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The right manufacturing technology at the right time can enable an organisation to produce products that are cheaper, better, and made faster than those of the competition. Paradoxically, the wrong technology, or even the right technology poorly implemented, can be disastrous. The decision process through which practitioners acquire manufacturing technologies can significantly impact on their eventual capabilities and performance. This complete process has unfortunately received limited attention in previous studies. Therefore, the work presented in this paper has investigated leading research and industrial practices to create a formal and rational decision process, and then evaluated this through an extended and in‐depth case study of a manufacturing technology acquisition. An analysis of previous literature, industrial practices, and the resulting decision process are all presented in this paper.

PurposeThere appears to be an ever‐insatiable demand from markets for organisations to improve their products and services. To meet this, there is a need to provide business process improvement (BPI) methodologies that are holistic, structured and procedural. Therefore, this paper describes research that has formed and tested a generic and practical methodology termed model‐based and integrated process improvement (MIPI) to support the implementation of BPI; and to validate its effectiveness in organisations. This methodology has been created as an aid for practitioners within organisations.Design/methodology/approachThe research objectives were achieved by: reviewing and analysing current methodologies, and selecting a few frameworks against key performance indicators. Using a refined Delphi approach and semi‐structured interview with the "experts" in the field. Intervention, case study and process research approach to evaluating a methodology.FindingsThe BPI methodology was successfully formed and applied by the researcher and directly by the companies involved against the criteria of feasibility, usability and usefulness.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper has demonstrated a new knowledge on how to systematically assess a BPI methodology in practice.Practical implicationsModel‐based and integrated process improvement methodology (MIPI) methodology offers the practitioner (experienced and novice) a set of step‐by‐step aids necessary to make informed, consistent and efficient changes to business processes.Originality/valueThe novelty of this research work is the creation of a holistic workbook‐based methodology with relevant tools and techniques. It extends the capabilities of existing methodologies.

This paper outlines, using evidence from several case studies, the use of alternative forms of manufacturing strategy processes. Our investigation shows that the manufacturing strategy development practices of manufacturers are evolving in many directions; we found several alternatives to the formal top‐down planning process. Manufacturers use one or more of the following alternatives with or without the top‐down manufacturing strategy process: a coherent pattern of actions; manufacturing/process improvement programs; or the pursuit of core manufacturing capabilities. It appears that the various manufacturing strategy development processes may be tied to the strategic role of manufacturing in a company. This paper offers a framework that captures the relationship between the strategic role of manufacturing and the process of manufacturing strategy development. An in‐depth case from a UK company illustrates the evolving forms of manufacturing strategy development processes.

According to researchers and managers, there is a lack of agreement between marketing and manufacturing managers on critical strategic issues. However, most of the literature on the subject is anecdotal and little formal empirical research has been done. Three companies are investigated to study the extent of agreement/disagreement between manufacturing and marketing managers on strategy content and process. A novel method permits the study of agreement between the two different functional managers on the process of developing strategy. The findings consistently show that manufacturing managers operate under a wider range of strategic priorities than marketing managers, and that manufacturing managers participate less than marketing managers in the strategy development process. Further, both marketing and manufacturing managers show higher involvement in the strategy development process in the latter stages of the Hayes and Wheelwright four‐stage model of manufacturing's strategic role.

SUMMARY -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- PART I: WHAT IS SERVITIZATION AND WHAT ARE ADVANCED SERVICES -- Chapter 2: Servitization, advanced services, and outcomes -- Chapter 3: Capturing value for advanced services -- Chapter 4: Organising to deliver advanced services -- PART II: WHY SERVITIZATION AND ADVANCED SERVICES ARE IMPORTANT -- Chapter 5: Broad Drivers -- PART III: HOW TO BRING ABOUT SERVITIZATION THROUGH THE INNOVATION OF ADVANCED SERVICES -- Chapter 6: Exploring the processes of servitizaiton -- Chapter 7: Managing the innovation of advanced services -- Chapter 8: Close.

This edited book intends to provide knowledge on tools and practices of servitization to facilitate the formulation and implementation of servitization-based strategies, service infusion and manufacturing service transition globally. Including 22 practically relevant contributions, this book aims to help scholars and practitioners seeking to facilitate servitization in companies through original perspectives and advanced thinking in related issues such as business models, strategic change, practices, processes, routines, value creation and appropriation. Employing practice theory as a useful frame, the contributions span theoretical approaches such as product-service systems, service science, services-dominant logic and cocreation, resource-based views, industrial organization and institutional theory. The book presents tools and frameworks to enable and support servitization and engender understanding of servitization-as-practice.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how the internet of things (IoT) contributes to manufacturers' advanced services development and delivery. To better understand the creation of these IoT contributions, the study adopts a socio-technical research perspective, which expands the scope of the investigation and integrates the technological, information and social factors that enable these IoT contributions.Design/methodology/approachA multiple-case research method was employed to investigate the IoT contribution scenarios of 15 manufacturers who offer advanced services and to examine their dependence on other non-IoT factors, using thematic analysis.FindingsThe analysis identified five advanced services value propositions, which are enabled by nine "IoT-enabled information systems (IS) artefacts" that specify the distinct interactions between the technological, information and social subsystems supporting the manufacturers' advanced services value propositions.Originality/valueThe study advances the servitisation research by demonstrating that IoT technology on its own is insufficient for the creation of the IoT contributions. It shows, instead, the need for close interactions with a diverse range of other factors, which are often not considered when developing an IoT strategy. The study also introduces the IS artefact notion as a unit of analysis that constitutes an alternative to the commonly adopted techno-centric perspective used to conceptualise IoT contributions. The study and its findings add to the development of a socio-technical perspective on the IoT in advanced services and thereby suggests a number of theoretical and practical implications.

PurposeThis paper reports the study of key success factors (KSFs) in the project management of the implementation of strategic manufacturing initiatives (SMIs).Design/methodology/approachIn order to gather the experience and knowledge of many industries, from different geographic locations, in a broad range of types and sizes of SMIs, a questionnaire‐based survey of practitioners worldwide was selected as the most appropriate research method among those available.FindingsThe identification of those tasks and activities that must be done well in order to succeed in the implementation of a SMI in practice.Practical implicationsPractitioners focusing their attention on the KSFs identified are more likely to succeed. Once these factors have been identified, the value of benchmarking project management methodologies then comes from drawing attention to those tasks that are key to the success of the implementation of SMIs.Originality/valueThe paper presents new thinking by bringing project management into the operations strategy implementation literature as an important mediating factor for success. In this context the factors that are required for successful implementation are identified.

R and D Management, Special Issue: Industry and International Aspects on R&D Management Funding: European Commission under the Horizon 2020 -MAKERS project: Smart Manufacturing for EU Growth and Prosperity, Spanish Government (grant nr. ECO2014-58472-R), Junta de Andalusia (grant nr. P11SEJ-792 7294) and EPSRC (grant nr. EP/K014064/1, EP/K014072/1 and EP/K014080/1) ; Treating the intersection of the strategic partnerships, R&D intensity and servitisation literatures, this study explores empirically whether external collaborative service development and provision and industrial R&D intensity help to unpack the complex relation between product-service innovation (servitisation) and performance. We argue that manufacturing firms implementing services benefit from strategic partnerships with Knowledge-Intensive Business Service (KIBS) firms. KIBS partnering provides opportunities for downsizing, externalising risks and sharing knowledge. Additionally, manufacturers in R&D-intensive industries are more likely to benefit from implementing service provision than firms in other sectors because of industry dynamics and reduced customer uncertainty. The study surveys executives in 370 large manufacturers worldwide. Results reinforce the importance of concentric strategic partnerships to successful product-service innovation in high R&D industries. ; authorsversion ; published