Heather Skipworth

Towards a theory of supply chain alignment enablers: a systematic literature review

Purpose – The importance of supply chain alignment has been discussed since the birth of supply chain management (SCM). Yet it remains a major challenge for supply chains. This paper aims to systematically review the cross disciplinary literature on supply chain alignment in order to identify, and develop constructs for enablers to alignment, and an associated set of hypotheses.Design/methodology/approach – A systematic approach has been taken to the literature review, which ensures it is auditable and repeatable. The selection criteria are clearly aligned with the review question ensuring all literature pertinent to the question is identified and reviewed. Relevant information is extracted from the selected papers and synthesised into a set of hypotheses.Findings – Six main constructs for the enablers of alignment are identified and defined: organisational structure, internal relational behaviour, customer relational behaviour, top management support, information sharing and business performance measurem...

Implications of form postponement to manufacturing: a case study

Postponement is an approach that helps to deliver more responsive supply chains. Form postponement involves the delay of final manufacturing until a customer order is received and is commonly regarded as an approach to mass customization. However, while much is written in the literature about the benefits and strategic impact of form postponement, little is still known about its application. This paper addresses how form postponement was applied in terms of its operational implications within a manufacturing facility through a retrospective study that tracked implementation of form postponement in a manufacturer of specialist high-voltage cabling equipment, called here ‘ElectriCo’. The operational measures for products selected for form postponement were compared with those for products that continued to be made under make-to-order and make-to-stock regimes. Propositions were tested that addressed the operational implications of form postponement within the manufacturing facility, the impact of form postponement on selected performance metrics, and the demand profile for which form postponement was the preferred regime. Multiple data collection methods were used whereby documentary, archival and database evidence were used to measure operational characteristics across a broad front. The findings show that form postponement improved responsiveness but did not necessarily improve delivery reliability. The extent to which the order lead time can be reduced is dependent not only on the responsiveness of the postponed process, but also crucially on the responsiveness of the planning system. It was found that the problem of adapting the manufacturing planning and production scheduling systems at ElectriCo had been underestimated. This and other problems subsequently undermined the form postponement application and led to its eventual abandonment. The authors are undertaking further research of form postponement applications in different production contexts to provide further evidence for its operational implications.

Implications of form postponement to manufacturing a customized product

Postponement is an approach that helps to deliver more responsive supply chains. Form postponement (FPp) involves the delay of final manufacturing until a customer order is received and is commonly regarded as an approach to mass customization. However, while much is written in the literature about the benefits and strategic impact of FPp, little is still known about its application. The paper presents the second in a series of three studies, using a common research methodology, that address ‘how’ FPp is applied in terms of its operational implications within a manufacturing facility. It is a retrospective study of the application of FPp in a manufacturer of industrial electric motors referred to here as ‘Motorco’. Operational measures for products selected for FPp are compared with those for products that continued to be made under engineer-to-order and make-to-stock regimes. Propositions were tested that address operational implications of FPp within the manufacturing facility, as well as the impact of FPp on selected performance metrics and the demand profile for which FPp was the preferred regime. Multiple data collection methods were used whereby documentary, archival and database evidence were used to measure operational characteristics across a broad front. The findings show that FPp improved responsiveness of manufacturing, but it is involved in the removal of components and often time-consuming invasive modifications. This suggested that the Customer Order Decoupling Point (CODP) would be better located further up stream in the manufacturing process. Two alternative CODP locations are evaluated that prevent the removal of components, provide the same level of responsiveness and potentially improve delivery reliability. The production planning system was sufficiently responsive to support FPp. However, the bills of materials were inflexible, preventing the system from being used to process FPp orders. This case illustrates many of the operational implications of applying FPp to a complex (i.e. many part numbers) and truly customized product. A third and final study of a FPp application in a different production context has been completed that will provide further evidence of its operational implications.

Implications of form postponement to manufacturing: a cross case comparison

While much is written in the literature about the benefits and strategic impact of form postponement (FPp), little is still known about its application. We address ‘how’ FPp is applied in terms of its operational and logistics implications within manufacturing facilities. This paper is a retrospective study of the application of FPp in three diverse manufacturing environments: a manufacturer of specialist high voltage cabling equipment we call Electrico; a manufacturer of industrial electric motors we call Motorco; and a manufacturer of control systems and components mainly for automated telling machines we call Controlco. Our findings show that FPp improved responsiveness of manufacturing in all cases, but that none of the applications of FPp was ideal from a theoretical perspective. The production planning system must be both responsive and flexible to support the application. For highly customised products, the customer order decoupling point (CODP) must be located sufficiently upstream in the manufacturing process to avoid removal of components and time-consuming modifications. We present conclusions from all three studies, including an inventory management decision framework for FPp and a framework for the application of FPp which encompasses a number of practical considerations.

Supply chain alignment for improved business performance: an empirical study

Purpose – This study aims to explain how supply chain alignment, which remains a major challenge for supply chains, can be achieved and its implications for business performance (BP) by testing the strengths of the relationships between previously identified enablers, supply chain alignment and BP. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review develops hypotheses on the relationships between enablers, alignment and BP. A survey of medium-to-large UK manufacturing companies was conducted where the sample comprised 151 randomly selected companies, and the response rate was 56 per cent. Partial least square regression was used to test the hypothesis. Findings – Two types of supply chain alignment are defined – shareholder and customer – but only customer alignment (CA) has a direct positive impact on BP, while shareholder alignment (SA) is its antecedent. Top management support was shown to be an enabler of both shareholder and CA, while organisation structure, information sharing and performance measure...

Exploring political risk in offshoring engagements

This research focuses on the analysis of political risk in the context of offshoring decisions. The study uses the Repertory Grid Technique, which entails a series of semi-structured interviews exploring key political risk experiences across offshoring engagements. The research extends the spectrum of political risk analysis in the context of offshoring engagements, and explores the varied impact of political risk across business activity types. The research identifies five key political risks affecting offshoring engagements and highlights the moderating effect of specific offshoring activity types Business Process Outsourcing, Information Technology Outsourcing or Knowledge Process Outsourcing on political risk implications. The research explores the conditioning effect of activity specific exposure to political risk and enhances the explanatory ability of the Transaction Cost Economics constructs, offering a novel operationalisation of the political risk component of external uncertainty. From a practical perspective, the research highlights the need for developing managerial tools to improve monitoring and identification of risks. The key practical contribution is the development of differentiated political risk typologies that can capture the nuances of external risks in offshoring, allowing for more accurate risk assessment of offshoring decisions.

Characterizing agile supply partnerships in the fashion industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate high-involvement and short-term supply relationships, known as agile supply partnerships (ASPs), and explores the conditions that support the development of such inter-organizational relationships. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative exploratory research design was followed, based on in-depth case studies of Italian fashion footwear manufacturers and their relationships with key suppliers. Findings – ASPs appear to be most relevant in supply material categories which have a high impact on the appearance or functionality of the product. Conversely, in supply categories with a low impact, long-term partnerships are preferred. Four main characteristics of ASPs are identified: they are part of a portfolio of relationships to balance the rigidities of long-term strategic partnerships; they have project-like features; they are developed from a network of pre-qualified suppliers; they are recurring and intermittent rather than continuous or isolated o...