Maike Scherrer-Rathje

Learning to be lean: the influence of external information sources in lean improvements

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of management exposure to external information sources, such as training sessions, plant visits, and conferences, in helping manufacturing organizations achieve lean goals.Design/methodology/approach – A model is proposed highlighting the relationship between various key drivers of lean, external information sources, management commitment to lean, and lean thinking. To empirically test the model, 1,000 surveys were mailed to Canadian manufacturers with 109 usable surveys returned. Analyzing the data using partial least squares, the common sources of management information on lean and their effectiveness for lean improvements are discussed.Findings – The final model confirms that management exposure to external information sources and commitment to lean both influence lean thinking within organizations. However, the direct relationship between external information sources and lean thinking is not supported. Instead, an indirect relationship exists,...

An empirical examination of the best practices to ensure manufacturing flexibility: Lean alignment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the best practices managers use to improve manufacturing flexibility and ensure the tools and techniques selected for flexibility improvement are in line with broader organizational and manufacturing goals, such as lean production.Design/methodology/approach – A number of best practices are identified based on a review and synthesis of the conceptual frameworks for improving manufacturing flexibility and are presented to North American manufacturing managers. Results of analyzing the data from 168 managers indicate the best practices, techniques, and major groups involved in improving flexibility.Findings – Results support these best practices, with the most important practices being: incorporating the role of manufacturing flexibility into the manufacturing strategy; identifying the major potential sources of uncertainty faced by the manufacturing department; and identifying the general capability of the manufacturing department to address these potentia...

Challenges in the transformation to lean production from different manufacturing-process choices: a path-dependent perspective

The implementation of lean production remains popular among industrial companies, and the requirement for individualised steps in its implementation is widely accepted; however, research has not yet considered the different process choices available to the companies. The conclusions drawn from the automotive industrys mass production environment may be misleading, given the different conditions of many other industries. We therefore compare case data from a craft producer with the rich, case-study based literature of mass producer companies that highlight the transformation from mass to lean production. We derive a list of specific challenges a craft producer must approach using a different strategy than a mass producer. This study adds to the lean production theory by demonstrating how different manufacturing process choices influence the lean transformation process and its successful implementation. It provides specific propositions concerning the transformation to lean by considering the different processes of craft and mass production companies. Furthermore, the case study gives an in-depth understanding of the challenges a craft-oriented company faces when becoming lean.

Manufacturing flexibility through outsourcing: effects of contingencies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of organizational context on the relationships between outsourcing and manufacturing flexibility. In doing so, the authors study four types of manufacturing flexibility: product, mix, volume, and labor competence flexibility. Design/methodology/approach – Based on transaction cost economics theory and resource-based view of competitive advantage, the authors focus on economies of scale and scope, asset specificity, organizational learning, and dynamic capabilities as contingencies affecting outsourcing-flexibility relationships. Combining theoretically developed propositions with insights from case studies of 11 manufacturing companies that outsourced some portion of their manufacturing, the authors derive grounded hypotheses. Findings – Empirical results show that in some cases the effects of outsourcing on different types of manufacturing flexibility vary based upon some contingency factors. Research limitations/implications – Due to the qu...

Digging deeper into supply risk: a systematic literature review on price risks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is both to provide an overview of existing knowledge pertaining to the management of price risks in manufacturing companies from an operations management (OM) perspective and to establish an agenda for future research. Risks related to the purchase prices of industrial consumption factors (raw materials, semi-finished/finished goods, auxiliary materials and operating materials) exert an increasing influence on manufacturing companies’ business continuity and economic sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review was conducted following the literature search approach of vom Brocke et al. (2009). In total, 138 relevant articles were identified, analysed and synthesised. Findings – The literature review reveals that the existing OM literature devotes little attention to price risks and their management in manufacturing companies. In particular, further empirical investigation is required to support decision-making in various risk contexts. So...

The Lead Factory Concept: Benefiting from an Efficient Knowledge Transfer

This paper analyses the effectiveness of knowledge transfer between research and development (R&D) and intra-firm production units. Specifically, two distinct network structures are compared: the lead factory concept and traditional networks of R&D and production. Based on an analytical two-stage decision model for prototype and serial production, we highlight relevant factors that determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of the lead factory concept in comparison to a traditional network structure. In particular, the lead factory concept is more efficient than the traditional network if there are a high number of production plants, the adaptation costs for implementing the transferred prototype from the lead factory to the plant are low, the manufacturing costs for the prototype are high, and the manufacturing processes are not highly specific or knowledge intensive.

A generic model to handle complexity in collaborative networks

The importance of joining collaborations and maintaining relationships has significantly increased for industrial companies due to the globalisation of markets and the ongoing specialisation of companies. Consequently, adjustments in organizational structures are required by companies to fit the characteristics of industrial collaborations. With this, the complexity of collaborations in highly dynamic environments is increasing but often underestimated. This research is based on an EU founded project with the main goal to enlarge the knowledge of complexity in collaborative networks. In this paper we show the results of a questionnaire based survey identifying problems arising in such collaborative networks. Furthermore we link these problems to different system characteristics (e.g. network structure, trust, degree of commitment, coordination, change, etc.) and show how the problems and system characteristics influence each other based on case studies in two different collaborative networks. The research results in a generic model for complexity (GeMoC) in collaboration networks which is based on Beers viable system model and identifies white spots in the existing complexity research literature.

Linking network targets and site capabilities: A conceptual framework to determine site contributions to strategic manufacturing network targets

Purpose – To cope with the increasing challenges of globalisation, various manufacturing companies have established intra-company manufacturing networks. The purpose of this paper is to link the strategic network targets (i.e. accessibility, thriftiness represented by economies of scale and economies of scope, mobility, and learning) with the capabilities and characteristics of the constituting sites of the manufacturing network and thus facilitate the identification of mismatches and the discussion of possible development paths for the network. Design/methodology/approach – The authors derive a conceptual framework from the literature which is tested with a single case; a manufacturing network consisting of eight manufacturing sites. Case data were collected based on 24 interviews with operations managers at network level and a standardised online survey among the sites’ management teams. Findings – Results indicate that manufacturing network and site levels need to be related when striving for a fit bet...

An End-User Taxonomy of Enterprise Systems Flexibility: Evidence from a Leading European Apparel Manufacturer

Through this research the authors identify the major dimensions of enterprise systems flexibility from the perspective of various end users. To explore the concept of enterprise systems flexibility, on-site interviews were conducted with 20 members of a leading European clothing manufacturer, ranging from functional employees to the CEO. Results of analyzing the data using content analysis highlight that end users view Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) flexibility in terms of five major dimensions, specifically system connectivity, process integration, hierarchical integration, user-customizability, and consistency.

Trade-offs are not exogenous

Trade-offs between competitive priorities are often seen as exogenous – managers accept them as a given downside while simultaneously addressing multiple competitive priorities. However, some companies seem to face fewer trade-offs than others. The question is how companies reduce their trade-offs to successfully compete on multiple competitive priorities simultaneously. We address this question by theorising that bundles of action programmes are needed to reduce trade-offs between competitive priorities. We examine four Swiss manufacturing plants and show how the selection of action programmes influences the simultaneous competition on multiple competitive priorities. We show that successful competition on multiple competitive priorities does not happen by accident but is achieved by aligning competitive priorities, action programmes, infrastructural/structural changes and contextual factors.