In today's global economy, many manufacturers have networks of operations around the world. They have developed a large variety of product configurations and supply chains, even for products of the same kind, to make the most of the business opportunities provided by global market changes. Of particular importance is the rapid expansion of new markets, such as emerging and 'bottom of the pyramid' (BOP) markets. Numerous factors, such as national culture, vulnerability to risk and institutional arrangements that impose different conditions for the application of manufacturing practices, come into play. This makes it difficult for manufacturing companies to clearly evaluate which practices are necessary and sufficient for their operations and provides significant challenges for implementation. The globalization of manufacturing imposes new challenges on the practices that have been advocated so far.