THE CONTENT OF MANUFACTURING STRATEGY: A CASE STUDY IN COLOMBIAN INDUSTRIES

ABSTRACT: Manufacturing strategy (MS) is a long-term plan for production and operations system aimed to support the company’s corporate strategy. The content of MS addresses the goals and strategic decisions to face competition. Despite the number of contributions on this subject, few studies have been conducted in the Colombian context. Therefore, this article shows the results of a study undertaken in 36 Colombian companies addressing the three main components of the MS content: competitive priorities, strategic decision areas and the management’s approach to manufacturing. The results allow two groups of companies with different performance level to be identified, as well as the relationship of this performance with strategic decision areas and the management’s approach to manufacturing. Key words: Manufacturing strategy, competitive priorities, strategic decision areas, manufacturing management approaches, Colombian industry. RESUMEN: La estrategia de manufactura (EM) consiste en un plan a largo plazo para el sistema de producción/operaciones diseñado para apoyar la estrategia corporativa de la compañía. El contenido de la EM aborda las metas y las decisiones estratégicas necesarias para enfrentar la competencia. A pesar del creciente número de publicaciones sobre este tema, pocas investigaciones han sido realizadas en el contexto colombiano. Por tanto, el presente artículo expone los resultados de un estudio realizado en 36 empresas colombianas que aborda los tres componentes principales del contenido de la EM: las prioridades competitivas, las áreas estratégicas de decisión y los enfoques de gestión para la manufactura. Los resultados permitieron detectar dos grupos de empresas que exponen diferentes niveles de desempeño as