Aims

Drawing on practical transfer experience, this project seeks to:

• identify the key issues that determine and affect manufacturing mobility;
• within this framework, develop practical tools to aid manufacturing transfers, in particular techniques to assess the 'fit' between the parties involved; and
• construct and refine a practical approach to the transfer process as a whole that will be of use in a range of industry sectors.

Background

In the face of growing international competition, traditional patterns of home manufacture and export are increasingly being replaced by international networks of manufacturing capacity.

Even if individual firms are not themselves organised internationally, they are increasingly likely to need to be able to understand and operate within the global networks established by their customers. Whatever the case, assessment of the capabilities of potential transferring and receiving sites, and the ability to move products between them swiftly and reliably- i.e. manufacturing mobility - will be fundamental to successful operation of the emerging networks.

Traditionally, the strategic assessment of potential manufacturing transfers concentrates on financial and legal (contractual) issues alone. This analysis is frequently static and based only on a limited range of variables, such as the cost of a single factor. At the outset, considerably less emphasis is placed on the alignment between potential partners' manufacturing capabilities, or the identification of possible difficulties arising from the technological and manufacturing systems in use.

The key determinants of the capability to quickly and effectively move production between dispersed manufacturing sites are not fully understood. Likewise, the transfer process itself receives little more than anecdotal treatment. Practical expertise is often locked in the minds of project mangers rather than codified in any form which can be relied on to be repeated consistently.

Research approach

Information has been gathered from observation of a number of international transfers of production technology. The outputs from this project include:

• A database of experience captured from internationl manufacturing transfers.
• A range of working papers, journal papers and conference papers from each stage of the project.
• Tools and techniques to assist companies in the development of international manufacturing networks.

Sponsors and Collaborators

• Northern Telecom
• Celestica
• APV Baker Limited
• EPSRC

Researchers

Yongjiang Shi E: ys@eng.cam.ac.uk

Publications

Conference papers

• Steele, A.P., 1995, "Manufacturing Mobility: Learning from international transfers of manufacturing", paper presented at the 3rd International Manufacturing Workshop, Cambridge University Engineering Department.
• Grant, E.B., and Steele, A.P., 1995, "International Manufacturing Transfer: Linking content and process", paper presented at the International Conference on Advanced Manufacturing (ICAM'95), University of Sunderland, 11-13 September.
• Gregory, M.J., Steele, A.P., Shi, Y., Grant, E.B., 1996, "International manufacturing capabilities: A framework to support their assessment, development and deployment", paper presented at the 3rd International Conference of the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA), London, 2-4 June.
• Saldivar-Sali, C.D., 1996, "Instances of Chinese Regulations Affecting Foreign Enterprise Manufacturing Strategies", paper presented at the 3rd International Conference of the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA), London, 2-4 June.
• Grant, E. B., Minshall, T.H.W., Gregory, M. J., Probert, D. P., & Steele, A. P., 1997, "Development of a manufacturing transfer process", Paper submitted to the 14th International Conference on Production Research, 4-7th August, Osaka, Japan.
• Minshall, T.H.W., Gregory, M.J., and Shi, Y., 1997, "International manufacturing networks", 12th UK Japan High Technology Industry Forum, Kobe, Japan.
• Minshall, T.H.W., 1997, "The 'hollowing-out' of Japanese manufacturing", paper presented at the Asia Pacific Technology Seminar, UK Japan High Technology Industry Forum, Royal Institute of International Affairs, London.
• Minshall, T.H.W., Chai, K-H., and Gregory, M.J., 1998, "International manufacturing strategy implementation: Building capability for international manufacturing transfers", paper submitted to the International Symposium on Manufacturing Strategy (ISMS'98), Waseda University, Japan.

Working Papers, Journal Papers, Reports and Proceedings

• Grant, E.B., and Steele, A.P., 1995, "International manufacturing transfers: Linking content and process.", Manufacturing Engineering Group Working Paper Number 95/14, University of Cambridge.
• Steele, A.P., Grant, E.B., Gregory, M.J., and Buckley, C., 1995, "International manufacturing transfer: Developing a framework from empirical evidence", Manufacturing Engineering Group Working Paper Number 95/15, University of Cambridge.
• Saldivar-Sali, C.D., 1996, "Country Characteristics: Inputs to Manufacturing Decisions", Manufacturing Engineering Group Working Paper, University of Cambridge.
• Steele, A.P., (Editor). 1996, "The Development of Manufacturing Capability in South East Asia", Report of the OSTEMS/DTI Mission to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, University of Cambridge.
• Grant, E.B., and Gregory, M.J., (Editors), 1996, "Collected papers and summary of the EPSRC International Manufacturing Research Workshop 1996", Manufacturing Engineering Group, University of Cambridge.
• Grant, E.B., 1997, "Adapting Manufacturing Systems for International Transfer", International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 17, 10.
• Minshall, T.H.W., 1997, "Is Japan 'hollowing-out' its high technology manufacturing base?", Report for the International Technology Service, Department of Trade and Industry.
• Grant, E. B., & Gregory, M. J., 1997, "Tacit knowledge, the life cycle and international manufacturing transfer", in Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, Volume 9, Number 2.
• Minshall, T.H.W., 1998, "The impact of the 'hollowing-out' of Japanese domestic manufacturing", paper accepted for publication in Euro-Japanese Journal, 6/98.
• Minshall, T.H.W., Grant, E.B., and Gregory, M.J., (Editors), 1997, "Proceedings of the International Manufacturing Research Symposium 28-30 September, 1997", Manufacturing Engineering Group, University of Cambridge.

Outputs formatted for industry use

• Steele, A.P., 1996, "Capability Profiling: A tool for partner selection", Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Grant, E.B., 1997, "Fitness for Transfer Workbook", Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Minshall, T.H.W., 1998, "Manufacturing Mobility Workbook", Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge. (Forthcoming).
• Minshall, T.H.W., 1998, "Database of international manufacturing transfers", HyperText database, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.

Documented case studies of international manufacturing transfers

• Steele, A.P., 1995, "D2D/Gtech: Transfer of Camelot Lottery Equipment", Case Study Report, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Steele, A.P., 1995, "APV Baker: Transfer of '540' biscuit line.", Case Study Report, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Steele, A.P., 1996, "Eurotherm Controls: Internal transfer of 90 Series and 900EPC Series Controllers between the USA and UK.", Case Study Report, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Steele, A.P., 1996, "Nortel: Transfer of TN-1X/TN-16X Monkstown - Shenyang", Case Study Report, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Grant, E.B., 1996, "The transfer of pager manufacturing to India", Case Study Report, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Minshall, T.H.W., 1997, "SoftCo: The transfer of disk software duplicating equipment", Case Study Report, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge. Company confidential.
• Grant, E.B., 1997, "Data Connector and Powercord Manufacturing in the UK, US, Mexico and China", Case Study Report, Centre for International Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.