Michael Wiech

Purpose This paper sets out to identify barriers to intra-network exchange within international manufacturing networks (IMNs) from the micro-level perspective of key actors at the plant level, namely, plant leaders. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through interviews with 12 plant leaders from nine different firms operating in at least three geographically dispersed manufacturing facilities. Findings Six partially interrelated barriers to intra-network exchange were identified. First, there are a lack of resources, network strategies, plant overlap and individual-level ties between plant leaders. Furthermore, this study shows that the pronounced local focus of plant leaders, fierce inter-plant competition and falsely designed incentives constitute barriers to inter-plant exchange. The results underline the need for network management to consider the individual-level perspective when designing rules and policies for IMNs. Research limitations/implications The generalisability of the results is limited by the sample, which consists of plant leaders from firms headquartered in German-speaking areas. Practical implications The findings indicate that network managers should consider the interests and concerns of plant leaders when trying to facilitate network thinking. In addition to delayering the overall IMN into distinct subnetworks of peer plants, network managers should set clear and openly communicated objectives in a mission for each subnetwork that also points to inter-plant exchange and provides the resources for such activities. Practitioners should also apply shared objectives for plant leaders and promote individual-level ties between them to benefit from intra-network exchange. Originality/value By analysing the perceptions of plant leaders, this study sheds light on the individual level of global operations, which has been neglected in research on IMNs to date.

Management and design of International Manufacturing Networks (IMN) is becoming an increasingly complex but at the same time important factor for business success. Our research encounters the lack of tools and methods supporting managers in the process of network adaption by providing a portfolio perspective on intra-manufacturing networks. Through an extensive literature analysis and practical input, we derived an artefact with financial performance and strategic performance as relevant dimensions. The case of an automotive supplying company operating more than 40 plants proves the proposed portfolio as applicable and validates that it is a valuable management support framework.

This article investigates a potential application of low cost computer hardware and open source software in machining areas of Learning Factories. Based on the implementation of an optical object detection to discover human errors in the setup process of a milling machine, the paper presents an example of how value stream improvements in Learning Factories can be achieved by student projects. Therefore, the process of identifying possible solutions which are suitable for solving a problem in the value stream of a Learning Factory is described. In the presented case, this is an IT-solution to establish a Poka-Yoke system for depositing a work piece in a milling machine correctly. A solution, which uses a Raspberry Pi, is developed and integrated in the process. Furthermore, the ability of low cost hardware components and simple algorithms resting upon freely available software libraries to fulfil the requirements of modern manufacturing is demonstrated. Finally, this study illustrates that the implementation of in-house low cost digitalization rather rests on a profound understanding of the affected manufacturing process than on previous knowledge of programming or electronics