Global Strategy
From the Archives: How to Reshore Manufacturing Successfully
Manufacturers thinking about bringing operations back to the U.S. need to weigh the challenges.
Manufacturing
Latest
Analytics & Business Intelligence
Monitor, Measure, Incentivize: Is Management as Simple as That?
Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom’s study of 30,000 firms identifies the practices common to well managed operations.
Nicholas Bloom (Stanford University), interviewed by Frieda Klotz
Executing Strategy
Why Learning Is Central to Sustained Innovation
Operational excellence requires cultivating an expectation for continuous improvement in all employees.
Michael Ballé, James Morgan, and Durward K. Sobek II
Climate Change
The Revolution Will Be Customized (and Recycled and Solar-Powered)
The new frontier of ultra sustainable manufacturing: solar-powered 3D printing.
Gregory Unruh
Global Strategy
The Perils of Attention From Headquarters
Visits from corporate headquarters to operations in markets such as China are often seen as unproductive.
Cyril Bouquet, Jean-Louis Barsoux and Orly Levy
Climate Change
Asia Pulp & Paper and Greenpeace: Building New Directions, Together
An unexpected partnership emerged when Asia Pulp negotiated with Greenpeace.
Aida Greenbury (Asia Pulp & Paper), interviewed by David Kiron
Global Strategy
What It Takes to Reshore Manufacturing Successfully
The process of bringing assembly work back to U.S. factories from abroad is more challenging than the economics would predict.
Willy C. Shih
Culture
What to Expect From a Corporate Lean Program
“Lean” programs can be powerful tools for improving performance – if managers know what to expect.
Torbjørn Netland and Kasra Ferdows
Climate Change
Recapturing Monozukuri in Toyota’s Manufacturing Ethos
Toyota returned to its focus on sustainable production practices after recall setbacks.
Keivan Zokaei, Hunter Lovins, Andy Wood and Peter Hines
Data & Data Culture
Overheard at MIT
It’s the early days of a data revolution — but even so, not every decision should be data-driven.
Reported by Bruce Posner
Executing Strategy
Rebuilding the Relationship Between Manufacturers and Retailers
Manufacturers can benefit by tailoring their approaches to a retailer’s specific business model.
Niraj Dawar and Jason Stornelli
Supply Chains & Logistics
When One Size Does Not Fit All
As a business diversifies, it may need more than one supply chain. Here’s how Dell did it.
David Simchi-Levi, Annette Clayton and Bruce Raven
Climate Change
Improving Environmental Performance in Your Chinese Supply Chain
Leading companies are working with their Chinese suppliers to improve environmental performance.
Erica Plambeck, Hau L. Lee and Pamela Yatsko
Global Strategy
Is It Time to Rethink Your Manufacturing Strategy?
For a decade, China was automatically the answer to many manufacturing questions. That’s changing.
David Simchi-Levi, James Paul Peruvankal, Narendra Mulani, Bill Read and John Ferreira
Innovation Strategy
The User Innovation Revolution
According to von Hippel, users are often the first source of new products.
Eric von Hippel (MIT Sloan School of Management), interviewed by Martha E. Mangelsdorf
Supply Chains & Logistics
What Happens When You Outsource Too Much?
Managers must understand which competencies they can safely outsource and which they should manage internally.
Francesco Zirpoli and Markus C. Becker
