Patricia Deflorin

• Prof. Dr.
• Senior Researcher at University of Applied Sciences HTW Chur, Switzerland

Coordinating knowledge transfer within multi-plant manufacturing networks is a challenging task. Using a computational model, we examine when it is beneficial to create production knowledge within a central unit, the “lead factory,” and transfer it to geographically dispersed plants. We demonstrate that the knowledge transfer generates a trade-off...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of organizational context on the relationships between outsourcing and manufacturing flexibility. In doing so, the authors study four types of manufacturing flexibility: product, mix, volume, and labor competence flexibility. Design/methodology/approach – Based on transaction cost eco...

Trade-offs between competitive priorities are often seen as exogenous – managers accept them as a given downside while simultaneously addressing multiple competitive priorities. However, some companies seem to face fewer trade-offs than others. The question is how companies reduce their trade-offs to successfully compete on multiple competitive pri...

Purpose The coordination of a manufacturing network is a challenging task and may be contingent upon the manufacturing environment. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and manufacturing network coordination relate. Design/methodology/approach Based on a single case study, the paper at hand provides insi...

Digitale Technologien sind zentrale Treiber für das Entwickeln und Umsetzen digitaler Geschäftsmodelle. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt, dass neben der Entwicklung notwendiger Technologien weitere Bausteine wesentlich sind. Das Entwickeln und Umsetzen digitaler Geschäftsmodelle beruht zudem auf der Vernetzung von Prozessen und dem Entwickeln notwendig...

The paper aims at exploring the prerequisites for a beneficial knowledge transfer between manufacturing plants of multinational companies (MNCs), by taking the characteristics of the knowledge sending and knowledge receiving plant into consideration. This research seeks to understand how efforts undertaken by manufacturing plants, and how collabora...

A survey shows that companies in Graubünden are basically mastering the digital transformation well. One challenge, however, is the shortage of skilled workers.

Manufacturing plants operating within the international manufacturing network (IMN) of a multinational company (MNC) frequently participate in the intra-company creation and distribution of knowledge, thereby contributing to the competitive advantage of the whole company and at the same time strengthening their own position within the MNC. Internat...

A study commissioned by the canton of Graubünden shows that success factors for the digital transformation among the companies surveyed in the Grisons are the commitment and competence of our employees, the corporate culture and the willingness to cooperate. By far the most frequently cited obstacle is the shortage of skilled workers. The state sho...

Digitale Technologien sind zentrale Treiber für das Entwickeln und Umsetzen digitaler Geschäftsmodelle. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt, dass neben der Entwicklung notwendiger Technologien weitere Bausteine wesentlich sind. Das Entwickeln und Umsetzen digitaler Geschäftsmodelle beruht zudem auf der Vernetzung von Prozessen und dem Entwickeln notwendig...

This paper focuses on the internal network of multinational companies (MNC) and aims to investigate the role of information systems (IS) based on modern information and communication technologies (ICT) in transferring knowledge between different plants of the MNC, a subject still debated in the literature. To shed more light on this relationship, w...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the prerequisites for lateral knowledge transfer in manufacturing networks. Design/methodology/approach Data stem from a single case study involving 26 interviews at the management level of a manufacturing network and a survey of 17 manufacturing plants in the network. Findings The requirements for...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate the manufacturing site and network perspectives for the purposes of strategy fulfilment, which has rarely been jointly discussed. By doing this, the site and network perspectives are broken into their constituents and linked to one another. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides qualitati...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance in setting the level of autonomy (i.e. parental control) of plants in a network to enhance operational performance. In particular, the effect of autonomy on performance is analysed directly and indirectly through internal manufacturing network integration (MNI) and external supply chain integ...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer deeper insight into the relationship between a subsidiary’s internal integration in its manufacturing network and subsidiary-level operational performance by taking into account the country context of the respective subsidiary. Design/methodology/approach – Subsidiary-level information is gathered us...

In this chapter, we develop a site classification framework that combines manufacturing site advantages with manufacturing network-level targets. This framework is the first step for a company-specific site role portfolio. The framework helps to visualise site strengths and weaknesses from a capability- and knowledge-based perspective. Further, it...

Most of today’s manufacturing companies are organized in networks. Discussions concerning these networks include the global footprint, but hardly how the sites can be successfully coordinated. Leaning at coordination mechanisms known from team sports, this article provides five tactics of how the network coordination can be done successfully. These...

Manufacturing sites located in high cost countries are able to be successful in both, a good, but also in a tense state of the economy. Differing in the two states of economy is the strategic focus. Whereas companies chose to address multiple competitive priorities in a good state of economy, the strategic focus is chosen tight in a tense state of...

Manufacturing sites located in high cost countries are able to be successful in both, a good, but also in a tense state of the economy. Differing in the two states of economy is the strategic focus. Whereas companies chose to address multiple competitive priorities in a good state of economy, the strategic focus is chosen tight in a tense state of...

We analyze the absorptive capacity (AC) process of a manufacturing company with central R&D and an internationally distributed manufacturing network. Prior research shows that an implementation of the lead factory (LF) is especially supportive if the international manufacturing network struggles with implementing new products and processes. We anal...

The implementation of lean production remains popular among industrial companies, and the requirement for individualised steps in its implementation is widely accepted; however, research has not yet considered the different process choices available to the companies. The conclusions drawn from the automotive industry's mass production environment m...

This paper develops a simulation model to compare the performance of two stylized manufacturing networks: the lead factory network (LFN) and the archetype network (AN). The model identifies the optimal network configuration and its implications for coordination mechanisms. Using an NK simulation model to differentiate between exogenous factors (con...

This paper develops a simulation model to compare the performance of two stylized manufacturing networks: the lead factory network (LFN) and the archetype network (AN). The model identifies the optimal network configuration and its implications for coordination mechanisms. Using an NK simulation model to differentiate between exogenous factors (con...

Despite the growing prevalence of outsourcing in manufacturing organizations, research examining how outsourcing impacts different types of flexibility is considerably lacking. This study seeks to advance our understanding of this relatively unexplored relationship by examining how outsourcing influences product, process, volume, and labor flexibil...

Wertschöpfungsnetzwerke leiden meist unter dem Dilemma, dass sie gleichzeitig effizient und innovativ sein müssen. Werden F&E- und Produktionsabteilungen organisatorisch aus diesem Grund getrennt, wird es schnell schwierig, diese Abteilungen zu koordinieren und den Wissenstransfer sicherzustellen. Leitfabriken können in bestimmten Konstellationen e...

This paper analyses the effectiveness of knowledge transfer between research and development (R&D) and intra-firm production units. Specifically, two distinct network structures are compared: the lead factory concept and traditional networks of R&D and production. Based on an analytical two-stage decision model for prototype and serial production,...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare two distinct network structures to determine and show which structure is more profitable. Specifically, it aims to show which factors render the lead factory concept advantageous. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a simple, two-stage model for prototype and serial production, the authors highli...

It’s not easy being lean. And for many companies, getting lean right the first time does not always happen. Lean is a management philosophy focused on identifying and eliminating waste throughout a product’s entire value stream, extending not only within the organization but also along the company’s supply chain network. Lean promises significant b...

Management studies suggest that developing and sustaining dynamic and operational capabilities is important in achieving competitive advantage. The process of developing capabilities is an underdeveloped research area and new insight is needed to understand how capabilities can be developed as well as sustained. This paper will show that the implem...

This article expands the existing body of knowledge of manufacturing strategy research as it highlights the influence of context factors on manufacturing strategy content. A sound theoretical foundation is given for the proposition that context factors not only influence competitive priorities but as well the second dimension, the action programs....

Das simultane Streben nach Innovation und Effizienz l�sen Unternehmen oftmals durch die organisatorische Trennung von Forschung und Entwicklung (F&E) und Produktion. Diese traditionellen Wertsch�pfungs�netzwerke sto�en aufgrund von Koordinations�problemen vermehrt an ihre Grenzen. Das Konzept der Leitfabrik als organisatorischer Intermedi�r stellt...

Produzierende Unternehmen stehen einer Vielzahl an Herausforderungen gegen�ber. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, wie produzierende Unternehmen auf das rauhere Wirtschaftsumfeld reagieren und zeigt auf, mit welchen Strategien und Methoden die Unternehmen die gesetzten Ziele versuchen zu erreichen. Die Studie ist Teil einer internationalen Befragun...

Schweizer Unternehmen mit einer traditionell schweizerischen Marktpositionierung, gekennzeichnet durch qualitativ hochwertige Produkten mit hohen Preisen, geraten aufgrund des globalen Wettbewerbs zunehmend unter Bedrängnis. Die veränderten Marktbedürfnisse erfordern heutzutage oftmals eine gleichzeitige Differenzierung über hohe Qualität, Flexibil...

In contrary to the trade off assumption of traditional studies, researchers have confirmed that companies that have implemented a hybrid manufacturing strategy and therefore compete through multiple competitive priorities are successful. Operations management literature states that capabilities directly influence a company's success and that to cap...

The link between corporate, manufacturing and the marketing strategy is often seen as hierarchical. But existing capabilities can restrict the implementation of new strategies, backfiring higher level concepts. Hierarchical and static models often neglect this interaction. This paper provides a conceptual framework that links marketing, manufacturi...

Vertraut man der medialen Berichterstattung sind die Aussichten für produzie-rende Unternehmen Westeuropas trüb! Grund genug, um sich mit den am Standort verbleibenden Unternehmen genauer auseinanderzusetzen. Was für Erfolgsfaktoren weisen erfolgreiche Industrieunternehmen in Westeuropa auf? In einer Benchmarking-Studie identifizierten wir 48 Unter...

The transformation into a lean production company has mostly been approached from a mass producer perspective. However, mass production is not the only precondition a company can have. Many European companies concentrate on craft production to produce customer specific requirements in small quantities. If they decide to implement lean, the differen...

Since early discussions regarding flexibility of manufacturing companies, a growing number of authors have made significant contribution to our understanding of flexibility. The discussion invariably focuses on definitions of flexibility or, in some cases there is an emphasis on one specific form of flexibility. Consequently, the field has become u...

Die Produktionsstandorte in Hochlohnländern sind stark unter Druck. Dabei bieten sie ein enormes Potenzial, von dem das gesamte globale Produktionsnetzwerk profitieren kann. Standorte in westlichen Ländern sind prädestiniert, die Rolle einer Lead Factory einzunehmen und somit die Wissens- und Denkzentrale für das globale Produktionsnetzwerk zu bild...