Aligning IT applications with manufacturing strategy: an integrated framework

Presents an integrated framework that would help manufacturing managers to select IT applications (manufacturing management systems) that are best suited to a given process structure and the intended competitive priorities of a firm. The proposed framework is based on the premiss that the process of matching IT applications to competitive priorities involves identification of key manufacturing tasks underlying different priorities and the corresponding process structures. The theoretic‐deductive approach is used to link the three vital elements ‐ competitive priorities, process structures and IT applications ‐ in the following application areas: product design, demand management, capacity planning, inventory management, shopfloor systems, quality management and distribution.