Supply chain integration within global manufacturing networks: A contingency flow-based view

Purpose. The paper aims to analyse how the role of the plant in a manufacturing network affects the configuration of the flows of goods among plants, suppliers and customers and how this configuration, in turn, affects the extent of adoption and effectiveness of supply chain (SC) integration. Methodology. Three research questions are developed at the plant level and then investigated through Cluster analysis, MANOVA and regression, using data from an international survey (IMSS 6) featuring 364 plants, from 18 countries, which are part of an intra-company manufacturing network. Findings. Five configurations of flows of goods emerge from the analysis. These configurations appear to be related to the role of the plant in the network and partly to the effectiveness of SC integration practices, but not to their extent of adoption. Research limitations. Research limitations include the focus on specific industries (assembly industries) and limited size of the clusters, which did not allow for a deep investigation of each single cluster. Originality/value. The paper creates a bridge between two literature streams (manufacturing networks and SC management) by means of an innovative flow-based perspective that can help researchers and practitioners to disentangle the two interwoven perspectives.