Manufacturing Repurposing: A Literature Review

Abstract

Manufacturing repurposing has been considered a rapid response to overcome the shortages of critical healthcare products during the Covid-19 pandemic. Various companies repurposed existing capabilities and facilities to manufacture products such as ventilators and hand sanitizers in exceedingly high demand. While being a widespread practice during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, this emerging phenomenon also provided an unprecedented opportunity for researchers to study manufacturing repurposing from various perspectives. This systematic literature review consolidates the fragmented literature on manufacturing repurposing and identifies potential research opportunities in operations management scholarship. We selected and reviewed 29 articles on manufacturing repurposing and report the findings from both descriptive and thematic analyses through a systematic approach. We identified four main themes in the manufacturing repurposing literature: (1) barriers and success factors in manufacturing repurposing (2) role of the supply chain, (3) role of innovation, and (4) role of digital technologies. This paper then suggests a research agenda, indicating three promising lenses for future research: (1) dynamic capabilities, (2) supply chain resilience, and (3) network studies.