Young high-tech companies
face many difficult decisions as they try
to ensure their survival and growth. One
of these key decisions involves manufacturing
– whether to produce themselves, develop
some limited production capability, or go
the route of licensing. Such decisions are
complicated and must be faced as prototypes
are developed, one-offs are produced or
the company engages in mass production.
Over the past year the Institute for Manufacturing
(IfM), supported by the Greater Cambridge
Partnership (GCP) and the East of England
Development Agency (EEDA), has been working
with growing companies at various stages
of development in the Cambridge region to
investigate the decisions that they make
and to provide case study examples on manufacturing
decisions for growing high-tech companies.
The following pages present the results
of the project, highlighting the strategic
issues that the companies face, the decisions
they have taken and the reasons behind those
decisions. Companies’ manufacturing
strategies have been mapped onto an extended
value chain model and case studies have
been grouped under the types of production
they involve.
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