SUBCONTRACTING WITHIN THE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR ELECTRONICS ASSEMBLY MANUFACTURE

Discusses issues associated with the subcontracting of manufacturing a ctivity within the supply chain for electronics assembly products. The principal focus of the work is the operational issues surrounding the organization, management and control of the subcontract process, but related issues and research streams are also considered. Some of the o perational issues are placed within the context of current practice by presenting case studies of two small to medium-sized manufacturing en terprises (SMMEs) in the electronics assembly sector which use subcont ract manufacture. The approaches of the two companies to the managemen t and control of the process are compared and contrasted, and mapped o nto generic models. This work is considered timely because of the incr easing importance of the subcontracting of manufacture within the supp ly chain, and because of the lack of supporting theoretical and practi cal work. It identifies key issues which need to be addressed by acade mic researchers and by industry practitioners in the pursuit of world class manufacturing ideals, as part of a process of concentrating on c ore competencies and expertise.