Developing a Make or Buy Strategy for Manufacturing Business

How can a company decide where to concentrate its expertise? Why are some companies better at exploiting their strengths than others? Is there a link between the range of a company's activities and its success and profitability?

These are just some of the questions at the heart of a make or buy strategy for manufacturing business. Most companies will face issues such as these at some time or other, and in resolving them will determine the future shape of the business - for better or worse.

Based on original research and case experience, this book presents a structured approach to making these important decisions. By drawing on the collective knowledge of people in the company, a make or buy strategy can be developed which focuses manufacturing capability on the factors critical to business success.

The key aspects covered include:

• the links between business strategy, vertical integration in manufacturing industry, and business performance;
• why a make or buy strategy is central to manufacturing capability and business results;
• the difference between strategic, tactical and component make or buy issues;
• the best practice approach to make or buy decisions;
• what is involved in developing an optimal make or buy strategy for a business;
• how to apply the approach to your own business.

The book is aimed at directors and managers from manufacturing companies concerned with developing their capabilities and focusing their strengths, but many other people in manufacturing, finance, engineering, purchasing and service operations will find something of value in this book.

David Probert developed the approach described in this book while he was a Royal Academy of Engineering/Lucas Industries Research Fellow in the Manufacturing Engineering Group at the University of Cambridge Currently lecturing in the Engineering Department, he works with the DTI, the engineering institutions and industry associations to bring the ideas to a wide practical application. His experience covers a range of industrial engineering and management disciplines in the UK and overseas.