1 Manufacturing strategy configurations and their alignment with supply chain action programs Iskra Dukovska-Popovska (iskra@production.aau.dk ) Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Aalborg University, Denmark Peter Nielsen Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Aalborg University, Denmark Sami Farooq Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg University, Denmark Harry Boer Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg University, Denmark Abstract This paper investigates the alignment between and among manufacturing strategies, competitive priorities and supply chain action programs, and whether better alignment leads to higher levels of success. 412 companies from the IMSS IV database were analyzed. It appears that the most successful, i.e. market-based, companies align their supply chain action programs with four out of five competitive priorities (except sales price), while other strategies focus on alignment with two to three of the competitive priorities. Furthermore, different action programs are aligned differently with the competitive priorities, depending on the type of manufacturing strategy. Keywords: Manufacturing strategy, Competitive priorities, Supply chain action programs, Survey Background and research question It is generally accepted that fit/consistency/congruence/alignment between a company’s practices and competitive priorities is crucial to the effectiveness of its manufacturing strategy and, thus, its competitive advantage (Leong et al., 1990; Boyer and Lewis, 2002). Most research on this topic has focused on the alignment between the firm’s manufacturing strategy and its internal and/or external environment. However, companies have increasingly expanded their focus towards including the management of their supply chains in order to (further) increase their competitive performance. This trend has inspired many scholars to revisit existing manufacturing strategy theory and include a supply chain perspective. Various studies (e.g. Frohlich and Westbrook, 2001; Kim, 2009) have provided evidence that supply chain management practices affect a company’s performance and competitive advantage. Decisions regarding these practices should be made on a strategic level and be consistent with manufacturing strategy. However, there is still a need to understand how supply chain strategies are linked with