공급사슬관리의 예측전략과 지연전략 선택을 위한 프로파일링 접근법

Profiling Approach for the Choice between Speculationand Postponement Strategy in Supply Chain Management

Purpose - The postponement strategy, which delays the form, place, and production of products as late as possible, has been widely considered as a competitive supply chain management scheme in an era of mass customization and modular manufacturing. An interesting business phenomenon is that not all manufacturing/logistics firms choose the postponement strategy. Given that postponement is a counter-measure to speculation, which has some advantages under certain environments, the current imprudent inclination toward the postponement strategy may cause firms to lose the potential of the speculation strategy, an alternative strategy in supply chain management. Building on the logistics and manufacturing literature, this study examines characteristics of two contrasting strategies, postponement and speculation, and major factors favoring each strategy. Research design, data, and methodology - We apply the profiling approach to two business cases, HP printer and LG mobile phone. The profiling approach is a method of choosing a particular strategy aligned with environmental factors. While various approaches have been used to check the fit between a business strategy and environmental factors, the literature on manufacturing strategy and logistics has commonly adopted the profiling approach. Major factors used in profiling variables are derived from the literature. Two samples, HP printer and LG mobile phone, are selected, because they represent major characteristics appropriate for each strategy. The profiling is based on data from semi-organized interviews with managers. Results – The profiling approach shows that the postponement strategy is a suitable one for HP printers. Most factors, such as product life cycle, large production volume, low-price, product value, and monetary density, support delaying end products until as late as possible. Despite some exceptions, such as delivery time and economy of scale, our analysis states that the overall profile of HP pr