 Matching strategies in car assembly: the BMW-Rover-Toyota complexDan Coffey International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2005, vol. 5, issue 3, 320-335 Abstract: This paper considers a case in which an attempt to organise a Toyota-like production regime proved to be a poor choice for an assembler seeking to evolve a model platform that would be marketed on the basis of customisation and build-to-order. The case analysis throws light on a specific phase in the history of the British car industry, but more generally it offers a basis for reconsidering the associations often made between 'flexibility' in assembly, and the defining characteristics of a Toyota-like system. The paper argues that the literature on car assembly has become desensitised to the need for careful strategic matching between marketing objectives and product supply policies because of a misdirected assumption that Japanese assemblers are flexible-assemblers. It develops this point in the context of an analysis of scheduling lock-ins and customer lead times in mixed-model assembly, illustrated by comparative assembly data. Keywords: case studies; market strategy; product supply; strategic matching; UK automobile industry; automotive assembly; Toyota production system; customisation; build-to-order; flexibility; marketing objectives; flexible assembly; scheduling lock-ins; customer lead times; mixed-model assembly; BMW; manufacturing strategy. (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijatma:v:5:y:2005:i:3:p:320-335 Access Statistics for this article More articles in International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd |
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