Flexibility: The next competitive battle the manufacturing futures survey

TLDR

A yearly survey conducted over the past four years by INSEAD, Boston University, and Waseda University has examined the manufacturing strategies of large firms in the three industrialized regions. This paper compares the 1986 survey results. The 1986 survey shows Japanese manufacturers prioritizing flexibility to balance cost efficiency, whereas European and North American firms focus on traditional cost‑reduction and quality improvement, indicating Japan’s lead in flexible automation.

Abstract

Abstract Over the past 4 years research teams from INSEAD (Fontainebleau), Boston University and Waseda University (Tokyo) have administered a yearly survey on the manufacturing strategy of the large manufacturers of the three industrialized regions of the world. In this paper the results for the 1986 survey are compared. One of the most striking results of that year's survey is the emphasis some of the more advanced manufacturers put on their efforts to overcome the trade‐off between flexibility and cost efficiency. In particular for the Japanese respondents these attempts become clear. Europeans and North Americans are not yet seizing the opportunity to cut costs through rapid production and design changes, and are focusing more on traditional cost reduction programmes and the improvement of quality. This might mean that they are preparing the basis on which they can built to obtain added value from flexible automation. If this is the case then the Japanese are clearly ahead.