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ABSRJ 2020 Volume 11, Number 2

Demand planning on small and medium-sized enterprises in Mexico: a case study of a confectionery firm

Miguel Gil
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
m.gil@tec.mx

Mauro Rodriguez-Marin
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
mauro.rodriguez@tec.mx

Miguel A. Montoya
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
mmontoya@tec.mx

Abstract

Organizations that efficiently complete a demand planning process gain a competitive advantage. The current demand planning literature mostly studies relatively large organizations. However, SMEs invest a significant amount of resources into improving demand planning practices. Moreover, the context of SMEs in Latin America, and specifically Mexico, has not been explored sufficiently by the current literature. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to understand demand planning in a Mexican SME. The paper involves a case study of a confectionery firm based in Jalisco, Mexico. To make sense of the empirical findings, the Kilger and Wagner (2008) theoretical framework of demand planning was utilized. This paper concludes that Mexican SMEs have a different context compared to larger firms in developed countries. Thus, how Mexican SMEs envision and implement demand planning is unique, specifically in demand planning structures and controlling.

Keywords: demand planning; manufacturing; small and medium enterprises; Mexico

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