The Japanese Journal of Regional Policy Studies
Online ISSN : 2434-1576
Print ISSN : 1348-5539
Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Manufacturing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Combination of Two Strategies, Cost Advantage and Differentiation, and Its Necessary Requirements
Takashi NATORI
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2021 Volume 27 Pages 70-79

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Abstract

Manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should have a cost advantage and differentiate their products and services at the same time to have a sustainable competitive advantage. By developing automated equipment programed with high skills, manufacturing SMEs will have a cost advantage. And by inheriting technology skills organizationally, the technology skills of manufacturing SMEs will not be imitated by competitors easily. This paper discusses what kind of factors bring manufacturing SMEs cost advantage and differentiation at the same time. The researcher carried out an interview with a company to learn about its success stories. And it was found that manufacturing SMEs should have five requirements, one of which is to establish a mechanism to learn technical “sense” in inheriting tacit knowledge of their technology skills.

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© 2021 The Japan Association of Regional Policy
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