Engineering-to-order versus make-to-stock strategy: an analysis at two printing companies

Abstract

Organizations are adopting industrial production models with priority given to reducing costs and increasing the quality of their processes and products. Optimizing and rationalization the inventory management is a great opportunity for these companies conquer these goals. The objective of this paper is to analyze inventory management at two printing companies located in the region of Bauru, where one adopts the Engineering-To-Order (ETO) production system and the other the Make-To-Stock (MTS) production system, highlighting their convergences and oppositions. For their achievement was chosen by the methodology of study of multiple cases (two cases). Data were collected through the intersection of the following tools: semi-structure, document analysis and observation in loco. Revisions are made in theoretical work on the following topics: logistics, management of materials and production planning and control. These themes guided the search, allowing a greatest criticism about the collected data and information generated. The two case studies were presented together with a comparative table of the main aspects of the influence of demand management strategy on the inventory management in two companies. Although the companies adopt different production strategies, there was no significant change observed in inventory management strategy.