Generic Manufacturing Strategies

The purpose of this article is to suggest a means for the development of a vision for the management of the alignment or the realignment of the competitive and manufacturing strategies of a business. The content of the article includes the description of a theoretical framework for this purpose. Four types of generic manufacturing capabilities are defined. These consist of the high efficiency or caretaker manufacturing strategy, the high product variety or marketeer manufacturing strategy, the high product and process innovation or innovator manufacturing strategy and the high flexibility and fast response or reorganizer manufacturing strategy. How each of these manufacturing strategies need to be restructured to evolve into an alternative generic manufacturing strategy is graphically illustrated. The article also includes definitions of the key structural and infrastructural elements that collectively determine the manufacturing capabilities of a firm. How these differ between a national and international manufacturing strategy is also described. Keywords: generic manufacturing strategies; manufacturing capabilities; manufacturing infrastructure; manufacturing structure