A product-process approach for development of the manufacturing footprint

This paper explores the concept of manufacturing footprint from a product-process approach. The paper starts with a brief introduction followed by a literature review aimed at classifying and clarifying the concept of manufacturing footprint from different perspectives. A comprehensive case study elaborating the development and establishment of various manufacturing facilities of a Danish pump manufacturer is then described. The discussion from the case leads to the conclusion that developing new manufacturing facilities can be explained using existing theories of manufacturing strategy. However due to ever changing global business environment there are certain other external factors that act as drivers for the manufacturing facility development process and therefore should be given considerable importance as they play a major role in defining the future footprint of a manufacturing organisation.