Abstract
Manufacturing repurposing was a rapid response strategy to overcome shortages of critical healthcare products during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many companies repurposed facilities to manufacture products such as ventilators and hand sanitizers in response to the skyrocketing demand. Manufacturing repurposing was a widespread practice during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. This systematic literature review consolidates the fragmented literature on manufacturing repurposing and identifies potential research opportunities in production and operations management. Using a systematic approach, we identified and reviewed 29 articles on manufacturing repurposing and report the findings from both descriptive and thematic analyses. We identified four main themes in the manufacturing repurposing literature: (1) barriers and success factors (2) role of the supply chain, (3) role of innovation, and (4) role of digital technologies. We conclude with a research agenda that suggests three promising lenses for future research on manufacturing repurposing: (1) dynamic capabilities, (2) supply chain resilience, and (3) network perspectives.
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Ho, W.R., Maghazei, O., Netland, T. (2022). Manufacturing Repurposing: A Literature Review. In: Kim, D.Y., von Cieminski, G., Romero, D. (eds) Advances in Production Management Systems. Smart Manufacturing and Logistics Systems: Turning Ideas into Action. APMS 2022. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 663. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16407-1_20
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