Supplying on a modular basis: an examination of strategic issues

Emerald - Tập 35 Số 9 - Trang 654-663 - 2005
Desmond Doran1
1Kingston Business School, Kingston University, Kingston Hill, Kingston upon Thames, UK

Tóm tắt

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to explore the strategic issues associated with the implementation and subsequent development of modular supply chains within the automotive sector.Design/methodology/approachGiven the exploratory nature of this research a case study approach was adopted analysing key suppliers within a single developing modular supply chain. The key approach to the topic was to examine strategic operations management literature in order to determine the operational impact associated with the move from traditional supply chains to supplying on a modular basis.FindingsThe findings indicate that moving from the traditional approach to supplying parts to a modular approach requires suppliers to consider how they can develop their individual module offerings and to determine what operations do not add value to a modular offering and as a consequence can be transferred to downstream suppliers.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the exploratory nature of this research and its sectoral specificity one should not view the findings as applicable to other supply chains in the process of developing modular offerings. This said, the findings do correlate with earlier research which indicated that value‐transfer activity within modular supply chains is a key characteristic associated with developing supply chains (Doran, 2004)Practical implicationsIn terms of practical applications, the findings demonstrate that modular activity requires the reorganisation of value‐creating activities and also requires those suppliers close to the OEM to strategically position themselves to configure their operations to accommodate the growing modular paradigm.Originality/valueThe paper explores supply chain modularization which is a fairly under‐researched area supply chain management and as such this paper provides insights into this emerging area. The originality is also evident in the approach and focus of the paper (that is examining the three key suppliers within a single automotive supply chain).

Tài liệu tham khảo

Ahmed, N., Montagno, R. and Firenze, R. (1996), “Operations strategy and organizational performance: an empirical study”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 16 No. 5. Baldwin, C.Y. and Clark, K.B. (1997), “Managing in an age of modularity”, Harvard Business Review, September‐October, pp. 84‐93. Bartezzaghi, E. (1999), “The evolution of production models: is a new paradigm emerging?”, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 229‐50. Camuffo, A. (2000), “Rolling out a world car: globalization, outsourcing and modularity in the auto industry”, working paper, IMVP, available at: http://imvp.mit.edu/papers. Christensen, C.M. (2001), “Skate to where the money will be”, Harvard Business Review, November, pp. 74‐81. Cox, A. (1999), “Power value and supply chain management”, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 167‐75. Cusumano, M. (1988), “Manufacturing innovation: lessons from the Japanese auto industry”, Sloan Management Review, pp. 29‐39. Cusumano, M. (1994), “The limits of ‘Lean’”, Sloan Management Review, pp. 27‐32. Dangayach, G.S. and Deshmukh, S.G. (2001), “Manufacturing strategy: literature review and some issues”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 21 No. 7, pp. 884‐932. Doran, D. (2002), “Manufacturing for synchronous supply: a case study of Ikeda Hoover Ltd”, Journal of Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 18‐24. Duguay, C., Landry, S. and Pasin, F. (1997), “From mass production to flexible/agile production”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 17 No. 12, pp. 1183‐95. Hayes, R. and Wheelwright, S. (1984), Restoring our Competitive Edge, Wiley, New York, NY. Helper, S., MacDuffie, J.P., Pil, F., Sako, M., Takeishi, A. and Warburton, M. (1999), “Project report: modularization and outsourcing: implications for the future of automotive assembly”, No. w‐0211a, IMVP. Hill, T. (1993), Manufacturing Strategy, 2nd ed., Macmillan, Basingstoke. Katayama, H. and Bennett, D. (1996), “Lean production in a changing competitive world: a Japanese perspective”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 8‐23. Krafcik, J. (1988), “Triumph of the lean production system”, Sloan Management Review, pp. 41‐52. Langlois, R. and Robertson, P. (1992), Research Policy, Vol. 21, pp. 297‐313. Noori, H. and Lee, W. (2000), “Fractal manufacturing partnership: exploring a new form of strategic alliance between OEMS and suppliers”, Logistics Information Management, Vol. 13 No. 5, pp. 301‐11. Skinner, W. (1969), “Manufacturing – missing link in corporate strategy”, Harvard Business Review, pp. 136‐45. Veloso, F. and Kumar, R. (2002), “The automotive supply chain: global trends and Asian perspectives”, ERD Working Paper Series, No. 3, Asia Development Bank, January. Womack, J., Jones, D. and Roos, D. (1990), The Machine that Changed the World, Rawson Associates, New York, NY. Meredith, S. and Francis, D. (2000), “Journey towards agility: the agile wheel explored”, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 137‐43.
Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Emerald

Tập 35 Số 9

654-663

Thông tin tác giả