INTRODUCTION
The word strategy means "A plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim". On these terms a manufacturing strategy can be stated as an array of plans applied to achieve maximum capability of a company or a SBU. As per Hofer & Schendel "It governs important decisions having long term organization makes between its internal resources and skill and the opportunities and risks created by its external environment”. In order to achieve competitive advantage a firm or SBU must have a good strategy in place. Theoretically a strategy can be at every level of an organization. Primarily corporate, business and functional strategy are used or discussed in live situations (Mulcaster, W. (2009). The strategic role of manufacturing has attained great importance and is now being formalized as the way to develop the capabilities of manufacturing function to support and achieve the desired competitive advantage of organizations and also to support and complete other functions. “An appropriately built up manufacturing function only could make a business unit realize a competitive performance by producing error free products, getting goods to the customer quickly invariably keeping delivery promises, being able to introduce innovative new products on a timely basis, providing a range of products wide enough to satisfy the customer requirements, being able to change volumes or delivery dates to customer demands and always important, it determines the company’s ability to offer products at a price which either undercuts the competitors or gives a high margins or both.” In order to be ahead of others an effective manufacturing strategy must be developed in agreement with all other factors (for e.g. program engineering, logistics, risk and opportunities in industrial technologies) that make difference, as the strategy need to address many risks and constraints. Any manufacturing strategy that overlooks critical areas
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