The role of product lean launch in customer relationships and performance in the high-tech manufacturing industry
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
ISSN: 0144-3577
Article publication date: 3 August 2015
Abstract
Purpose
Most new product research for the past two decades has focussed on new product development and product innovation. Only a few product launches have been discussed in specific fields. The purpose of this paper is to fill the literature gap regarding enhanced product launch performance by using the customer relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
From the contract manufacturer’s perspective, the authors propose that the customer relationship and senior management involvement affects lean launch execution. The customer relationship includes both cooperativeness and behavior monitoring. Studies have suggested that a lean launch exerts a direct influence on new product performance and marketing performance. We used a questionnaire to collect data to test the postulated research model and hypotheses from project, account, and purchasing managers in the high-tech manufacturing industry.
Findings
The results provided compelling evidence that the customer relationship exerts a positive effect on lean launch, which in turn exerts a positive effect on new product performance. Although lean launch execution affected marketing performance through new product performance, the direct effect on marketing performance was non-significant. Senior management involvement exerted an indirect influence on lean launch performance through cooperativeness.
Originality/value
This paper suggests and empirically tests a model to explain how contract manufacturers manage brand-customer relationship through cooperativeness and behavior monitoring, leading to higher levels of lean launch execution toward new product performance.
Keywords
Citation
Kou, T.-C., Lee, B.C.Y. and Wei, C.-F. (2015), "The role of product lean launch in customer relationships and performance in the high-tech manufacturing industry", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 35 No. 8, pp. 1207-1223. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-08-2013-0397
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited