Strategic manufacturing planning: Examining the relationship between planning system design, manufacturing context, and planning effectiveness

As academics and practitioners alike recognize the importance of the manufacturing strategy, research in this area has increased. However, the focus of much of that research has been on the content of the manufacturing strategy rather than the process. Given the expectation that the process, like the content, will affect performance, the current research attempts to capture some important elements of the strategic manufacturing planning process. Findings based on empirical data from over 200 firms indicate that a strategic manufacturing planning system that is both "rational" and adaptive is associated with greater planing system success. Further, such a planning system is even more beneficial where the products or processes are changing rapidly or are heterogeneous.