Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Challenging the advantages of scale: disposable factories and strategies

Challenging the advantages of scale: disposable factories and strategies Purpose – The paper aims to examine the views of noted consultant George Stalk, who turns economy of scale strategies upside down by suggesting disposable strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explains when you can get the most strategic advantage from disposable factories. The model should be considered when, for example, you face extreme uncertainty owing to a highly dynamic, competitive market or the potential for disruptive innovation or the size of a new business opportunity is not clear. Findings – The paper finds that disposable factories provide a low‐risk means of jumping in and out of fast‐moving markets. They can lower overall costs, save valuable time getting to market, and reduce capital risk of overestimating the demand. Practical implications – A disposable factory is built as inexpensively as possible with the primary purpose of getting a new product into the market quickly. It is also designed to be easy to shut down if the market demand is not what you expect. The benefits are readily apparent: disposable factories provide a low‐risk means of jumping in and out of fast‐moving markets. Originality/value – The disposable factory is not a new idea. In fact, disposable factories are already often used where the situation requires a facility than can be operating quickly at relatively low‐cost and then can be quickly disassembled. The point is that “disposability” is an underappreciated tactic. Disposable factories and disposable strategies are all about investing in options and seeing how opportunities evolve. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Strategy & Leadership Emerald Publishing

Challenging the advantages of scale: disposable factories and strategies

George Stalk
Strategy & Leadership , Volume 36 (4): 2 – Jul 4, 2008
Download PDF
2 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/challenging-the-advantages-of-scale-disposable-factories-and-JhxYq0MitH
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1087-8572
DOI
10.1108/10878570810888722
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The paper aims to examine the views of noted consultant George Stalk, who turns economy of scale strategies upside down by suggesting disposable strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explains when you can get the most strategic advantage from disposable factories. The model should be considered when, for example, you face extreme uncertainty owing to a highly dynamic, competitive market or the potential for disruptive innovation or the size of a new business opportunity is not clear. Findings – The paper finds that disposable factories provide a low‐risk means of jumping in and out of fast‐moving markets. They can lower overall costs, save valuable time getting to market, and reduce capital risk of overestimating the demand. Practical implications – A disposable factory is built as inexpensively as possible with the primary purpose of getting a new product into the market quickly. It is also designed to be easy to shut down if the market demand is not what you expect. The benefits are readily apparent: disposable factories provide a low‐risk means of jumping in and out of fast‐moving markets. Originality/value – The disposable factory is not a new idea. In fact, disposable factories are already often used where the situation requires a facility than can be operating quickly at relatively low‐cost and then can be quickly disassembled. The point is that “disposability” is an underappreciated tactic. Disposable factories and disposable strategies are all about investing in options and seeing how opportunities evolve.

Journal

Strategy & Leadership – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jul 4, 2008

Keywords: Corporate strategy; Manufacturing systems; Short‐term planning; Time to market

There are no references for this article.