Breakthrough Manufacturing

US manufacturers can take the necessary actions to avoid permanently losing US industry to world competition. Instead of thinking in terms of operational improvement only, managers must make decisions in terms of overall strategy to stay ahead of competitors. Eight areas represent the types of manuf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Harvard business review 1987-03, Vol.65 (2), p.75
Main Author: Haas, Elizabeth A
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Competition
Cost reduction
Improvements
International trade
Management
Manufacturing
Production planning
Quality
Strategy
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Summary:US manufacturers can take the necessary actions to avoid permanently losing US industry to world competition. Instead of thinking in terms of operational improvement only, managers must make decisions in terms of overall strategy to stay ahead of competitors. Eight areas represent the types of manufacturing decision: 1. product design, 2. process design, 3. facility and plant configuration, 4. information and control systems, 5. human resources, 6. research and development, 7. suppliers' roles and relationships, and 8. organization. The most successful corporations make integrated decisions that consider all 8 areas; further, they continually reevaluate and reorchestrate their manufacturing decisions to support their strategic goals. Those US manufacturing companies that move now to adopt integrated strategies may succeed in increasing their productivity by 10% or 15% annually during the next few years and staying competitive; those that continue to make only operational improvements will not.
ISSN:0017-8012