The responsiveness of Italian small-to-medium sized plants: dimensions and determinants

This paper presents a quantitative study carried out on more than 200 manufacturing plants located in Italy. The study aimed to explore whether small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Italy are more responsive than large enterprises and determine what the levers are that these enterprises would employ to achieve their responsiveness. Logistic responsiveness has been considered a key driver of competitiveness. Several studies have suggested that company size is a major determinant of responsiveness and that SMEs have both strengths and weaknesses that influence their ability to promptly react to customer needs. The evidence of this study indicates that SMEs are more responsive than large companies in terms of delivery. This performance advantage is mainly the result of a rather narrow product range and a simpler product structure that allows SMEs to enjoy shorter manufacturing and assembly lead times. On the other hand, this study also shows that SMEs perform worse than large enterprises with respect to longer set-up times.