Abstract
Abstract Paper aims This study aims at identifying the barriers, opportunities and trends for the strategic development of the Australian manufacturing industry. Originality As research on Australian manufacturing is prolific and sparse, our study helps to clarify whether and how important research findings on Australian manufacturing replicate. Research method For that, we conducted a scoping review on literature evidence published in the last twenty years. We systemically compiled the body of knowledge and proposed research directions in accordance with five global manufacturing megatrends. Main findings We identified eight barriers/challenges and eight opportunities according to manufacturing sectors and analyzed them based on their emphasis on these global megatrends. Literature emphasis has not been equally distributed over time, highlighting the need for further research. Implications for theory and practice We suggested three main directions for future studies; they were: (i) digital transformation of manufacturing; (ii) sustainable operations in end-to-end service-integrated manufacturing; and (iii) interrelation between socioeconomic characteristics and strategic critical success factors. Further, the body of knowledge’s systemic compilation has led to new conceptual and theoretical insights in light of global megatrends.
Highlights
Manufacturing is a relevant component of the Australian economy since it is the seventh-largest employer, the sixth-largest for output, and has the highest business expenditure on research and development (AI Group, 2019)
The dichotomization of publications between both streams points that this topic has been approached either from an operations and supply chain management perspective or from a social and economic standpoint, lacking an integrated and systemic approach related to the key aspects of the Australian manufacturing industry
Eleven manufacturing sectors were explicitly discussed in the literature portfolio, reasonably representing the Australian manufacturing industry spectrum
Summary
Manufacturing is a relevant component of the Australian economy since it is the seventh-largest employer, the sixth-largest for output, and has the highest business expenditure on research and development (AI Group, 2019). Having a diversity of activities, the leading manufacturing sectors in Australia are food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemical, and non-metallic minerals (Manufacturers’ Monthly, 2019). The first one is the rapid increase in the contribution of the service sector, which employs almost 80% of the labor force and comprises more than 60% of Australian GDP (Australia, 2018) This trend on services has been observed in other developed economies, such as USA, UK and Germany (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2017). The second one is losing some key manufacturing companies in some industries, such as automotive and textile (Mazzarol, 2014; Centre for International Economics, 2017)
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