Is Digital Transformation Equally Attractive to All Manufacturers? Contextualizing the Operational and Customer Benefits of Smart Manufacturing

M. Opazo-Basáez, F. Vendrell-Herrero, O.F. Bustinza, Y. Vaillant and Josip Marić ()
Additional contact information
M. Opazo-Basáez: DEUSTO - Universidad de Deusto
F. Vendrell-Herrero: The University of Edinburgh
O.F. Bustinza: UGR - Universidad de Granada = University of Granada
Y. Vaillant: TBS - Toulouse Business School
Josip Marić: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School

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Abstract: Purpose: The implementation of Smart Manufacturing (SM) is deemed a key enabler in the enhancement of manufacturing competitiveness and performance. Nevertheless, SM's repercussion on consumer perceptions and the contextualization of SM's performance-enhancement effects remain undetermined and have yet to be clarified. This study analyzes the effect of SM on operational and customer performance. Moreover, this study explores how these relationships change depending on a firm's geography of production (i.e. national/local vs transnational operations) and the relational arrangement adopted (i.e. service-oriented vs transaction-oriented manufacturers). Design/methodology/approach: This research surveys 351 Spanish manufacturing firms operating in an SM environment. The theoretical framework comprises a Multiple-Indicators Multiple-Causes (MIMIC) model and is tested using a Generalized Structural Equations Model. Findings: The results obtained substantiate the positive effect of SM implementation on both of the performance measures analyzed (i.e. operational and customer focused). Moreover, the study reveals that while geography of production moderates the effect on a firm's operational performance, relational arrangement also does so in terms of customer performance. Originality/value: This research clearly differentiates the benefits of SM depending on business context. In this regard, transnational production firms tend to gain in operational performance while service-oriented manufacturers gain in customer performance. \textcopyright 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Keywords: Business performance; Digital transformation; Relational arrangement; Servitization; Smart manufacturing; Supply chain structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, 2023, 53 (4), pp.489--511. ⟨10.1108/IJPDLM-12-2021-0538⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04433897

DOI: 10.1108/IJPDLM-12-2021-0538

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