Roland Van Dierdonck

The strategic role of the plant: testing Ferdows’s model

The literature on global manufacturing strategy contains few models that help managers to design and manage their global plant network. An interesting model is the one developed by Ferdows, describing the strategic role of plants. This paper discusses and tests this model. The data provide strong empirical support for the model and add some new insights. It is shown that the role of the “center of excellence” in a manufacturing network is not restricted to plants with know‐how as the primary location advantage, but is also a common role for plants with market proximity as the primary advantage. Also, the model proves to be useful for the description and assessment of today’s network of plants, but it is too limited to serve as a typology for new plants that might be added to the network. Finally, the research shows that the perception of headquarters and of plant management concerning the plants’ strategic role may be very different.

A Typology of Plants in Global Manufacturing Networks

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new, empirically derived typology of plants in the international manufacturing network of multinational companies. This typology is based on the knowledge flows between the plants. In our research, network analysis has been used as a methodology for understanding the position of plants in international manufacturing networks. The focus has been primarily on the intangible knowledge network, and secondarily on the physical, logistic network. Our analysis leads to four types of plants with different network roles: the isolated plants, the receivers, the hosting network players, and the active network players. Our analysis shows that the different types of plants play a different strategic role in the company, have a different focus, and differ in age, autonomy, and level of resources and investments. Also, the analysis suggests that the evolution of the plant depends to some extent on the network role of the plant. Finally, two scenarios for the development of a strong network role are identified. The research is useful for the scholar studying the architecture of knowledge networks, as well as for the practitioner who is in charge of an international network of manufacturing units.

Managing the design‐manufacturing interface

This paper describes the major barriers across the design‐manufacturing interface and examines ways to overcome them to achieve a smooth production start‐up. An integration model reveals that formalization facilitates a smooth production start‐up. Independent of the degree of formalization during the early development stages, a formal approach is preferred when the new product is introduced into production. Another facilitating factor is the empathy from design towards manufacturing, which can be stimulated by managerial actions. Although the complexity and newness of product and technology hinder a smooth production start‐up, their effect seems to vanish by introducing formalization and by striving for a design team that has empathy towards manufacturing.

Admission scheduling in acute care hospitals: does the practice fit with the theory?

Admission scheduling is identified as an important strategy to match supply and demand in acute care hospitals. During the last decades, many different theoretical models of admission scheduling have been developed, but only a few of them have reached the stage of implementation. Several authors have given some indication that there may be a gap between theory and practice of admission scheduling. In this study we try to describe this gap using a two‐stage research methodology: an extensive literature review in order to determine the theoretical functional requirements for a system that supports the admission scheduling decision and a telephone survey in order to learn more about the admission scheduling practice in Belgian hospitals. The study finds a large gap between the theoretical requirements and the practical application of admission scheduling in hospitals. In summary, most hospitals have not worked out an admission scheduling policy indicating which resources are critical in the scheduling process and how information on the availability of these resources can be captured.

Postponed manufacturing supplementary to transportation services

This paper empirically assesses the economic size (in terms of full time equivalent employees (FTEs)) of postponed manufacturing applications and related activities. Based on a survey among 782 companies, the differences in size and scope of applications between manufacturers, wholesalers and logistics service providers are assessed. Currently, relatively simple postponement applications are practiced in wholesale and logistics services as supplementary services. More complex, high value adding manufacturing activities are still the primary domain of manufacturers and these are not often outsourced to logistics service providers. Based on future expectations of respondents this need not stay this way.

How Belgian business make strategic planning work

Abstract The research findings reported in this article are based on a study of formal strategic planning practices in 82 Belgian firms. Information was also obtained about planning practices in 42 non-strategic planning firms. The findings of the research allowed the authors to determine the present state of affairs of strategic planning in the average Belgian firm.

Organising for supply chain management

Many companies have introduced the supply chain function in their organisation. Little attention, however, is devoted to the way the supply chain function is organised, e.g. the range of responsibilities it has, the position it occupies in the hierarchy and the skills it requires. The literature on this is scarce. This paper provides initial benchmarking data on company decisions regarding the roles and responsibilities of their supply chain managers and how the various supply chain tasks are coordinated and integrated. Our empirical study in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries shows that differences in supply chain organisational structures are not random. We find that the way the supply chain function is organised seems to depend on the industry and its complexity and, we might speculate, on the strategy of the organisation. By highlighting and trying to explain these differences, we hope to raise top management awareness regarding the structuring options for their supply chain function and the importance of this issue for the organisation.

Research Networks And Organisational Mobility In An Emerging Technological Field: The Case Of Plant Biotechnology

This paper builds on social network theory to understand technological development. Based on the empirical evidence of 367 research organisations in plant biotechnology over a nineteen-year period, we demonstrate how a structural analysis of the research network within the technological community is used to identify four collaboration-based strategic groups of research organisations. The emergence of these groups can be linked to technological breakthroughs in the field. Analyses of the four clusters point to the influence of research collaborations on stratification within an evolving technological domain. Finally, as archival data sources are used to detect incidences of collaborative research and to trace the evolution of R&D networks in an emerging field, we conclude with a discussion of the potential contribution of bibliometric data to understand the development of new technologies in their early, pre-commercial phases.