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Matthias Holweg

Reader in Operations Management
Director of the Centre for Process Excellence and Innovation (CPEI)

Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. (Univ. of Applied Sciences Wedel), MSc (Univ. of Buckingham), MSc (Univ. of Oxford), PhD (Cardiff Univ.)

Download Matthias Holweg's short bio and high-res photo (doc, 3.6MB)

Professional experience

Dr Holweg has been a consultant to a range of manufacturing and service firms on process improvement and supply chain management issues, and has advised several government agencies on automotive industry matters; he was a member of the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team (NAIGT), and currently serves on the UK Supply Chain Group of the Automotive Council at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

He is a member of the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA), the Industry Studies Association (ISA), and an associate editor at the Journal of Operations Management.

Previous appointments

Prior to joining Cambridge Judge Business School, Dr Holweg was a Sloan Industry Center Fellow at the Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Senior Research Associate at the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff Business School. He is a visitor at Chalmers University of Technology, at Kühne Logistics University, and has held visiting appointments at MIT and the University of Pittsburgh in the past.

Awards and scholarships

• Top 10 Cited Article 2007-2011 Award, Journal of Operations Management, Elsevier, 2012
• Outstanding Paper Award (with Martin Christopher), Emerald Literati Network, 2012
• Runner-up, Chris Voss Best Paper Award (with Zoe Radnor), EurOMA, 2010
• Chris Voss Best Paper Award (with Joe Miemczyk and Thomas Stäblein), EurOMA, 2009
• Sloan Industry Studies Best Book Award for The Second Century (with Frits Pil, MIT Press 2004), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 2007
• "Citation of Excellence" Award, Emerald Management Reviews, 2006
• "Highly Commended" Award, Emerald Literati Network, 2006
• James Cooper Memorial Cup, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, 2002
• Industry Center Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 2001 and 2002
• Best Dissertation Award, University of Applied Sciences Wedel, 1999

Research interests

The design, measurement and improvement of processes, with a particular focus on the application of lean and six sigma process improvement methodologies to private and public sector operations, as well as administrative processes. Current projects investigate the evolution and convergence of process improvement methodologies, the nature of turbulence and risk in global supply chains, and the identification and management of product safety recalls.

Matthias Holweg is a member of the Operations subject group.

Selected publications

Holweg, M., Disney, S.M., Hines, P. and Naim, M.M. (2005) "Towards responsive vehicle supply: a simulation-based investigation into automotive scheduling systems." Journal of Operations Management, 23(5): 507-530

Pil, F.K. and Holweg, M. (2006) "Evolving from value chain to value grid." MIT Sloan Management Review, 47(4): 72-80

Holweg, M. (2007) "The genealogy of lean production." Journal of Operations Management, 25(2): 420-437

Holweg, M. and Pil, F.K. (2008) "Theoretical perspectives on the coordination of supply chains." Journal of Operations Management, 26(3): 389-406

Holweg, M. and Pil, F.K. (2012) "Outsourcing complex business processes: lessons from an enterprise partnership." California Management Review, 54(3): 98-115

Radnor, Z.J., Holweg, H. and Waring, J. (2012) "Lean in healthcare: the unfilled promise?" Social Science and Medicine, 74(3): 364-371

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