Purpose

This paper explores growth opportunities for a contract manufacturer (CM), which operates a global virtual manufacturing network (GVMN). The Swiss factory should play a profitable role in the holding's competitive strategy, in spite of lower-cost alternatives within its network.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied a design science method over a period of two years of collaboration with the partner firm to complete three iterations of solution incubation and refinement.

Findings

The design artefact is a growth strategy for a CM with independently-managed, heterogeneous sites. A novel capability mapping tool reveals competitive advantage by deploying the GVMN as an order fulfilment system. Engineering and sales are integrated with production to project higher revenue streams in multiple locations including Switzerland.

Research limitations/implications

The research expands the operations management (OM) focus on optimization and continuous improvement. Results indicate that local and global manufacturing capabilities can be configured to target network performance, implying that the smile curve flattens in certain GVMN configurations. The exploratory case study is limited by a lack of statistical generalizability and is specific to the contract electronics manufacturing industry.

Practical implications

Managing manufacturing as a network can restore feed-forward and feedback loops, which are disrupted by de-verticalization and externalization. The visualization positions a Swiss plant in an inimitable role, serving growth accounts, which require co-development. The order fulfilment strategy and capability maps can be adapted to other GVMNs.

Social implications

The study presents an alternative to shuttering high-cost locations using performance improvements instead of protectionist interventions. This could have a material impact on de-industrialization in developed nations like Switzerland.

Originality/value

The strategy innovation originates in practice. Its synthesis drew on multiple disciplines to position OM as a strategic lever for competing in global value chains (GVCs). The author finds alternatives to the internationalization logic of cost arbitrage and adds to developed country studies. This is an OM contribution to the broader debate on globalization dominated by the social sciences.

中文翻译：

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能力映射以改善制造网络性能：工厂如何实现增长目标

目的

本文探讨了运营全球虚拟制造网络（GVMN）的合同制造商（CM）的增长机会。尽管其网络内的替代品成本较低，但瑞士工厂仍应在控股公司的竞争战略中发挥有利可图的作用。

设计/方法/方法

该研究在与合作伙伴公司的两年合作中应用了一种设计科学方法，以完成解决方案孵化和优化的三个迭代。

发现

对于具有独立管理的异构站点的CM，设计伪影是一种增长策略。一种新颖的功能映射工具通过将GVMN部署为订单履行系统来展现竞争优势。工程和销售与生产相结合，以在包括瑞士在内的多个地点预测更高的收入来源。

研究局限/意义

该研究扩展了运营管理（OM）的重点，以优化和持续改进。结果表明，可以将本地和全球制造能力配置为以网络性能为目标，这意味着在某些GVMN配置中微笑曲线趋于平坦。探索性案例研究由于缺乏统计通用性而受到限制，并且特定于合同电子制造行业。

实际影响

通过网络管理制造可以恢复前馈和反馈回路，这些回路会因去垂直化和外部化而中断。可视化将瑞士工厂定位为独一无二的工厂，服务于需要共同开发的增长账户。订单履行策略和功能图可适用于其他GVMN。

社会影响

该研究提出了一种替代方案，即通过提高绩效而不是贸易保护主义干预来关闭高成本的地区。这可能会对像瑞士这样的发达国家的去工业化产生重大影响。

创意/价值

战略创新源于实践。它的综合利用了多个学科，从而将OM定位为在全球价值链（GVC）中竞争的战略杠杆。作者找到了成本套利国际化逻辑的替代方法，并增加了发达国家的研究。这是OM对以社会科学为主导的关于全球化的更广泛辩论的贡献。