Urban Wemmerlöv

Urban Wemmerlöv is the Kress Family Professor of Productivity and Quality at the Wisconsin School of Business.

His teaching and research interests are in the areas of healthcare operations management, cellular manufacturing, focused factories, lean principles, change management, and planning and control systems. Many of his more than 80 publications focus on the design, implementation, and operation of cells, including his book, “Reorganizing the Factory: Competing through Cellular Manufacturing” (with Nancy Hyer; Productivity Press, 2002) which received the 2003 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Research. Recent and ongoing research has been in the areas of health care organization and process improvement.

Wemmerlöv was instrumental in the planning and establishment of the Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management (1992-1994). In 1994, he was formally appointed its first director and led the center until December 31, 2015. He is a long-term member of the Executive Committee of UW-Madison’s Center for Quick Response Manufacturing and has been engaged in faculty/student field research projects carried out through this center. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Manufacturing Systems Engineering program.

He is a certified fellow of the American Production and Inventory Control Society and a fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute. He has been associate editor for the Journal of Operations Management and area editor for Production and Operations Management. Currently, he serves as associate editor for the Decision Sciences journal.

Wemmerlöv holds a B.S. in business, an M.S. in mechanical engineering, and a doctorate in production management (all from Lund University, Sweden), and an M.S. in IEOR (from the University of California-Berkeley).

Selected Published Journal Articles

• Kim, Y. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2015). Does a Supplier’s Operational Competence Translate into Financial Performance? An Empirical Analysis of Supplier-Customer Relationships. Decision Sciences (46), 101-134.
• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. & Morris, J. (2009). Performance Analysis of a Focused Hospital Unit: The Case of an Integrated Trauma Center. Journal of Operations Management (27), 203-219. doi: 10.1016/j.jom.2008.08.003.
• Hua, S. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2006). Product Change Intensity in the Personal Computer Industry: A Study of Firm-Supplier Innovation. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (53), 1-13. doi: 10.1109/TEM.2006.878108.
• Hua, S. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2006). Product Change Intensity, Product Advantage, and Market Performance: An Empirical Investigation of the PC Industry. Journal of Product Innovation Management (23), 316-329. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5885.2006.00204.x.
• Johnson, D. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2004). Why Does Cell Implementation Stop? Factors Influencing Cell Penetration in Manufacturing Plants. Production and Operations Management (13), 272-289. doi: 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2004.tb00512.x.
• Wemmerlöv, U. & Johnson, D. (2000). Empirical Findings of Manufacturing Cell Design. International Journal of Production Research (38), 481-507. doi: 10.1080/002075400189275.
• Wemmerlöv, U. & Johnson, D. (1997). Cellular Manufacturing at 46 User Plants: Implementation Experiences and Performance Improvements. International Journal of Production Research (35), 29-49. doi: 10.1080/002075497195966.
• Johnson, D. & Wemmerlöv, U. (1996). On the Relative Performance of Functional and Cellular Layouts: An Analysis of the Model-Based Comparative Studies Literature. Production and Operations Management (5), 309-334. doi: 10.1111/j.1937-5956.1996.tb00403.x.
• Vakharia, A. & Wemmerlöv, U. (1995). A Comparative Investigation of Hierarchical Clustering Techniques and Dissimilarity Measures Applied to the Cell Formation Problem. Journal of Operations Management (13), 117-138. doi: 10.1016/0272-6963(95)00017-M.
• Park, Y. & Wemmerlöv, U. (1995). A Comparative Study of Cell Formation Techniques: Experimental Findings on Data Dependency and Solution Quality. Decision Sciences (26), 475-502. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5915.1995.tb01437.x.
• Park, Y. & Wemmerlöv, U. (1994). A Shop Structure Generator for Cell Formation Research. International Journal of Production Research (32), 2345-2360. doi: 10.1080/00207549408957072.

Working Papers

• Kaufman, M. & Matsumura, E. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2016). Capacity Changes, Soft and Hard, and Their Impact on the Financial Value of Continuous Improvement Activities.
• Wemmerlöv, U. & Kaufman, M. & Matsumura, E. (2016). The Economic Value of Continuous Improvement.
• Hua, S. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2008). Construct Measurement in Operations Management: A Review of Survey Studies Published in 1999-2006.

Practitioner-Oriented Publications

• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2004). Cellular Manufacturing: The Hard Part is to Get the People in Step with the Program. Mechanical Engineering, 14-16.
• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2003). Cellular Manufacturing: The Hard Part is to Get the People in Step with the Program. Manufacturing Engineering Online, 14-16.
• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2003). Cells: The Foundation of Product-Focused Teams. Vanderbilt Magazine, 2.
• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2003). Getting Cells in Place. Manufacturing Engineering (130), 89-97.
• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2003). Cellular Manufacturing: The Hard Part is to Get the Soft Side in Step with the Program. Mechanical Engineering Online, 4.
• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2002). The Office that Lean Built. IIE Solutions, 37-43.

Presentations

2017 Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) Conference ( 2017 ) On the Financial Value of Continuous Improvement

University of Pittsburgh Research Workshop ( 2016 ) Capacity Changes, Soft and Hard, and Their Impact on the Financial Value of Continuous Improvement Activities

European Operations Management Conference (EurOMA 2016) ( 2016 ) The Economic Value of Continuous Improvement

"Challenges and Opportunities in ME, IE, and Management" ( 2012 ) Invited PlenaryTalk at the international conference in Bangalore, India: "Challenges and Opportunities in ME, IE, and Management." See more at http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-educationplus/article3671163.ece?textsize=large&test=1

Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) ( 2011 ) Investigating the Effects of Operational Capabilities and Cooperative Activities on the Supplier's Financial Performance

Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) ( 2011 ) The Effect of Power on Cooperation and Financial Performance: Supplier's Perspective

20th Annual North American Research and Teaching Conference on Purchasing and Supply Chain Management ( 2010 ) The Effect of Operations Strategy on Supplier-Customer Relationships and Suppliers’ Financial Performance (this paper was the Best Paper Award for the conference)

Undergraduate Courses

Production Planning and Control (OIM 654), Spring 2002.

Production Planning and Control (OIM 654), Spring 2001.

Graduate Courses

PhD Reading & Research (OTM 999 Section 058), Spring 2008.

PhD dissertation (OTM 990 Section 058), Fall 2008.

PhD Thesis (OTM 990), Spring 2009.

PhD Thesis (OTM 990), Summer 2009.

Reorganizing the Factory: Competing through Cellular Manufacturing (OIM 875), Spring 2002.

Reorganizing the Factory: Competing through Cellular Manufacturing (OIM 875), Spring 2003.

Reorganizing the Factory: Competing through Cellular Manufacturing (OIM 875), Spring 2005.

Smr-Operations & Tech Mgmt/Reorganizing the Factory (OTM 875 Section 1), Spring 2010.

Seminar in OTM (OTM 875 Section 1), Spring 2007.

Smr-Operations & Tech Mgmt (OTM 875 Section 1), Spring 2008.

Reading & Research (OTM 799 Section 058), Spring 2008.

Reading and Research-Operations and Information Management (OIM 799), Spring 2006.

Healthcare Operations Management (OTM 765 Section 4), Spring 2011.

Healthcare Operations Management (OTM 765 Section 4), Spring 2012.

Managing Technological and Organizational Change (OIM 758 Section 001), Fall 2015.

Managing Technological and Organizational Change (OTM 758 Section 1), Fall 2008.

Managing Technological and Organizational Change (OTM 758 Section 001), Fall 2016.

Managing Technological Change in Mfg Systems (OIM 758), Fall 2001.

Managing Technological Change in Mfg Systems (OIM 758), Fall 2002.

Managing Technological Change in Mfg Systems (OIM 758), Fall 2003.

Managing Technological Change in Mfg Systems (OIM 758), Fall 2004.

Managing Technological and Organizational Change (OTM 758 Section 1), Fall 2009.

Managing Technological Change in Manufacturing Systems (OTM 758), Fall 2006.

Managing Technologial and Organizational Change (OTM 758 Section 1), Fall 2010.

Managing Technological and Organizational Change (OTM 758 Section 1), Fall 2012.

Healthcare Operations Management (OTM 753 Section 001), Spring 2016.

Healthcare Operations Management (OTM 753 Section 001), Spring 2017.

Healthcare Operations Management (OTM 753 Section 030), Spring 2017.

Combined Undergraduate & Graduate Courses Managing Technological and Organizational Change (OIM/IEN 758/658), Fall 2005.

Learning/Teaching Oriented Publications

• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. & Morris, Jr., J. & Brown, K. (2014). Redesigning Trauma Operations at University Hospital (Case available from Thunderbird School of Management, includes Teaching Note). Thunderbird School of Management Case series
• Hyer, N. & Wemmerlöv, U. (2002). Reorganizing the Factory: Competing through Cellular Manufacturing. , 770.

Professional Organizations

European Operations Management Association (EurOMA)

Decision Sciences Institute (DSI)

European Operations Management Association (EurOMA)

Production Operations Management Society (POMS)

Production and Operations Management (POMS)

Fourth World Conference on Production & Operations Management

Editorial and Reviewing Activities

Int Journal of Operations and Production Management (IJOPM) - February 2017 - February 2017 Ad Hoc Reviewer

Health Environments Research & Design - September 2016 - September 2016 Ad Hoc Reviewer

Associate Editor, Decision Sciences - January 2016 - December 2017 Associate Editor

European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) - January 2016 - December 2016

Int. J. of Production Research - May 2015 - May 2015 Ad Hoc Reviewer

INFORMS - April 2015 - April 2015

European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) - January 2015 - December 2015

Decision Sciences - January 2015 - December 2015 Associate Editor

Production and Operations Management (POMS) - March 2014 - March 2014

Decision Sciences - January 2014 - December 2014 Associate Editor

European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) - January 2014 - December 2014

Decision Sciences - January 2013 - December 2013 Associate Editor

Production and Operations Management - July 2012 - July 2012 Ad Hoc Reviewer

Decision Sciences - January 2012 - December 2012 Associate Editor

Production Planning and Control - October 2011 - October 2011 Ad Hoc Reviewer

International Journal of Production Research - April 2011 - May 2011 Invited Manuscript Reviewer

Production Planning and Control - March 2011 - April 2011 Ad Hoc Reviewer

Decision Sciences - January 2011 - December 2011 Associate Editor

• January 2011 - December 2011 Ad Hoc Reviewer

International Journal of Production Research - January 2010 - December 2010 Invited Manuscript Reviewer

Int. J. of Operations and Production Management - January 2010 - December 2010 Invited Manuscript Reviewer

Production and Operations Management - September 1990 - October 2003 Editorial Board Member