Transforming

knowledge

into action

Purposes of the GMR Our goal at Cranfield School of Management is to focus on the challenges faced by practitioners in both manufacturing and services in the UK. It is our experience that sharing of ideas and discovering best practice can often prove beneficial to those with common problems. With this aim we have developed a round table of manufacturing companies, comprised of senior managers from several UK blue chip companies. What does the GMR offer? The members of the GMR form a consortium of organisations with a common purpose to ensure that their manufacturing strategies deliver maximum competitive advantage. The member organisations play an important role in helping to formulate and direct the programme of research to address current and emerging issues and opportunities in manufacturing. Whilst the main value to organisations results from involvement in the research projects, members also benefit from the opportunity to: • Keep up to date with the latest research findings

and new ideas • Obtain all results from exploratory research work • Gain advantage through early application of new

approaches • Share ideas and learn from other GMR members • Access an international network of business and

manufacturing academics • Take advantage of research-based advisory

services to utilise the research results Recent Research The Cranfield Operations Management Research Centre has a reputation for the quality of its teaching and the industrial relevance of its research. The Centre has recently carried out research in the following areas: Strategic Global Manufacturing Management Study Today’s dynamic global market place requires manufacturing companies to evaluate how they strategically manage their network of factories to

ensure they remain competitive. The study examined how international manufacturing operations were managed. The research indicates that the strategic management of international operations is still an emerging practice. To improve competitiveness in the global economy, European-based businesses need to co-ordinate the operations performed within their networks so that the network performance is greater that that achieved by the combination of the performance of individual plants. The findings of the research have suggested a pragmatic methodology for the achievement of the network management objective. Manufacturing Flexibility - a survey A study has been carried out of the strategies that manufacturing companies have used to make their factories more flexible, in order to satisfy unpredictable fluctuations in customer demand. Particular results of the study include: • What companies have done to become more

flexible • Which strategies proved especially flexible • Which actions failed to deliver the expected

improvement Improving New Product Introduction into Manufacturing Facility We recently investigated New Product Introduction (NPI), specifically looking at the transfer of a new product design from R&D to manufacturing. The aim of the research was to uncover the enablers and inhibitors in NPI and also best practices used by successful companies.

GLOBAL

MANUFACTURING ROUNDTABLE

RESEARCH

ADDRESSING the challenges faced by practitioners in BOTH manufacturing and services in the UK

Rev. 05/13

Manufacturing Flexibility – Cranfield’s Road Map Most companies in the UK are experiencing a continuous need to extend their product range to remain competitive. As a consequence, this strategy inevitably increases the complexity of the manufacturing management task. The research was focused on developing a road map to increase the manufacturing flexibility of a factory and to address the potential problem of increased manufacturing management complexity. Survey on the Strategic Role of UK Manufacturing Operations A report based on a survey of some of the UK’s biggest manufacturing plants has revealed that manufacturers are moving away from competing on price and towards offering customisation and additional services. If you would like to receive a copy of this report, please email Maggie Bridge at m.bridge@cranfield.ac.uk. Current Research Sustaining Improvement Initiatives Some manufacturers start major improvement initiatives and find that, after a period of success, they start to lose momentum; yet there are organisations that have successfully sustained their improvement initiatives over the medium term and have been able to deliver higher productivity and improved quality. We are currently investigating how successful organisations have been able to sustain improvement initiatives. Our investigation examines both the management and process related factors; the outcome of the research will be to determine what are the key enablers and inhibitors of sustainability. Future Research The Effective Transfer of Best Practices between an Organisation’s Manufacturing Sites This study is concerned with the transfer of best practices that an organisation has found to be useful within one plant and wants to apply at another location. The research will examine how successful organisations have been able to transfer best practice between globally dispersed production units. It will examine the approach these firms have adopted and how they overcame the barriers to successful transfer. To learn more about the GMR and its research programmes, please contact: Dr Marek Szwejczewski Director, Global Manufacturing Roundtable Cranfield School of Management Cranfield, Bedford MK43 0AL Tel: 01234 754498 (direct) Email: m.g.szwejczewski@cranfield.ac.uk

“I always find the debate and the understanding of other club members very useful in stimulating my thoughts. The networking opportunities arising from the meetings are also enjoyable. As a club member, we were given the opportunity to be closely involved in a project which looked at factory ‘charters’. This provided us with a better understanding of our circumstances and whilst not a direct driver, much of the learning from this was drawn on during our recent capacity reduction due to the current economic climate. It is certainly invaluable to be directly involved in a specific research project and to be gaining impartial, often quite challenging, feedback from the Cranfield team.” Neil Runkee Operations Director, Landscape Products Marshalls plc Recently inspired by: For me, Sanitec and Tetley were particularly interesting. Mike Sweeney is always interesting as he is able to make the information very engaging and to relate it to his own understanding and experience. GMR Members enjoy: • Free attendance for up to 6 (six) delegates at all

Global Manufacturing Strategy Roundtable meetings held each year, to be hosted by Cranfield School of Management.

• Input to defining future research objectives and priorities.

• Receipt of up to 2 (two) copies of all reports on research carried out on behalf of the Roundtable.

• Free attendance for up to 4 (four) delegates at two improvement workshops to be held during the year.

• 25% off ALL Specialist Open Programmes (Applies to ALL employees within a Global Manufacturing Roundtable member organisation).

• Membership to the Cranfield School of Management International Alumni network for 1 (one) nominated contact within the member organisation. This includes: o Subscription to Alumni Focus, the 6-monthly

magazine which includes research and expertise, Alumni stories, and news and events from across the globe.

o Choice of communications from Cranfield School of Management – including news and events within geographical regions worldwide.

o Option to be included in the Alumni Business Directory and search functions.

o Invitation to Alumni Symposia, held at Cranfield annually.