Jan Olhager

Strategic positioning of the order penetration point

The order penetration point (OPP) defines the stage in the manufacturing value chain, where a particular product is linked to a specific customer order. Different manufacturing environments such as ...

Manufacturing networks and supply chains: an operations strategy perspective

The purpose of this paper is to analyze manufacturing networks and supply chains from an operations strategy perspective. These two areas have traditionally been treated as separate research tracks, but with the ongoing globalization of markets and operations there is a need to integrate these complementary disciplines to study networks of facilities. In this paper we examine the two research areas based on two structural decision categories in an operations strategy, viz. facilities and vertical integration. We present a typology for the analysis of network systems resulting in four basic network configurations. Coordination of activities within the network is contingent upon the configuration, thus resulting in four coordination approaches. The configuration and coordination analyzes can be used as a foundation for further research in the context of integrating manufacturing network and supply chain theory.

Performance simulation of supply chain designs

Abstract The focus on supply chain management has increased in recent years; among academics as well as among practitioners. In this paper, we present a supply chain simulation study for a real case, concerned with the manufacturing of mobile communication systems. The purpose of the study is twofold. One objective is to evaluate alternative supply chain designs with respect to quality, lead-times and costs as the key performance parameters. A second objective is to increase the understanding of the interrelationships among these and other parameters, relevant for the design of the supply chain structure. The design alternatives differ in terms of the level of integration and synchronisation between supply chain stages. Modelling and validation issues are highlighted since these are fundamental to a supply chain simulation study. The results are discussed and a model capturing the relationships among cost, quality, and lead-times, based on the simulation study, is presented.

Enterprise resource planning survey of Swedish manufacturing firms

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are the new type of information systems for enterprise integration. By adding functionality to previous manufacturing resource planning systems, the aim is to integrate functions and processes within a manufacturing firm. In this paper, we present a survey of ERP implementation in Swedish manufacturing firms, concerned with ERP system penetration, the pre-implementation process, implementation experience, ERP system configuration, benefits, and future directions. ⌐ 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Lean and agile manufacturing: external and internal drivers and performance outcomes

Purpose - Lean and agile manufacturing are two initiatives that are used by manufacturing plant managers to improve operations capabilities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate internal and ...

Supply chain management survey of Swedish manufacturing firms

Supply chain management practices and principles are evolving and changing rapidly, e.g. through modern information and communication technologies. These changes affect the ways supply chains are designed, the way they are managed, and how planning and control activities take place within these chains. But how far have companies come in dealing with supply chain issues? This paper investigates supply chain management strategies and practices in a sample of 128 Swedish manufacturing firms. We specifically study issues related to the supply chain design, integration, planning and control, and communication tools for managing supply chains. The main findings indicate the following. The extent to which suppliers and customers are involved in supply chain planning and control is expected to increase steadily over the next 2 years. The primary priority for the selection of supply chain partners is quality performance. However, delivery dependability, cost efficiency, volume flexibility, and delivery speed are also judged to be important inputs to the supply chain partner selection process. Today, companies expect to broaden and deepen the use of new information and communication technologies for improving supply chain operations. Our findings concerning future supply chain management practices, principles and priorities are discussed.

Long-term capacity management: Linking the perspectives from manufacturing strategy and sales and operations planning

Efficient long-term capacity management is vital to any manufacturing firm. It has implications on competitive performance in terms of cost, delivery speed, dependability and flexibility. In a manu ...

Advances in Production Management Systems

The IFIP series publishes state-of-the-art results in the sciences and technologies of information and communication. The scope of the series includes: foundations of computer science; software theory and practice; education; computer applications in technology; communication systems; systems modeling and optimization; information systems; computers and society; computer systems technology; security and protection in information processing systems; artificial intelligence; and human-computer interaction. Proceedings and post-proceedings of referred international conferences in computer science and interdisciplinary fields are featured. These results often precede journal publication and represent the most current research. The principal aim of the IFIP series is to encourage education and the dissemination and exchange of information about all aspects of computing.

The house of flexibility: using the QFD approach to deploy manufacturing flexibility

We use the methodology from quality function deployment (QFD) for linking manufacturing flexibility to market requirements. This approach creates a framework for modelling the deployment of the need for flexibility from the customers’ viewpoints into manufacturing flexibility at various hierarchical levels. We present an application of the methodology in a real case study at a firm where a manufacturing system was being redesigned for the manufacture of a new and wider range of products than previously, based on a new product platform. Based on the case study we discuss the benefits and limitations of using the QFD approach to deploy manufacturing flexibility. The paper also presents a literature review of the manufacturing flexibility framework arena.

Linking products with supply chains: testing Fisher's model

Purpose – The paper seeks to test the relationships among product design and supply chain design, with specific reference to the product‐supply chain model by Fisher.Design/methodology/approach – An extensive empirical survey with data from 128 companies; the approach is basically theory testing, in that it investigates an existing framework, and discusses extensions.Findings – Significant relationships are found between product types and supply chain types, as well as concerning the impact of alignment on performance.Research limitations/implications – Instead of treating the supply chain characteristics associated with different supply chain types as either/or choices, some companies select properties from both supply chain types in order to gain additional benefits. This creates a supply chain frontier of physical efficiency and market responsiveness; a concept that deserves further attention by researchers. A limitation is that it would be interesting to perform a longitudinal study.Practical implicat...