Strategic paradigms for manufacturing management: identification, prescription and cases study in the shoes industry

Abstract

Strategic Paradigms for Manufacturing Management (SPMM) are strategic, integrated and market-driven management models, which guide companies to accomplish specific goals. The SPMM attended in this paper are: Current Mass Manufacturing (CMM), Lean Manufacturing (LM), Responsive Manufacturing (RM), Mass Customization (MC) and Agile Manufacturing (AM). Due to such diversity this paper proposes a method to identify the SPMM being used in a company and the most suitable SPMM. Moreover the method proposed is also useful to: evaluate and improve the integration degree between strategies and operation in manufacturing; point out companies without strategic focus; show mistakes in the company strategic attitude; help companies to choose tools, methodologies and technologies according to their strategic goals. The method proposed is illustrated in a multiple case study in the Brazilian shoes industry.