In this paper, the management of variety in automobile manufacturing is broadened from simply considering the choice of models, options and parts to include strategic issues in sourcing and logistics systems. Some of the major cost elements associated with varietal increase are identified, leading into a discussion of how logistics system redesign can reduce or, indeed, eliminate the unwanted i…
Europe today represents one of the world's fastest developing market‐places for both goods and services. Rapid changes in the business, political and regulatory environments are placing considerable stress on companies in Europe, whether national or international in their orientation. For many companies, these events are coincidental with the process of evolving into global businesses, which …
The completion of the Single European Market in 1992 has major implications for logistics throughout the 1990s and beyond. However, as logistics has come under the spotlight, many managers and academics have come to realize that their understanding of the field is limited. In particular, both the differences in practice between countries and the future directions for innovation in logistics rem…
The market for logistics services in Europe is undergoing unprecedented change. Not only is it being affected by world‐ scale developments, such as the globalization of manufacturing industry and the genesis of internationalisation in retailing, but there are major impacts within Europe itself. Numbered amongst these are; the effects of 1992 and the Single European Market on logistics users (…