The competitive environment is becoming increasingly more complex and intense. In order to cope, business decisions related to various areas have to become more interrelated. Firms need to couple their operations strategies to the marketing strategies to best support the competition of their products in the marketplace. The perspectives on production management systems are getting more strategic. A more integrated approach is thus called for, bringing together the various perspectives on production management systems and operations strategy. This relationship is important in any type of operation, perhaps more so in supply chains, production networks and global operations.

This book brings together some of the latest thinking by leading experts from around the world on integrating systems and strategies in production management and related issues that are relevant for making production into a competitive resource for the firm. This book is composed of five parts, each focused on a specific theme:

• Linking systems and strategies
• Strategic operations management
• IS/IT applications in the value chain
• Modelling and simulation
• Improving operations

Each of the chapters in this book have been peer reviewed and presented by the authors at the International Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems a" APMS 2007, held in LinkAping, Sweden on 17-19 September 2007.

Advances in Production Management Systems is essential reading for managers in manufacturing and service industries, systems analysts, IT specialist and systems engineers, and post-graduate studentsof manufacturing, business and IT-related fields.

Jan Olhager and Fredrik Persson are based at LinkAping University, Sweden.

The publication contains a selection of the best double-blind reviewed papers presented, discussed and revised by participants of the 1st International Conference on Value Chain Management in Austria, Steyr, May 2011. The Value Chain Management (VCM) Conference presents scientific insights relevant to management as well as their translation into the practice of management. The conference focus is on the demand chain i.e. sales, production, purchasing, logistics, performance measurement and customer value management. The authors present analytical and conceptual articles as well as empirical studies showing multidisciplinary and intercultural approaches towards solving relevant open problems.

This book brings together some of the latest thinking by leading experts from around the world on integrating systems and strategies in production management and related issues that are relevant for making production into a competitive resource for the firm. This book is composed of five parts, each focused on a specific theme: Linking systems and strategies; Strategic operations management; IS/IT applications in the value chain; Modelling and simulation; Improving operations.