Managerial view on design for manufacturing

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a tangible example of organisational solutions in effective design for manufacturing (DfM) in a large information and communications technology (ICT) company.

Design/methodology/approach

An interview study was carried out in a leading ICT company to clarify the practical realisation of DfM, and the current challenges encountered. The interviews covered all the key persons involved in DfM and related processes, in a case company that has successfully applied DfM for over a decade.

Findings

The paper shows the importance of a separate management organisation for coordinating the requirements of internal functions. With relation to the case company, this organisation, in contrast to the literature, is located in production, not in product development. Despite the successful application of DfM, the case company still has challenges in exploitation of related data systems.

Research limitations/implications

This paper describes one of the top companies in its field. However, the obtained results could vary to some degree, should a wider set of companies be included in the study.

Practical implications

Managers of other companies could learn from this example at three levels: organisational solutions for DfM, its practical realisation, and the challenges encountered.

Originality/value

The existing literature is relatively scarce on organisational implications of DfM implementation. This paper identifies a functional organisational location, structure and practical realisation for effective DfM.

Citation

Mottonen, M., Harkonen, J., Belt, P., Haapasalo, H. and Simila, J. (2009), "Managerial view on design for manufacturing", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 109 No. 6, pp. 859-872. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570910968081