Today′s changing global business environment requires firms to develop a better approach to global manufacturing operations. Of particular importance is the interaction between logistics and manufacturing activities. A survey of 101 senior manufacturing and materials managers revealed both...

Describes the results of a survey returned by 97 purchasing managers who were asked to assess current patterns of global sourcing as practised by North American firms. Some of the issues examined include primary sourcing allocations, supplier evaluation criteria, operational performance measures...

Identifies four factors as constituting the primary basis for global competition in providing customers with value: customization, quality, response time, and price. However, finds that these factors interact in a multiplicative rather than the commonly‐assumed additive manner, giving...

Addresses the question of whether the lean enterprise concept is applicable to small and medium‐sized firms. The implications of the lean enterprise framework for the smaller firm can be summarized in three basic ideas. First, building a larger and more comprehensive offer through...

In the face of an integrating world economy where significant changes are taking place as a result of rapidly developing science and technology, China’s government must attach more importance to technology transfer to improve its economy. This paper analyses the features of the new environment...

In this paper, a systematic design procedure for an international mutual parts supply system for global car manufacturing is proposed and investigated. This procedure offers a rational way to determine the production countries of individual parts/components as well as the import countries for...

This article proposes a conceptualisation for supply strategy – an explanation for how organisations arrange and conduct themselves within modern economic environments, in order to satisfy markets in the long and short terms. After an explanation of the emerging global environment within which...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend the discussions on globalisation from production to R&D. It investigates how R&D and production interact with each other in their globalisation processes. Design/methodology/approach – The research aim is developed by identifying the gaps in...

Purpose – The interest in global purchasing has increased significantly in recent years, but the impact on product innovation is not well understood. The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse the impact of global purchasing on product innovation sourced from suppliers, while taking...

Purpose – The past three decades have seen the transformation of manufacturing involving its global dispersion and fragmentation. However, a number of recent developments appear to suggest that manufacturing may be entering a new era of flux that will impact the configuration of production...