Publications

1994
Working Paper

Integrating Technical and Operating Knowledge: The Impact of Early Manufacturing Involvement on Process Development Performance

By: Gary P. Pisano

26 Jun 2015
News

U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China’s, and that’s a very big deal

January 2011
Case

AIC Netbooks: Optimizing Product Assembly

By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Sunru Yong

AIC Systems, located in Taichung, Taiwan, is a manufacturer of printed circuit boards, primarily for motherboards and video cards for personal computers. The firm is considered an original design manufacturer (ODM) and takes an active role in innovating and designing... View Details

Keywords: Performance Management; Quantitative Analysis; Manufacturing; Production Planning; Production Management; Diversification; Production; Performance Efficiency; Product Design; Performance Improvement; Mobile Technology; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Taiwan

02 Mar 2020
News

Cheese Whiz

At Specialty Cheese Co. in Reeseville, Wisconsin, founder Paul Scharfman (MBA 1979) heads up a company that makes one of the state’s best-known exports: cheese. But as its name suggests, Specialty’s 250 employees manufacture products more... View Details

Keywords: manufacturing; labor; innovation; cheese; Food Manufacturing; Food Manufacturing

23 Feb 2017
News

Alcan CEO Remembered

Keywords: manufacturing; Alcan; obituary; leadership; Manufacturing

December 2019
Teaching Note

Hony Capital and Jushi Group

By: Josh Lerner, Shai Bernstein and Ann Leamon

Teaching Note for HBS No. 820-040. View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Investing; Manufacturing; Private Equity; Asset Management; Investment; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Finance; China; United States

February 2013 (Revised March 2015)
Case

The LEGO Group: Publish or Protect?

By: Willy C. Shih and Sen Chai

Senior managers at the LEGO Group are faced with a quandary: Should they patent inventions coming out of their manufacturing process development work, should they keep them as trade secrets, or should they publish them so that they would go into the public domain and... View Details

26 Jan 2021
News

Numbers Talk at Tesla

When Zachary Kirkhorn (MBA 2013) became CFO of Tesla in early 2019, few envied him. The electric carmaker had just reduced headcount by 7 percent. Tesla needed to cut costs and its vehicle prices to avoid bankruptcy, CEO Elon Musk told analysts. Then longtime finance... View Details

Keywords: finance; automotive; manufacturing; innovation; Manufacturing

Summer 2018
Article

Why High-Tech Commoditization Is Accelerating

By: Willy C. Shih

Knowledge embedded within state-of-the-art production and design tools is a powerful force that is leveling the global technology playing field. It democratizes innovation and makes future competition more challenging. This paper describes the knowledge flows through... View Details

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November 2018
Case

Komatsu Komtrax: Asset Tracking Meets Demand Forecasting

By: Willy Shih, Paul Hong and YoungWon Park

Komatsu's Komtrax system started as a way of remotely monitoring and tracking equipment for the purpose of improving operational efficiency. This case follows its evolution towards other uses including demand forecasting for its sales, marketing, and production... View Details

Keywords: Big Data; Manufacturing; Manufacturing Industry; Data Strategy; Internet Of Things; Construction; Production; Analytics and Data Science; Strategy; Performance Efficiency; Forecasting and Prediction; Industrial Products Industry; Construction Industry; Japan

March–April 2024
Article

Case Study: Navigating Labor Unrest

By: Jorge Tamayo

Paulo Ferreira, the president of Luna Brazil, has an ambitious plan to turn around the dismal performance of the plant he oversees in Campinas. The wrinkle is, he needs the buy-in of the powerful local union, which is still smarting from a 10-year-old labor conflict... View Details

Keywords: Strategy And Execution; Layoffs; Manufacturing; Labor and Management Relations; Labor Unions; Negotiation Tactics; Conflict and Resolution; Performance Improvement; Corporate Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Brazil

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June 2010
Supplement

FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand, Spreadsheet Supplement for Instructors (Brief Case)

By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario

Keywords: Manufacturing; Production Capacity; Production Scheduling; Risk Management; Production; Performance Capacity; Manufacturing Industry

26 Mar 2017
News

The Importance of Being Indispensable

Keywords: manufacturing; career paths; Executive Education; Machinery Manufacturing; Machinery Manufacturing

May 2011
Case

The Morrison Company

By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Paul Meyers

The Morrison Company develops and manufactures radio frequency identification tags (RFID) known as smart labels for the retail and pharmaceutical industries. RFID technology is a fast-growing and increasingly competitive industry. Sales have risen dramatically over the... View Details

Keywords: Quantitative Analysis; Technology; Operations Management; Product Lines; Manufacturing; Capacity Planning; Production Planning; Information Technology; Strategy; Production; Organizational Structure; Infrastructure; Product Development; Information Infrastructure; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry

22 Feb 2022
News

Picture This

importance of capturing these moments: As CEO of Shutterfly, she leads a 23-year-old company that got its start making photo prints of life’s memorable moments. But it also pioneered the process of turning digital images into physical mementoes, View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; leadership; manufacturing; acquisitions; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Miscellaneous Manufacturing

December 2011
Teaching Note

Bergerac Systems: The Challenge of Backward Integration (Brief Case)

By: David A. Garvin and Sunru Yong

Teaching Note for Product # 4381 View Details

Keywords: Financial Analysis; Manufacturing Strategy; Strategy; Production; Analysis; Supply Chain Management; Vertical Integration; Finance

2011
Case

Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes: Transforming the Management Control System in Time of Crisis

By: Ning Jia, F. Warren McFarlan and Xiaohui Li

Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes Co. is a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) that manufactures cast pipe products and steel products. The company had grown to become a dominant player in the ductile iron pipe industry, holding more than 40% domestic market share and nearly... View Details

Keywords: Control Systems; Cost Centers; Manufacturing; Profit Centers; China

November 2017
Case

The Digital Factory – Siemens: Electronic Works Amberg

By: Rajiv Lal and Scott F. Johnson

The Electronic Works Amberg (EWA) was Siemens' most advanced factory. The plant built industrial automation equipment using state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. Siemens was considering creating a consulting business for its manufacturing clients. Given the EWA's... View Details

Keywords: Siemens; Internet Of Things; Industrie 4.0; Manufacturing; Consulting; Digital Factory; Ewa; Amberg; Electronic Works Amberg; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Internet and the Web; Production; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Germany