Purpose – The ability of a manufacturing system to respond to customer demand in a timely fashion is widely accepted as a source of competitive advantage. While quick response concepts at system level have been widely discussed in a range of industry sectors, such as textile, electronics and...

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate the links between different types of visibility, joint initiatives and business performance using the concepts of transparency as a measure of visibility in supply chains. The prognosis that increased supply chain visibility can be achieved through...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is aimed at understanding and identifying the context, capability requirements, and configurations (3Cs) of modular supply networks in the Chinese automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach – In an attempt to specify the main elements of modular...

The promise of process integration between organizations too often is unfulfilled and new approaches are needed. Distributed control is a new and exciting opportunity to build more effective process networks for a wide range of applications in logistics and product development. A solution based...

Product development and commercialization is the supply chain management process that provides structure for developing and bringing to market new products jointly with customers and suppliers. Effective implementation of the process not only enables management to coordinate the efficient flow...

ICL is the wholly‐owned subsidiary of the £2.35 billion (US $4 billion) STC PLC communications and information systems group, centred on the UK within Europe as its home market, but operating in more than 70 countries. In the last few years, ICL has developed from begin a Mainframe Computer...

The total quality management (TQM) revolution of the 1980s and recent emergence of business reengineering (RE) has shifted the focus of quality improvement efforts from individual products to processes which lead to the creation and supply of these products. The literature, however, lacks a...

Many executives are developing supply chain partnerships in an attempt to reduce costs, improve service and gain competitive advantage. While partnerships can be beneficial, they are not appropriate in all situations. This article provides a model which can be used to determine whether a...

Purpose – This paper examines two co‐manufacturing relationships, which were efficient with the aim of understanding why they were not value maximising. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilises a methodology designed by Wilding and Humphries and based on Williamson's organisation...

Information technology is changing the nature of logistics organization. It is reducing the cost of transactions and redefining organizations and their interconnections. This paper examines the impact through the concept of transaction costs. This leads to discussion of current trends toward...