MANUFACTURING STRATEGY AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS

Manufacturing strategy is an often overlooked aspect of strategic planning in organizations. However, as this article illustrates, firms must move from departmental optimization toward overall organization optimization using a system's approach to best utilize the manufacturing benefits for global competitive success. While the ideas are not new, management continually needs a reminder of the potential of manufacturing to strengthen an organization's competitive ability. Specific examples of integrating manufacturing and the possible positive results are presented. Avenues for future research are also discussed.