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Moveable factories: How to enable sustainable widespread manufacturing by local people in regions without manufacturing skills and infrastructure

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  • Fox, Stephen

Abstract

Moveable factories enable high performance manufacturing. They carry their own power generation and are built to cover rough terrain. Hence, they have potential to enable more widespread modern manufacturing. In this paper, findings are reported from a study addressing two research questions. First, what goods should be produced by local people in regions without manufacturing skills and infrastructure? Second, how can lack of manufacturing skills and infrastructure be overcome? The study comprised literature review, semi-structured interviews, and structured questionnaire. Research participants are from Horn of Africa and from West Africa. All the goods that research participants considered to have potential for profitable production can be made with types of moveable factories that are available. Lack of local skills can be overcome through application of task design using proven techniques. In addition, techniques for designing capable production processes are applicable to moveable production. Established techniques for optimizing mix of production facilities, locations, and routes are also applicable. The robust mobility of moveable factories, and application of proven techniques, reduces the need for manufacturing infrastructure. Moveable factories are relevant to literature and debate concerning re-shoring/on-shoring/right-shoring/best-shoring manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, and distributed manufacturing. The relevance of moveable factories to these topics is analysed in terms of Resource-Based Theory, Knowledge-Based View, and Transaction Cost Economics.

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  • Fox, Stephen, 2015. "Moveable factories: How to enable sustainable widespread manufacturing by local people in regions without manufacturing skills and infrastructure," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 49-60.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:42:y:2015:i:c:p:49-60
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2015.03.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fox, Stephen, 2014. "Third Wave Do-It-Yourself (DIY): Potential for prosumption, innovation, and entrepreneurship by local populations in regions without industrial manufacturing infrastructure," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 18-30.
    2. Kenta Nakamura & Hiroyuki Odagiri, 2005. "R&D boundaries of the firm: An estimation of the double-hurdle model on commissioned R&D, joint R&D, and licensing in Japan," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(7), pages 583-615.
    3. Gregory Tassey, 2014. "Competing in Advanced Manufacturing: The Need for Improved Growth Models and Policies," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 27-48, Winter.
    4. Xiaohua Yang & Elly Ho & Artemis Chang, 2012. "Integrating the resource-based view and transaction cost economics in immigrant business performance," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 753-772, September.
    5. Jeremy Bulow, 1986. "An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 101(4), pages 729-749.
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    Cited by:

    1. Corsini, Lucia & Aranda-Jan, Clara B. & Moultrie, James, 2019. "Using digital fabrication tools to provide humanitarian and development aid in low-resource settings," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    2. Zviemurwi J. Chihambakwe & Sara S. (Saartjie) Grobbelaar & Stephen Matope, 2021. "Creating Shared Value in BoP Communities with Micro-Manufacturing Factories: A Systematized Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-22, September.
    3. Fox, Stephen & El-Thalji, Idriss & Altarazi, Safwan A., 2017. "Good intentions with limited outcomes: Three limitations of trying to reduce mass migration with industrial thinking," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 31-32.
    4. Eduardo Alarcon-Gerbier & Zarina Chokparova & Nassim Ghondaghsaz & Wanqi Zhao & Hani Shahmoradi-Moghadam & Uwe Aßmann & Orçun Oruç, 2022. "Software-Defined Mobile Supply Chains: Rebalancing Resilience and Efficiency in Production Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-21, February.
    5. Fernando Merino & Cristina Di Stefano & Luciano Fratocchi, 2021. "Back-shoring vs near-shoring: a comparative exploratory study in the footwear industry," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 17-37, June.
    6. Fox, Stephen, 2016. "Leapfrog skills: Combining vertical and horizontal multi-skills to overcome skill trade-offs that limit prosperity growth," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 129-139.
    7. Stephen Fox, 2019. "Moveable Production Systems for Sustainable Development and Trade: Limitations, Opportunities and Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, September.
    8. Fox, Stephen & Mubarak, Yusuf Mohamed, 2017. "Moveable social manufacturing: Making for shared peace and prosperity in fragile regions," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-7.
    9. Fox, Stephen, 2016. "Addressing the causes of mass migrations: Leapfrog solutions for mutual prosperity growth between regions of emigration and regions of immigration," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 35-39.

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