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Link Manufacturing Process and Product Life Cycles
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleThe regularity of the growth cycles of living organisms has always fascinated thoughtful he observers regularity and of has the invited growth a cycles variety of living attempts to apply the same principles—of a predictable sequence of rapid growth followed by maturation, decline, and death—to companies and selected industries. One such concept, known as the […] -
Is the Era of Mass Manufacturing Coming to an End?
Global Business Digital ArticleNot exactly, but makers have more options than ever. -
Competing Through Manufacturing
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleThe past several years have witnessed a growing awareness among American managers of the central importance to competitive success of first-rate competence in the work of production. At the top of many corporate agendas now rests the determination to boost productivity, product quality, and new product innovation. This is all to the good. What managers […] -
The Feudal World of Japanese Manufacturing
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleYears ago, while visiting friends in the United States, I happened to see the classic children’s film The Wizard of Oz. Near the end, Dorothy at last appears before the all-powerful wizard—a terrifying image of smoke and light. Only when her dog, Toto, tugs at a curtain over to one side does she see a […] -
Why the U.S. Tech Sector Doesn't Need Domestic Manufacturing
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleIn their article "Restoring American Competitiveness," my colleagues Gary Pisano and Willy Shih assert that excessive outsourcing has undermined the competitiveness... -
Time to Reform Job Shop Manufacturing
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleAmerican industry is beginning to put its manufacturing house in order. Companies building high-volume standardized products like copiers, appliances, and automobiles are learning from their foreign rivals and emulating their commitment to ongoing product and process innovation. But one important segment of U.S. industry—job shop manufacturers—continues to postpone needed reforms. Many of these companies have […] -
The U.S. Needs to Reimagine Its Pharma Supply Chain
Business and society Digital ArticleOverreliance on foreign suppliers is leading to domestic drug shortages. -
Manufacturing Companies Need to Sell Outcomes, Not Products
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleIt's not straightforward, but technology will get you there. -
The Next Supply-Chain Challenge Isn’t a Shortage — It’s Inventory Glut
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleStrategies for reducing excess inventory, stemming the rate of inventory change, and preventing the situation from happening in the future. -
Just How Important Is Manufacturing?
Economics Digital ArticleHaving a strong domestic manufacturing base is vital to the United States maintaining its world leadership in innovation. That is because advanced manufacturing provides an important institutional foundation for learning and developing process skills and capabilities that are increasingly intertwined with core R&D in some of the industries most important to the country’s economic future. […] -
Yesterday's Accounting Undermines Production
Finance & Accounting Magazine ArticleOutdated cost accounting and management control systems are an obstacle to the lasting success of new manufacturing technologies and procedures. They... -
The Biggest Challenges of Data-Driven Manufacturing
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleAnd how to overcome them. -
Crate & Barrel Holdings CEO Janet Hayes on Navigating Turbulent Times for Retail
Business and society Digital ArticleConsumers’ tastes are changing fast, but one things remains: they value quality, value, and inspiration in their products. -
Washington Must Help the U.S. Regain the Lead in Manufacturing
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleThe federal government can and should play a much bigger role in helping American companies regain the lead in manufacturing. We need to invest a commensurate... -
Case Study: How Should We Diversify Our Supply Chain?
Supply chain management Magazine ArticleA Chinese appliance maker considers expanding production to Mexico. -
From Lean Production to the Lean Enterprise
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleIn our book The Machine That Changed the World, we explained how companies can dramatically improve their performance by embracing the “lean production” approach pioneered by Toyota. By Eliminating unnecessary steps, aligning all steps in an activity in a continuous flow, recombining labor into cross-functional teams dedicated to that activity, and continually striving for improvement, […] -
Get Ready for the New Era of Global Manufacturing
Global Business Digital ArticleDemand and supply are both shifting. -
How Digital Fulfillment Is Changing Manufacturing
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleIt can vastly improve companies’ ability to understand and satisfy customer needs. -
Read a Plant--Fast
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIn the early 1980s, visitors on an hour-long tour of a factory headed by Eugene Goodson reported surprisingly accurate details about the plant, its technology,... -
The Human Costs of Manufacturing Reform
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleIf there is anything more powerful than an idea whose time has come, it is one that is the product of wishful thinking. Ask any manager or management consultant what the related essentials of manufacturing reform are, and the answer will likely come back: a just-in-time approach to eliminating waste, rigorous statistical process control to […]
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Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Describes a comprehensive manufacturing strategy designed to reduce substantially the cycle time of orders (i.e. the time between the placement of an... -
Marketing James Patterson
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details Can a successful novelist use direct-to-consumer marketing to grow his brand? The author, who in a previous career ran a major advertising agency, uses... -
Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (B2)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Should follow Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (B1). A new plant manager has been hired; the case describes her experience, management philosophy,... -
Ford vs. GM: The Evolution of Mass Production (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details This case explores the very different paths taken by the Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation in the first three decades of the twentieth... -
Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Minerals (A)
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details Molycorp, the western hemisphere's only producer of rare earth minerals, was in the middle of a $1 billion capital expenditure project in its effort to... -
Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (C1)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details To follow Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (B2). The division has just received a request for dramatically increased production. If it complies... -
Long Wang Sha Tan Ku Company
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details The chief operation officer (COO) of Long Wang Sha Tan Ku Company, a boardshorts manufacturer based in Shanghai, China, was expected to present a plan... -
Mercury Athletic: Valuing the Opportunity
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details In January 2007, West Coast Fashions, Inc., a large designer and marketer of branded apparel, announced a strategic reorganization that would result in... -
Ford vs. GM: The Evolution of Mass Production (B)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details This case explores the very different paths taken by the Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation in the first three decades of the twentieth... -
ZARA: Fast Fashion
Strategy & Execution Case Study8.95View Details Focuses on Inditex, an apparel retailer from Spain, which has set up an extremely quick response system for its ZARA chain. Instead of predicting months... -
Suncrest Agribusiness Company: Optimizing Seed Production
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Suncrest Agribusiness Company (Suncrest), an agribusiness firm based in the Midwestern United States, was one of the largest seed manufacturers in the... -
Jupiter Bach: Committing to Sustainability (Abridged)
Strategy & Execution Case Study8.95View Details The case documents the efforts by Lone Stubberup, Global Director of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE), to convert her employer to the highest... -
Skutis: Negotiating Production in China
Global Business Case Study8.95View Details In August 2015, a law student in Singapore came up with the idea for his first scooter when he needed a simple and economical mode of transport to get... -
Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc.--1990
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details The CFO of Fleetwood Enterprises is considering whether to recommend a large share repurchase to the board of directors. Fleetwood's core businesses,... -
Ti-Tech (B)
Sales & Marketing Case Study5.00View Details This case concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial titanium fabricator that recently has been plagued by poor deliveries... -
Executive Shirt Co., Inc.
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details The Executive Shirt Co. is contemplating a move into custom-made shirts. The company's general manager has charged two of his managers to come up with... -
Maestro Pizza (C): Taking the Fight Outside
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Maestro pizza opened its first store in 2013 after its founder, Khalid Al Omran, recognized an opportunity in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality pizza... -
Fabtek (A)
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details Concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial titanium fabricator that in recent months has been plagued by poor deliveries and... -
Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (C2)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details To follow Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (C1). Students must assess what their next steps would be as plant manager and group manufacturing... -
AB InBev: Brewing Up Forecasts during COVID-19
Management Case Study8.95View Details In July 2021, the CEO of AB InBev's European operations and his team strategized to position the company for success post-pandemic. As the world's largest...
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Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Describes a comprehensive manufacturing strategy designed to reduce substantially the cycle time of orders (i.e. the time between the placement of an... -
Marketing James Patterson
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details Can a successful novelist use direct-to-consumer marketing to grow his brand? The author, who in a previous career ran a major advertising agency, uses... -
Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (B2)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Should follow Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (B1). A new plant manager has been hired; the case describes her experience, management philosophy,... -
Ford vs. GM: The Evolution of Mass Production (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details This case explores the very different paths taken by the Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation in the first three decades of the twentieth... -
Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Minerals (A)
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details Molycorp, the western hemisphere's only producer of rare earth minerals, was in the middle of a $1 billion capital expenditure project in its effort to... -
Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (C1)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details To follow Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (B2). The division has just received a request for dramatically increased production. If it complies... -
Long Wang Sha Tan Ku Company
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details The chief operation officer (COO) of Long Wang Sha Tan Ku Company, a boardshorts manufacturer based in Shanghai, China, was expected to present a plan... -
Link Manufacturing Process and Product Life Cycles
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleThe regularity of the growth cycles of living organisms has always fascinated thoughtful he observers regularity and of has the invited growth a cycles variety of living attempts to apply the same principles—of a predictable sequence of rapid growth followed by maturation, decline, and death—to companies and selected industries. One such concept, known as the […] -
Mercury Athletic: Valuing the Opportunity
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details In January 2007, West Coast Fashions, Inc., a large designer and marketer of branded apparel, announced a strategic reorganization that would result in... -
Entrepreneurs in the making: Six decisions for fostering entrepreneurship through maker spaces
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleMaker spaces-shared production facilities offering access to basic and advanced manufacturing technologies-have quickly become the latest must-have for...