Gap between production and marketing functions: a case study

For any company, measuring its performance with respect to customers’ expectations is crucial in selecting suitable strategies and technologies that it will employ in producing and marketing the right product mix. This certainly holds also for the company studied here, GECMarconi Aerospace (GECMAe), a manufacturer of pumping systems, pneumatic systems, electromechanical actuators and subsystems, and fuel handling and metering equipment for ground applications and for bulk fuel distribution. The paper is based on an actual case study conducted in GECMAe, and it provides information on the “gap” between the company's marketing and production functions. Gap analysis, proposed by Slack, is the method used to study the gap between these functions. A list of suggestions is provided to help the company in its efforts to reduce the gap, and improve its performance and overall competitiveness. The study also provides the reader with an insight into the company.