Purpose: This paper describes the perceived effects of implementing lean production in a Swedish SME contract manufacturer. Especially focused are the effects on, and possible trade-offs between, cost-efficiency and flexibility. Design/methodology/approach: SME suppliers need basic capabilities...

Purpose – To provide empirical evidence of benefits from IT in supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach – Data in this qualitative study were collected through multiple enquiries. SCM consultant interviews gave an understanding of the current state of practice. A survey of 48...

Purpose – Aims to examine the value of manufacturer access to downstream demand information in managing product introductions and to Identify factors affecting this value. Design/methodology/approach – Simulation based on actual data on 19 product introductions is used for comparing...

Purpose – The outcome of product development, i.e. the product design, together with the packaging solution, has a great impact on the logistics performance of supply chains. Despite this, packaging has traditionally been given a very modest role in the product development literature as well...