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Washington Must Help the U.S. Regain the Lead in Manufacturing
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleThe federal government can and should play a much bigger role in helping American companies regain the lead in manufacturing. We need to invest a commensurate amount of federal R&D dollars in advanced manufacturing technologies as we do in other areas of science, technology, and engineering. The last administration created an assistant secretary for manufacturing […] -
Go Downstream: The New Profit Imperative in Manufacturing
Business models Magazine ArticleNow that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain. -
Pain in the (Supply) Chain (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIt's the end of the quarter, and the sales staff at Exceso Corp. is scrambling to meet CEO R. Foley Vinton's overheated 9% sales target. Sure, the sales... -
Does Manufacturing Need a JIT Revolution?
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleJapanese companies are very, very good at manufacturing. A decade ago this was new and disturbing to Western managers. The Japanese had captured a substantial share of the U.S. automobile market, offering features, fits, and finishes at prices domestic producers were unable to match. Similar trends appeared in machine tools, copiers, and numerous other industries. […] -
Manufacturing Companies Need to Sell Outcomes, Not Products
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleIt’s not straightforward, but technology will get you there. -
How Digital Fulfillment Is Changing Manufacturing
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleIt can vastly improve companies' ability to understand and satisfy customer needs. -
It’s Manufacturing’s Turn for Special Treatment
Economics Digital ArticleFollowing up on his pledge to provide greater support for manufacturing in his State of the Union address, President Obama has announced a proposal to cut the effective tax rate for manufacturers to 25%. A number of economists howled against this so-called “industrial policy” and criticized the president’s singling out manufacturing for “special treatment” — […] -
Time to Reform Job Shop Manufacturing
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleAmerican industry is beginning to put its manufacturing house in order. Companies building high-volume standardized products like copiers, appliances, and automobiles are learning from their foreign rivals and emulating their commitment to ongoing product and process innovation. But one important segment of U.S. industry—job shop manufacturers—continues to postpone needed reforms. Many of these companies have […] -
Why the U.S. Tech Sector Doesn't Need Domestic Manufacturing
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleIn their article "Restoring American Competitiveness," my colleagues Gary Pisano and Willy Shih assert that excessive outsourcing has undermined the competitiveness... -
Research: Warehouse and Logistics Automation Works Better with Human Partners
Automation Digital ArticleA recent study suggests that blending human labor with robotics leads to greater efficiency. -
How to Address the Supply-Chain Staffing Crisis
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleIt's more complicated than simply implementing new technologies. -
How a German Manufacturing Company Set Up Its Analytics Lab
Analytics and data science Digital ArticleThree things to get right. -
Postindustrial Manufacturing
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleAs global competition grows ever fiercer in manufacturing industries, American managers are adopting a new battle cry: “Beat ’em with technology or move—over there.” Indeed, since 1975, the boom in information-intensive processing technologies has been explosive. A close look at how U.S. managers are actually using these technologies, however, silences their battle cry in a […] -
Manufacturing’s New Economies of Scale
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleIn the 1990s, manufacturing companies face the challenge of globally integrating their operations. Just as companies were forced to rationalize operations within individual plants in the 1980s, they must now do the same for their entire system of manufacturing facilities around the world. Multinationals that can no longer rely on sheer size and geographic reach […] -
The Next Supply-Chain Challenge Isn't a Shortage - It's Inventory Glut
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleStrategies for reducing excess inventory, stemming the rate of inventory change, and preventing the situation from happening in the future. -
New Math Will Drive a U.S. Manufacturing Comeback
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleMaking the United States an even more attractive location for factories and investments is critical for the health of our nation. More domestic factories would help create more balanced trade flows and a more stable global economy. But company decisions on what and where to place production facilities, while influenced by many factors, ultimately depend […] -
The Human Costs of Manufacturing Reform
Operations and supply chain management Magazine ArticleIf there is anything more powerful than an idea whose time has come, it is one that is the product of wishful thinking. Ask any manager or management consultant what the related essentials of manufacturing reform are, and the answer will likely come back: a just-in-time approach to eliminating waste, rigorous statistical process control to […] -
Smart, Connected Mining
Technology & Operations VideoHow Joy Global's smart, connected heavy machinery optimizes mine performance and safety. -
The First Step to Fixing U.S. Manufacturing
The industry depends on small suppliers, and they’re struggling. -
Crate & Barrel Holdings CEO Janet Hayes on Navigating Turbulent Times for Retail
Business and society Digital ArticleConsumers’ tastes are changing fast, but one things remains: they value quality, value, and inspiration in their products.
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Cathay Pacific (B): Implementing an Integrated e-Freight Solution
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details This case is designed as the second part of a two-part case study on Cathay Pacific's cargo operations, but it can be used separately on a stand-alone... -
Evans Food
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In April 2014, Hector Guerra (GMP 16) was discussing his company's dilemma with his living group of the General Management Program (GMP) at the Harvard... -
Cataumet Boats, Inc.
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Jaime Giancola, an MBA student, has recently completed an operations management course in which aggregate production planning (APP) was one of the topics.... -
Skutis: Negotiating Production in China
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details In August 2015, a law student in Singapore came up with the idea for his first scooter when he needed a simple and economical mode of transport to get... -
Xedia and Silicon Valley Bank (A)
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details Xedia, a networking equipment manufacturer that helps provide high-speed Internet service for corporate clients through access routing, wants a bridge... -
Shanghai Interior Automotive Door System: Running a Manufacturing Operation in China
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Shanghai Inteva Automotive Door System Co. Ltd (formerly Shanghai Delphi) was a leading player in China's automotive component industry with a 30%market... -
Jupiter Bach: Committing to Sustainability (Abridged)
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The case documents the efforts by Lone Stubberup, Global Director of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE), to convert her employer to the highest... -
Executive Shirt Co., Inc.
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details The Executive Shirt Co. is contemplating a move into custom-made shirts. The company's general manager has charged two of his managers to come up with... -
Three Jays Corporation
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Brodie Arens is an MBA student and summer intern at Three Jays Corporation, a jam and jelly manufacturer in Michigan. Brodie's first assignment as an... -
Maestro Pizza (H): Making the Best of the Situation
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Maestro pizza opened its first store in 2013 after its founder, Khalid Al Omran, recognized an opportunity in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality pizza... -
Bergerac Systems: The Challenge of Backward Integration
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Bergerac Systems is a small, rapidly growing manufacturer of diagnostic instruments used in veterinary practices. The company introduced the OmniVue chemistry... -
Ti-Tech (A)
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details This case concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial titanium fabricator that recently has been plagued by poor deliveries... -
Barilla SpA (C)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Quincy Apparel (A)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Quincy Apparel designs, manufactures and sells work apparel for young professional women that offers the fit and feel of high-end brands at a lower price.... -
Production Processes
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Production processes typically consist of a complex mix of people, technology, and practices. If poorly conceived or mismanaged, these processes can burden... -
Barilla SpA (B)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Globalization of CEMEX
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details CEMEX is a Mexican company that has become a major international competitor in cement while maintaining a higher level of profitability than other, longer-established... -
Trendy fashion company: Sustainability in supply chain operations
Management Case Study11.95View Details The newly appointed Senior Vice President of Trendy needs to put its supply chain on a more sustainable footing for the future. Trendy is an imaginary... -
Soybean Production in Argentina: The Duhau Group
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The ongoing U.S.-China trade war had lifted South American soybean prices to 20% higher than the CBOT price. Domestically, a severe drought had undermined... -
Production I.G: Challenging the Status Quo
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In July 2006, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa wondered how he could further enhance the success and visibility of his animation production company headquartered in...
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Washington Must Help the U.S. Regain the Lead in Manufacturing
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleThe federal government can and should play a much bigger role in helping American companies regain the lead in manufacturing. We need to invest a commensurate amount of federal R&D dollars in advanced manufacturing technologies as we do in other areas of science, technology, and engineering. The last administration created an assistant secretary for manufacturing […] -
Go Downstream: The New Profit Imperative in Manufacturing
Business models Magazine ArticleNow that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain. -
Cathay Pacific (B): Implementing an Integrated e-Freight Solution
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details This case is designed as the second part of a two-part case study on Cathay Pacific's cargo operations, but it can be used separately on a stand-alone... -
Pain in the (Supply) Chain (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIt's the end of the quarter, and the sales staff at Exceso Corp. is scrambling to meet CEO R. Foley Vinton's overheated 9% sales target. Sure, the sales... -
Evans Food
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In April 2014, Hector Guerra (GMP 16) was discussing his company's dilemma with his living group of the General Management Program (GMP) at the Harvard... -
Cataumet Boats, Inc.
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Jaime Giancola, an MBA student, has recently completed an operations management course in which aggregate production planning (APP) was one of the topics.... -
Skutis: Negotiating Production in China
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details In August 2015, a law student in Singapore came up with the idea for his first scooter when he needed a simple and economical mode of transport to get... -
Xedia and Silicon Valley Bank (A)
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details Xedia, a networking equipment manufacturer that helps provide high-speed Internet service for corporate clients through access routing, wants a bridge... -
Shanghai Interior Automotive Door System: Running a Manufacturing Operation in China
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Shanghai Inteva Automotive Door System Co. Ltd (formerly Shanghai Delphi) was a leading player in China's automotive component industry with a 30%market... -
Jupiter Bach: Committing to Sustainability (Abridged)
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The case documents the efforts by Lone Stubberup, Global Director of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE), to convert her employer to the highest...