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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of postponement strategies in companies that produce tomato-derived products in order to identify the types of postponement adopted by these companies, the implementation process, and the major changes after their adoption. Design/methodology/approach – Three exploratory case studies were carried out in manufacturers of tomato products, where interviews were conducted with general managers in the manufacturing and logistics sectors. Findings – The application of time and form postponement was verified in the companies studied, and the implementation of the postponement strategy led to changes in the productive process of tomato-derived products. These changes involved the movement of the decoupling point and the increase in the make-to-order production, which had positive impacts on the businesses. Research limitations/implications – This paper analyzed the application of postponement in a specific sector of the food industry. Future research must analyze the application of this strategy in other segments of the food industry and other sectors as well. Practical implications – The information acquired in this can contribute to a more adequate application of postponement in a little-known industry sector. Originality/value – In addition to further discussion on the issue and verification of postponement application in food companies, this research presents information to assist the adoption, use, and consolidation of the postponement strategy.
Ferreira et al. (Fri,) studied this question.