Global Production Networks

The phenomenon of globalization has increased in recent decades due to the opening of borders in Eastern Europe and the sudden emergence of other countries in the global trade economy. Yet, the process of becoming global to get access to growing markets or to achieve quality, service, and/or cost advantages from the reconfigured Value Chains is one of the most complex processes that companies undertake. Global Production Networks: Operations Design and Management addresses the challenges that companies face and proposes a range of innovative methodological approaches when designing and implementing global manufacturing and logistics networks. The book provides principles, tools, and techniques to help managers and practitioners tackle the design and management of global manufacturing and logistics networks. It presents guidelines based on the key activities and decisions of operations management for companies that have begun the internationalization process over the past few years, focusing on small and medium enterprises, and includes case studies that show best practices and recent trends. The author has worked closely with researchers and practitioners throughout the world to offer a methodological answer for the analysis and design of global networks with productive multilocation as well as the design of plants, warehouses, and supplier networks in new international contexts. The text also outlines the GlobOpe (Global Operations) framework and roadmap that outlines a logical path to identifying sources of competitiveness when designing and managing Global Production Networks. The process of internationalization in global markets has often been tackled from the business point of view, but rarely from the perspective of the production and logistics systems that support it. This book takes an in-depth look at the strategy of production and logistics operations, providing a roadmap for managers who need to analyze, assess, define, and deploy the operations strategy in their companies.