Redesigning international manufacturing and logistics structures

Presents a design method aimed at supporting managers in decisions regarding the (re)design of international manufacturing and logistics structures. The heart of this method consists of analyses to determine the combined impact of changes in the location and annual capacity of a multinational’s manufacturing plants. The proposed design method was applied in five case studies, covering various problem types in the field of international manufacturing and logistics. Reveals that the participating managers appreciated the results obtained by the systematic, mainly quantitative, analyses of variations of both plant location and annual plant capacity. These results provided valuable insights into the participating firms’ sensitivity to international competition. Concludes that the design method is a useful tool to support strategic decision making on international manufacturing and logistics issues.