Managing the product design‐supply chain interface : Towards a roadmap to the “design centric business”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interface between product design and the supply chain and to develop a roadmap to the design centric business through better management of this interface. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is adopted. This enabled the development of a roadmap to inform businesses on how to develop a design centric business integrated with the extended supply chain. Findings – The research shows that successful companies will be those which seek to extend and develop the contribution of design into all aspects of their business. The roadmap to a design centric business enables firms to better position product design within their business processes and helps facilitate better integration between product design and the supply chain. Research limitations/implications – The findings from this research have been derived from a scoping study of a relatively small sample. However, the findings are grounded by a structured literature review and are generalisable to other industry sectors. Originality/value – Design for the supply chain is an under‐explored area. The conceptual framework highlights the importance of the product design‐supply chain management interface and offers a roadmap for companies to develop a more design centric business.