Guest editorial

Citation

Beaumont, N. (2009), "Guest editorial", Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 20 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmtm.2009.06820faa.001

Guest editorial

Article Type: Guest editorial From: Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Volume 20, Issue 6

About the Guest EditorNicholas Beaumont works in the Department of Management at Monash University, Australia, teaching information systems management, technology management and electronic business. He worked in the computer industry for 12 years before becoming an academic. Beaumont stresses the importance of considering the effects of technology, especially information and communications technology and the internet, when studying organisations. His current research projects include outsourcing, particularly the much-neglected vendor’s perspective; criticism of traditional analysis of Likert scale data; the possible construction of an optical fibre network in Australia, a case study of changes in procurement practices; and “gaming” in a contract bridge tournament. He has commented on public issues especially outsourcing and Australia’s proposed optical fibre network.

I have much pleasure in introducing a special issue of the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management comprising much revised papers originally presented at the 5th Supply Chain Management and Information Systems Conference, Melbourne, Australia in December 2007. The papers advance research in many aspects of manufacturing technology management. A pleasing aspect of many papers is their relevance to practice.

Yu-Ying Huang and Shyh-Jane Li in “The application situation and determinants of postponement: a field survey for large manufacturers in Greater China” consider the seemingly mundane technique of postponement that is implicit, for example, in many scheduling algorithms. Postponement; how it is influenced by organisational factors; and its potential effects on efficiency and effectiveness deserve explicit treatment. The perspective given by research conducted in non-English-speaking countries is especially welcome.

Roman Schmidt in “Information sharing versus order aggregation strategies in supply chains” considers the perennial problem of aggregating orders so as to minimize the total costs (manufacturing, inventory and stockout) of supply. The effects of information sharing are considered and some counter-intuitive conclusions presented.

Mark M.J. Wilson and Ram N. Roy in “Enabling lean procurement: a consolidation model for small- and medium-sized enterprises” consider the supply chain problems of SMEs exemplified by the cost of ordering less than a container load. Their study is set in New Zealand whose distance from the rest of the world exacerbates such problems. They propose a way in which small organisations could optimally aggregate transport requirements.

Suku Bhaskaran and Helen Jenkins in “Case study of processing firm-distributor firm outsourcing alliance” exemplify cooperation between academia and industry. The paper considers the prospects of an organisation that, to expand its business, has had to build new relationships and change important aspects of its own operations. The sometimes painful lessons are recounted.

Aristides Matopoulos, Maro Vlachopoulou and Vicky Manthou in “Understanding the factors affecting e-business adoption and impact in logistics processes” consider the effect of e-business techniques on logistics processes in Greece. Although the benefits of using e-techniques to connect supply chain neighbours seem obvious and overwhelming, it seems that some impetus would be required for some companies not facing marked competitive pressure to make the change. Organisations’ different internal systems may hamper the adoption of interorganisational information systems.

John P.T. Mo, Slavica Gajzer, Murray Fane, Gerry Wind, Tania Snioch, Kevin Larnach, Drew Seitam, Hiroyuki Saito, Stewart Brown, Fergus Wilson and George Lerias, in “Process integration for paperless delivery using EPC compliance technology” exemplifies research conducted with industry. The potential benefits of using radio frequency identification to track pallets and cartons are well understood. This paper demonstrates that an actual implementation of such systems uncovered technical and organisational difficulties. Organisations may be justifiably reluctant to replace a known and reliable technology with a potentially advantageous technology that has not been widely tested. The authors imply that full exploitation of new technology may entail internal changes.

Nhiem Lu and Paula M.C. Swatman in “The MobiCert project: integrating Australian organic primary producers into the grocery supply chain” consider the problems and potential of equipping farmers with technology that facilitates communication. A marked advantage is being able to replace the laborious paper-based procedures for certifying food quality with electronic equivalents. The hand-held technology will give remotely located farmers convenient access to information such as weather forecasts and commodity prices. The system’s being user-friendly and robust is especially important.

I would like to thank the authors who reacted constructively to sometimes robust criticism of earlier drafts of their papers and uncomplainingly abided by the editor’s sometimes demanding deadlines. The referees, ever anonymous and unsung, deserve special praise for their painstaking scrutiny of papers and constructive comments.

Nicholas BeaumontGuest Editor