Abstract
Purpose - While the attention of most OM scholars has shifted to supply chain management, there is
still a need to understand how supply chain strategies are linked with internal manufacturing
strategies. The literature shows some studies in this field, but a deep investigation of the
linkages between these two areas is still missing. The purpose of this study is to investigate on
an empirical basis the relationship between two supply chain integration dimensions - the
integration of information flows and the integration of physical flows - and two manufacturing
improvement programmes - lean production and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
Design/methodology/approach - Evidence is drawn from a sample of 297 European companies from the
third edition of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey. Data are analysed using
exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression.
Findings - Results show that the adoption of the lean production model has a strong influence on
the integration of both information and physical flows along the supply chain, while no
significant influence emerged from the adoption of ERP.
Research limitations/implications - Findings open up new research questions about the missing link
between ERP and information integration along the supply chain. Further developments concern the
investigation of the impact of consistent adoption of internal and external practices on
Introduction
Starting from the seminal work of Skinner (1969), a wide number of studies have
recognised manufacturing as a potential source of competitive advantage, leading to the·
development and success of manufacturing strategy as a relevant field in operations
management. Manufacturing strategy has traditionally focused on the internal operations of
manufacturing firms, in particular, on those concerned with the physical transformation of
materials and the assembly of products.
More recently, the management of the supply chain has become one of the key issues for many
companies. A number of economic and business trends determined the
need to widen the managerial focus from a traditional functional perspective to a more transversal
one, and from the inside of the company to the set of actors that interact in order to develop and
produce products for the final customer (Christopher, 1992;
performance.
Practical implications - The paper provides managers with clear evidence of the need for
consistency between internal and external integration.
Originality/value - This paper contributes to research by providing empirical evidence of the link
between manufacturing and supply chain integration practices.
Keywords Supply chain management, Strategic manufacturing, Operations management
Paper type Research paper