulative capabilities, andorder winners and qualifiers.Design/methodology/approach – A new hybrid approach for modelling competitive capabilities istested empirically using data from the high performance manufacturing (HPM) study, round 3,including three industries and seven countries – a total of 211 plants.Findings – The hybrid model shows significantly better fit with the data from the sample than thecumulative models suggested by previous literature. Empirical support is found for the traditionalperception that a high level of quality is a prerequisite for a high level of delivery performance.However, cost efficiency and flexibility do not exhibit a cumulative pattern. Instead, the results showthat they are developed in parallel. The findings suggest that a balance between cost efficiency andflexibility is built upon high levels of quality and delivery performance.Research limitations/implications – Since we limit the empirical investigation to three industriesand seven countries, it would be interesting to extend the testing of this model to more industries andcountries. This research shows that combining perspectives and insights from different researchstreams – in this case, trade-off theory and the concepts of cumulative capabilities, and order winnersand qualifiers – can be fruitful.Practical implications – The results of this paper provides managers with guidelines concerningthe configuration of competitive capabilities. First, a qualifying level of quality needs to be attained,followed by a qualifying level of delivery. Then, a balance between potential order winners, i.e. costefficiency and flexibility, needs to be attained.Originality/value – This paper presents a new approach to modelling competitive capabilities thatsynthesises previous research streams and perspectives from cumulative capabilities, contestingcapabilities (trade-offs), and order winners and qualifiers.

This paper begins by consolidating industrial challenges and research issues concerning Product/Service Systems obtained through various activities by the authors. Based on this, it points out the importance of the holistic view in further research in this area so that PSS providers do not fall into local optimization. The intent of this contribution to our research community includes shedding light on interesting issues that thus far have been relatively invisible and with narrower scope.

Tillverkande företag strävar efter att förbättra både interna och externa processer för att förbättra sin konkurrenskraft. Exempel på förbättringsåtgärder är ”lean” produktion, integration längs försörjningskedjan och att reducera antalet leverantörer. Vi studerar hur dessa tre förbättringsåtgärder påverkar verksamhetens resultat. Speciellt studerar vi om det finns skillnader mellan fabriker som tillverkar mot lager och fabriker som tillverkar mot kundorder. Mer specifikt studerar vi dels vad som fokuseras och dels om olika förbättringsåtgärder har olika genomslagskraft för dessa två typer av verksamheter. Vi använder data från 216 Australiensiska tillverkande företag. Av dessa tillverkar 107 fabriker mot kundorder och 109 tillverkar mot lager.

Many manufacturing firms are expanding their global footprint to explore new opportunities for efficient and effective production. The strategic perspective on international manufacturing networks involves both the network level and the plant level. A key aspect is the relationship between the network and the role of plants. In this research, we investigate the relationship between the network and plant perspectives in international manufacturing networks.

We use a single in-depth case study that includes five plants in two product networks over a period of five years. We analyze how changing the role of one plant affects the network as well as the roles of the other plants in the network. Thus, decisions on plant roles are, to a very high degree, network decisions and not decisions for individual plants. Based on the insights from the case study we also develop a framework for mapping manufacturing networks, including market coverage, plant location and site competence.