In the 21st century most manufacturing organizations will have to respond to these challenges through innovative partnerships, by creating virtual enterprises, by operating in agile networks to generate value by exploiting their existing competencies in design, manufacturing, distribution and customer service, whilst building new competencies in information systems, communications and knowledge management.
Just as no man is an island, so no business can operate without being part of a network of businesses, which we call the manufacturing value chain. This book brings together the works of leading researchers to present state-of-the-art research and development on `the strategic management of the manufacturing value chain' in the broadest sense.
The objectives of Strategic Management of the Manufacturing ValueChain are:
- To provide insights into potential strategies, methods, tools and techniques which could facilitate competitiveness through innovation agility and partnership.
- To explore the use of enabling technologies, such as IT, in meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
- To provide practical case studies which demonstrate the use of new approaches to the generation and management of value in manufacturing.