Competitive Manufacturing in a High-Cost Environment : Introduction to the Special Issue

The special issue emerges at a time of intense debate concerning the role of manufacturing in the developed world. A general consensus that manufacturing strengthens the economy in which it is carried out and that innovation follows manufacturing combines with a recognition that manufacturing carried out in a high-cost environment must pay its own way, as governments and shareholders are not willing to make up for unprofitable activities. There is also considerable skepticism as to whether manufacturing has a role to play in a developed economy. In this lead article, we summarize the contributions to the special issue and the solution space that they provide in which manufacturing in a high-cost environment ends up being the low-cost alternative