Models, guidelines and tools for the integration of collaborative processes in non-hierarchical manufacturing networks: a review

Collaborative practices among partners of manufacturing networks require the support of models (M), guidelines (G) and tools (T) which should take into account the network topology. Most of the M, G and T proposed in the literature were developed for hierarchical manufacturing networks (HN), but most of the real manufacturing networks, mainly composed by small-sized enterprises, are in fact non-hierarchical manufacturing networks (NHN). This paper focuses its research on the collaborative processes in NHN and its specific needs to be supported by M, G and T. Firstly, a literature review is conducted, allowing identifying a set of relevant collaborative processes in manufacturing networks (both HN and NHN), as well as the M, G and T designed to address each of them. Secondly, an analysis is carried out in order to determine how these M, G and T, designed for HN and/or NHN, adjust to the needs of the NHN. The assessment carried out reveals that some of the proposed M, G and T do not entirely fill the requirements demanded in NHN contexts. Each collaborative process is classified into a satisfactory, acceptable or unacceptable degree of coverage, depending on the extent into which the provided M, G and T can be applied in NHN. On this basis, it is concluded that some of the identified collaborative processes have a clear lack on the M, G and T for its proper application in NHN. Finally, potential future research lines are suggested in terms of providing solution approaches, missing in the literature, to adequately support the collaborative processes in NHN contexts.