Another Other: An Unlikely Path to a Future United World-and What That Future Would Think about Us

Further Development of the Stuttgart Enterprise Model in Terms of the Applicability to Global Manufacturing Networks

Striving for new business opportunities automotive original equipment manufacturers established overseas plants in emerging markets and global manufacturing networks evolved. In this regard so-called knocked down supply chains have been the key for the establishment of successful overseas operations. Importing all parts required from the original plants in form of easy to be handled kits secures a high product quality and stable supply despite lacking qualification of local workforce and supplier bases. Over time the overseas plants and global manufacturing networks have matured by increasingly taking over value adding processes and integrating local suppliers. However, the supply chain structure and management have not been adapted accordingly and still comprise high inventory buffers and lead times. There is little research on the integrated design of global manufacturing networks and knocked down supply chains. This research aims to contribute to close this research gap by means of a cross-case study with six globally operating OEMs investigating the fit of knocked down supply chains and global manufacturing networks. On the basis of transaction cost theory, we develop an integrated framework to align global manufacturing networks and knocked down supply chain design that can serve as guideline to open logistics performance and cost potentials.

Global Manufacturing Network (GMN) is a new manufacturing system that has super manufacturing and servicing abilities. It is challenging traditional manufacturing conceptions. This paper describes and analyzes evolution of the concept of GMN, its members, and its theoretical bases. This paper also explores the reasons, of knowledge transfer in the GMN, as well as mechanism and process of knowledge transfer in the GMN. Finally, the implication of GMN for Chinese local firms is discussed.

Global manufacturing network (GMN) is a new manufacturing system that has super manufacturing and servicing abilities. It is challenging traditional manufacturing conceptions. This paper describes and analyzes the driving forces of emergence of the concept of GMN, its evolution, members, and its theoretical bases. This paper also explores the knowledge transfer in the GMN, which consists of the mechanism and process of knowledge transfer in the GMN. Finally, the factors which contribute the knowledge transfer in the GMN are discussed.

Developing the factory of the future is an objective of the Graduate School of Excellence advanced Manufacturing Engineering (GSaME) in Stuttgart. To achieve this goal several research areas concerning the factory of the future exist. For example, strategies and factories development, information and communication for manufacturing, material and process engineering, or management of global manufacturing networks. One specific research project within the area “management of global manufacturing networks” is “global manufacturing networks as software-intensive service providers”, which started in December 2012. This research project deals with the questions, how the factory of the future is able to satisfy its increasing need of information and communication technology (ICT) in the future, and how to compose different ICT-services, which should be integrated in the existing global manufacturing network in a second step. The contribution in hand considers the motivation, relevance, and research objective of this research project.

Under the globalized and fiercely competitive external environment, manufacturers have to enhance the organizational learning capability to cope with the challenge of Environmental Education. In addition to developing and cultivating the knowledge management capability, manufacturers have to co-develop, share, and spread relevant knowledge among different bodies in the external network. The theoretical relationship among manufacturers’ knowledge management in global manufacturing network, knowledge management in supply chain network, and organizational learning capability is proposed in this study, and the moderation effect of Environmental Education is further discussed. Based on 2013 International Manufacturing Strategy Survey VI (IMSS VI) of 463 manufacturers in 22 countries and regions. The empirical research results are concluded as below. (1) Manufacturers’ knowledge management in global manufacturing network and knowledge management in supply chain network present remarkably positive effects on the organizational learning capability. (2) Manufacturers’ knowledge management in supply chain network shows mediation effects on the relationship between knowledge management in global manufacturing network and organizational learning capability. (3) Environmental Education reveals notable moderation effects on the relationship between manufacturers’ knowledge management in supply chain network and organizational learning capability.

The Global Manufacturing Network (GMN) is a new manufacturing system, which provides great opportunities for local firms in developing countries to acquire knowledge and upgrade capabilities through collaborations in the GMN. This paper hypothesizes that local firm's potential absorptive capacity has a positive impact on its knowledge acquisition in the GMN, and the association between them is moderated by network embeddedness. Using data from Chinese manufacturing firms, this paper confirms the hypothesis that local firm's potential absorptive capacity can contribute to its knowledge acquisition in the GMN, and the hypothesis of the moderating effect of network embeddedness is partially supported by the results.

Global Manufacturing Network (GMN) is a new manufacturing system, which provides great opportunities for local firms in developing countries to acquire knowledge and upgrade through collaborations in GMN. This paper hypothesizes that local firm's potential absorptive capacity has a positive impact on its knowledge acquisition in GMN, and the association between them is moderated by network embeddedness. Using data of manufacturing firms, this paper confirm the hypothesis that local firm's potential absorptive capacity can contribute to its knowledge acquisition in GMN, and the hypothesis of the moderating effect of network embeddedness is partially supported by results for the reason that only information sharing and joint problem solving (components of network embeddedness) have moderating effect on the association between potential absorptive capacity and local firm's knowledge acquisition.

The Global Manufacturing Network (GMN) is an innovative manufacturing system that has super manufacturing and servicing capabilities, and provides a platform for local firms in developing countries to acquire knowledge and capabilities. In this paper, after the literature reviews of the GMN and network embeddedness, the exploratory work suggests that Chinese local manufacturing firms can acquire knowledge and capabilities by embedding themselves into the GMN. There are four stages through which manufacturing firms embed themselves into the GMN and upgrade their strategies, which are penetration based on low-cost manufacturing, network embedding and evolving, accumulating knowledge and capabilities, and strategic upgrading.

Multi-objective optimization of global manufacturing networks taking into account multi-dimensional uncertainty

A Performance Measurement System for Global Manufacturing Networks

The Global Manufacturing Network (GMN) is a new manufacturing system that has super manufacturing and servicing capabilities, and it is challenging traditional manufacturing conceptions. In this paper, after literature reviews of the GMN, our exploratory work suggests that there are four stages through which manufacturing firms embed themselves into the GMN and upgrade their strategies, which involve penetration based on low-cost manufacturing, network embedding and evolving, accumulating knowledge and capabilities, and strategic upgrading.

In this paper, based on the investment behavior of publicly listed manufacturing companies in major economies, we analyze the impacts of macroeconomic systematic shocks on the cyclicality of industrial investment volatility and on the centrality of major economies in global manufacturing network. Two facts are established: (1) the cyclicality of investment volatility in major economies shows to be more countercyclical after 2008, indicating that the downward systematic shocks after 2008 resulted in higher investment volatilities in these major economies through the effect of increased uncertainty accompanying the downward shocks; (2) the impact of global systematic shocks on global manufacturing is making the linkages between industrial investments in major manufacturing economies closer during the period 2002-2020, resulting in an increased centrality of major economies. We consider this as an effect of the counter-globalization trend.

In the context of an increased globalisation of sales and procurement markets companies are distributing their manufacturing activities in global networks. A key challenge is to ensure the overall production quality despite distributed value creation processes in complex manufacturing networks. Hence, a simulation model is presented, which allows for an evaluation of quality control strategies in global manufacturing networks. Based on the approach of Value Stream Mapping (VSM), which is enhanced by quality-relevant elements, a simulation approach is developed to dynamically evaluate different quality control strategies taking the individual target systems and site roles of the involved partners in the manufacturing network into account.

Globalization of manufacturing along with increased competition has made effective planning and control more important than ever. At the same time, it is more difficult than ever to achieve effective planning and control due to larger leadtimes and shorter product life cycles. The objective of this research is to explore the importance of control strategy on materials management in global manufacturing networks. Control strategies in common use and others that have recently been proposed in the literature are reviewed and classified along a push/pull gradient. It is shown that one of them, the restoration control strategy, can be used to represent a wide range of pull systems as well as certain elements of push systems. Using concepts underlying the restoration strategy, two models are developed for aggregate planning in a global manufacturing network. One model requires that all demands be met whereas the other allows some sales to be lost. Application of either of the models to a specific network results in values for decision variables, including target inventories and restoration coefficients. Target inventories are aggregate values that can be disaggregated to finer levels of detail. Values for restoration coefficients help identify the best control strategy. Both models apply to multi-echelon networks of any design and under known demand. Both formulations are nonlinear, mixed-integer programming models that have proven to be difficult to solve for the general case. Relaxing the integrality constraints allows the models to be solved using commercially available software although optimality cannot be guaranteed due to nonconvexity of constraints. The models were applied to a specific network. The restoration model with no lost sales was found to have severe limitations; however, the restoration model that allows lost sales provided results that were stable. The relationships between the decision variables and holding costs, labor costs, and demand variation were explored using the simulation technique of batch means. Among other things, results indicated that a control strategy very similar to base stock was most appropriate for the specific network studied.