Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management最新文献

Purpose

Absorptive capacity, technological collaboration and servitization are analyzed to establish ways to overcome the balance between products and services in manufacturing companies. A fresh perspective is introduced by presenting a framework for innovation strategy, moving beyond product-based R&D.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses are tested using data on Spanish firms in the high-tech chemical and pharmaceutical industries through ordinary least squares regression analysis. The sample consists of 112 manufacturing firms included in the Spanish Survey of Business Strategies.

Findings

The results show that absorptive capacity facilitates servitization and that technological collaboration moderates the relationship between absorptive capacity and servitization. The synergies between absorptive capacity and technological collaboration for servitization are recognized from the perspective of open innovation as a way of resolving the trade-off between products and services.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should introduce more sources of collaboration by broadening the value chain perspective. Other approaches to innovation may also be considered, including relationships to process innovation.

Practical implications

The results can provide meaningful guidance for companies to determine the key opportunities of servitization driven by absorptive capacity, and the best ways to leverage open innovation and collaboration strategies to exploit such approaches.

Originality/value

This research enriches theories on servitization, open innovation and innovative behavior. Open innovation strategy should be linked to greater servitization activity and should support an open service strategy. This approach is crucial for building innovation capabilities through technological collaboration.

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of digital orientation (DO) on organizational resilience (OR) and explore the contingency effects of human resource slack and nature of enterprise ownership.

Design/methodology/approach

The model hypotheses were tested using fixed effects regression on panel data collected from Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms spanning from 2007 to 2020.

Findings

DO has a positive effect on OR. Human resource slack positively moderates the relationship between DO and OR. Additionally, DO enhances OR more effectively in non-state-owned firms than in state-owned firms.

Research limitations/implications

This study relies on data from a single industry from a single country.

Practical implications

The study supports that firms facing uncertainty, risk and pressure should promptly develop their DO strategy. Firms can derive greater resilience from implementing a DO strategy when they have a high-level human resource pool. State-owned enterprises will benefit from a DO strategy if they make some adaptive changes in leadership, structure, culture and mindset aspects.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine the relationship between DO and OR, contributing to the existing literature on digital transformation and organizational resilience. It offers valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers seeking to adapt their organizations for the digital era and foster predictive, defensive and growth responses strategies in a dynamic business environment.

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the main challenges and critical success factors (CSFs) in managing multi-sided platforms (MSP) in Brazil, as well as to understand the differences between this management model and traditional companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced professionals in the field, focusing on challenges, CSFs and difficulties in managing MSP businesses. The data were analyzed using a mixed-method approach, involving content analysis for qualitative data and grey relational analysis and sensitivity analysis for quantitative data.

Findings

The experts identified eight CSFs, seven key differences between traditional businesses and MSPs, and five technology-related challenges in managing MSPs. They assessed the main difficulties reported in the literature and ranked them, with the most critical challenges being competition with companies adopting MSP models in the same sector (product/service niche) and the necessity for ongoing process adjustments to accommodate scalability.

Originality/value

This study enhances understanding of CSF, disparities between traditional and MSPs and technology-related challenges in this management model. The results can assist managers in emerging nations in enhancing the performance of MSP operations and can be a resource for researchers studying various contexts and creating company guidelines.

Purpose

This study is a reference for manufacturers who are promoting their product-service system (PSS) development. Currently, improvements in both digital customization and sustainability for various smart PSS categories have been considered rarely. This paper addresses this research gap by developing relevant models.

Design/methodology/approach

The development trends of customization-oriented PSS are described in a literature review. An in-depth multiple-case study methodology is adopted, and seven manufacturing companies are sampled. The goal is to identify digital customization measures that can be employed on representative smart PSS models and to explore how these models can create sustainable value.

Findings

This study provides valuable insights by uncovering a synthesis framework for achieving customization of the product/use/result-oriented smart PSSs, and the relevant representative smart functions are summarized. This identifies how digital customization capabilities can improve sustainability, including direct economic value for customers as well as additional social benefits and environmental improvements during customization.

Originality/value

Currently, the influence of digitalization on customized offerings and the relevant impact on sustainability development have not been fully addressed to date. This study provides comprehensive information with a reference value for digital customization transformation among the three main types of smart PSS.

Purpose

The main purpose of this research is to (1) prioritise key determinants of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) readiness assessment and (2) evaluate causal relationships among those determinants and associated sub-criteria based on inputs from industry experts.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involved two phases: (1) an MCDM approach for determining causal relationships among determinants and (2) empirical validation of findings from the first phase using industry experts' inputs.

Findings

It was found that while the choice of I4.0 technologies is important, organisational factors are also critical, as evidenced by the ranking of the “Strategy and Organisation” determinant as the highest rank prominent determinant. Also, the ranking of the sub-criteria within each determinant shows the importance of several organisational influencing and resulting sub-criteria.

Research limitations/implications

This research extends the existing literature on I4.0 by demonstrating the prioritisation of determinants and delineating causal relationships among them and associated sub-criteria as a basis for developing I4.0 adoption guidelines. This research is limited to the specific scope of determinants selected/considered and experts' inputs from the Sri Lankan manufacturing sector. Future studies could consider extending this research into a broader global manufacturing context.

Practical implications

Prioritisation and causal relationships of I4.0 readiness assessment determinants, supported with inputs from functional managers and industry experts, could be used to guide practitioners in developing guidelines for I4.0 adoption in a phased manner.

Originality/value

This research provides a re-evaluation and validation of a selected I4.0 readiness assessment framework from the perspectives of interdependencies and casual relationships among its determinants and sub-criteria, based on inputs from industry experts as a basis for developing guidelines for I4.0 adoption.

Purpose

This research attempts to explore how reverse logistics (RL) and sustainable supply chain initiatives (SSCI) affect sustainability performance (SP) in the manufacturing industry under the moderating effects of organisational learning capability (OLC). At the same time, this study is expected to allow manufacturers to advance towards a high level of model generation in the green economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this study was obtained from 451 manufacturing companies in the Hebei Province, China. This study develops a model and tests all hypothesised relationships using partial least square–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with two-step analytical procedures.

Findings

The results indicate that SSCI and RL have a positive relationship with SP, and SSCI is positively related to RL. Moreover, the OLC moderates the relationship between RL and SP as well as the relationship between SSCI and SP.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the study yield valuable managerial insights on how the effective implementation of green practices, coupled with the utilisation of learning capabilities, can contribute to improving the sustainability of manufacturing firms. The study has certain limitations that suggest potential avenues for future research, the most significant of which is our reliance on data from a single country, which may impede the generalisability of the findings.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature on SP by considering RL and SSCI and offers a unique theoretical argument that describes the relationships by considering the moderating effect of OLC, which has not been empirically explored.

Purpose

While the significance of green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) has been acknowledged, it is still not fully understood how GEO influences green innovation (GI). Depending on the natural resource-based view (NRBV), the practice-based view (PBV) and contingency theory (CT), the authors explore how GEO affects GI via green manufacturing practices (GMPs) and the moderating role of green technology turbulence (GTT).

Design/methodology/approach

Using the data gathered from large firms in Yemen, the suggested model was tested through hierarchical regression analysis using the PROCESS Macro in SPSS.

Findings

The empirical results reveal that GEO is positively related to GMP, which in turn is positively related to GI. Importantly, GMP mediates the link between GEO and GI. The results also demonstrate that GTT positively moderates the GEO-GI link.

Originality/value

This study makes a valuable contribution to the existing literature on sustainability and holds significant importance for managers seeking to enhance their understanding of utilizing GEO for fostering GI.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a practical data-based framework for the prioritization of investment in manufacturing technologies, methods and tools, and to demonstrate its applicability and practical relevance through two case studies of manufacturing firms of different industrial segments.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed framework is based on network theory applied on technology adoption. For this, the database of Industry 4.0 maturity assessments of SENAI was used to develop data visualization tools named “Technology Networks”. Thus, this study is descriptive research with correlational design. Besides, the framework was applied in two companies and semi-structured interviews were carried out with domain experts.

Findings

The technology networks highlight the technological adoption patterns of six industrial segments, by considering the answers of 863 Brazilian companies. In general, less sophisticated technologies were positioned in the center of the networks, which facilitates the visualization of adoption paths. Moreover, the networks presented a well-balanced adoption scenario of Industry 4.0 related technologies and lean manufacturing methods and tools.

Research limitations/implications

Since the database was not built under an experimental design, it is not expected to make statistical inferences about the variables. Furthermore, the decision to use an available database prevented the editing or inclusion of technologies. Besides, it is estimated that the technology networks given have few years for obsolescence due to the fast pace of technological development.

Practical implications

The framework is a tool that may be used by practicing manufacturing managers and entrepreneurs for taking assertive decisions regarding the adoption of manufacturing technologies, methods and tools. The proposition of using network theory to support decision making on this topic may lead to further studies, developments and adaptations of the framework.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the topics of lean manufacturing and Industry 4.0 in an unprecedented way, by quantifying the adoption of its technologies, methods and tools and presenting it in network visualizations. The main value of this paper is the comprehensive framework that applies the technology networks for supporting decision making regarding technology adoption.

Purpose

Previous research has identified factors that enable lean change to be sustained. What remains unknown is how the interaction effects amongst these factors vary as lean change programmes mature. When are particular factors at their most influential?

Design/methodology/approach

Using a data and investigator triangulated qualitative research strategy, this paper tests an a priori model of change sustainability factors. In phase one, the research reveals the influence and significance of the model's change sustainability factors within 13 manufacturers. In phase two, four factors (Leadership, Political, Individual and Managerial) were selected for in-depth case study analyses in three manufacturers.

Findings

These point to when in the lean change, certain factors have the most influence on its sustainability. The Leadership factor and political factor are essential at the beginning and remain influential throughout. Employees' individual commitment (Individual factor) is significant in sustaining the change but it is at its most influential in the later stages. The Managerial factor (management approach) is influential in the mature stages of the programme.

Practical implications

Recognising where to put maximum focus during a lean change programme as it matures is crucial for management.

Originality/value

Sustaining lean change has not been studied from the perspective of what factors need to be emphasised at different stages in the programme for successful maturity to occur. Through empirical validation, this study helps address this knowledge gap.

Quick value overview

Interesting because – Researchers have found that the majority of lean implementations fail – changes to structures and working practices are made only to see the gains dissipate. Previous research has suggested that multiple factors including leadership, culture and politics influence the change towards a lean organisation. While studies have shown that such factors play a role, what has not been studied is the time, that is, when the factors influence the change process. This study investigated when 11 factors have the most influence on lean implementation. Theoretical value – The study extends the state-of-the-art understanding of implementation of lean in organisations by adding a time element. It is found that in order to have a change that is sustainable, that is, lasting at least 18 months, factors that indicate the importance to the organisation are influential during the entire implementation process. This includes how central the change is to the organisation, the influence of leadership that sets vision and goals, and the implementation methods. Factors that can set things in motion such as the influence of important stakeho