The strategic management of manufacturing : from waste to haste

The strategic management of manufacturing requires more guidance than the established theory of linking the manufacturing capabilities of the firm to the critical success factors of the target market. Evidence of the performance of UK manufacturing companies suggest that practitioners are still experiencing problems with managing manufacturing strategically. How can the complexity of this task be reduced? The purpose of this paper is to present a unified theory of the strategic management of manufacturing. A strategic planning model is proposed that will simplify the task of selecting manufacturing capability priorities and help crystallise a vision of the development of the manufacturing function in the medium term. In addition, a transition management strategy is detailed to transform an uncompetitive manufacturing operation into one that will accomplish the internally supportive strategic role of manufacturing. The paper is the result of research carried out in twelve UK manufacturing companies during the last three years. The Strategic Management of Manufacturing: From Waste to Haste