Business model for virtual manufacturing: a human-centred and eco-friendly approach

Abstract

Under the critical and fast changing trend in global economy, a paradigm shift in manufacturing is predicted in the West as well as in the Far East. Large manufacturing firms are moving towards a globally integrated business model. There is also a growing emphasis on human-centred manufacturing and environment. Manufacturing firms are facing the challenges of ageing/emerging workforces with investment in organic knowledge and its management. Regulatory environmental drivers such as climate change, the depletion of natural resources and pollution caused by rampant industrial activity will shape the future of manufacturing. This paper proposes a generic business model for a human-centred and eco-friendly virtual manufacturing (VM) organisation that is based on the current trend in manufacturing in Japan, Europe and the USA. The proposed model also addresses the need for intense collaborative network for a variable-variety, variable-volume and manufacture-to-order situation with provisions for recycling and reverse logistics.