Purpose -Despite the fact that agile manufacturing has been frequently promoted as a means of improving business competitiveness, little empirical evidence exists in the literature validating its positive link with business performance. The purpose of this research paper is to analyse agile manufacturing in Spain and study whether it is a critical factor for success in different industries. Design/methodology/approach -A conceptual model is drawn up, based on the literature and a previous case study, to relate turbulence in the environment with agile manufacturing practices and business performance. The model is tested on a large sample of Spanish manufacturers using a survey methodology to obtain information and a structural equation model to analyse the data. Findings -The results obtained show that, in turbulent environments, the integrated use of agile manufacturing practices promotes manufacturing competitive strength, leading to better operational, market and financial performance. Research limitations/implications -This study has two main limitations. First, it is difficult to determine the most suitable unit of analysis when studying agile manufacturing. Second, single respondent bias may be considered a limitation. Practical implications -Managers should consider the integrated implementation of agile manufacturing practices in order to develop manufacturing strength and to outperform competitors in turbulent business environments. Originality/value -This study adopts a systematic approach to the analysis of agile manufacturing, considering various agility practices or enablers in an integrated way and relating them not only to environmental characteristics but also to business performance. This approach is especially interesting because most of the literature on agile manufacturing deals with agility strategies or techniques in an isolated way. The study also tests the suitability of agile manufacturing in real organisations -for the first time in the Spanish context.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to look into production competence theory by proposing and validating a multidimensional construct, and offering additional empirical evidence regarding the contribution of production competence to business performance. Design/methodology/approach -Production competence is defined as a second-order factor/construct in terms of five underlying dimensions: cost, flexibility, quality, delivery and environmental protection competence. Different scales are used to measure the construct, validated by a multi-step process. Data from 274 manufacturing firms and structural equation modelling as the main technique are used for the analysis. Findings -The paper suggests that manufacturing capabilities and their alignment with the competitive priorities pursued must be considered to explain the contribution of manufacturing to business performance. The provided evidence suggests that the manufacturing function significantly contributes to business performance, and enables us to conclude that production competence is a determinant of business performance. Practical implications -Firms should focus on the development of manufacturing capabilities that are key for the market (and consistent with the business strategy). To achieve this, the production function should be integrated into the strategic planning process of the overall business strategy. Originality/value -Most research works to date deal with production competence as a one-dimensional construct and reduce its measurement to a single index, fussing variables of different types. This paper provides a valid multidimensional operationalisation of production competence, considering environmental protection as a fifth manufacturing objective. It also offers additional empirical evidence regarding the positive link between production competence and business performance.

This paper adopts an integrative and complementary approach to the universalistic and contingency frameworks for analyzing the effectiveness of high-involvement work practices (HIWPs) in Spanish manufacturers. It focuses on some practices that firms adopt at operational level (decentralization, teamwork, job enlargement, information and knowledge sharing and performance-based compensation) to enhance operational performance (cost, quality, flexibility and delivery) and financial performance (return on asset), dealing with the possible moderating effect of three contextual variables: firm age, firm size and trade union power. Using moderated hierarchical regressions and data from 265 Spanish manufacturers, our results show that three of the five HIWPs considered in our study have direct effects on business performance. We also find that three contextual variables have moderating effects on the relation between HIWPs and business performance. Our paper contributes to the debate over the respective merits of the universalistic and contingency frameworks; it offers a broader view about the type of contemporary human resources practices that are successful in the Spanish industrial sector, and in a European manufacturing context, and may guide managers when assigning their firms’ limited resources to the most relevant human resources practices in each particular setting, considering internal characteristics, such as firm age, firm size and trade union power.

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