The issues surrounding the make or buy question in manufacturing industry are as old as the manufacturing activity itself@ and interest in finding a sound way of dealing with them has been a constant feature of industrial life. This book represents the results of a research and application project carried out by the author while an industrial research fellow@ based in the Manufacturing Engineering Group at the University of Cambridge@ and supported by Lucas Industries and the Royal Academy of Engineering. As an area for research@ make or buy issues are a central part of the manufacturing strategy of a business@ which is a core research theme at the Cambridge Manufacturing Group. Other Group research interests include the management of technology@ new product introduction@ performance measurement and international manufacturing. All programmes are carried out with the active involvement of manufacturing industry@ with the aim of transferring practical new approaches to dealing with these issues to participating companies and beyond. The team based approach to formulating a new make or buy strategy described in this book has been applied in many different businesses and provides a clear and practical route to improving manufacturing performance. Author David R. Probert