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Manufacturing networks open new possibilities and potentials in design, development and production of complex high-tech products while they combine good characteristics of large companies with advantages of SMEs. In order to manage the structural complexity of a manufacturing network, the paper proposes the business-to-manufacturing network B2MN approach based on the market mechanism. Next, the network nodes in terms of the autonomous work system (AWS) are conceptualized. AWS encapsulates functionalities and competencies related to its management and manufacturing operations, as well as its autonomous information system, which supports autonomous decision-making and cooperation in the network. The case study illustrates the implementation of the AWS concept in industry.

Networking of manufacturing enterprises, especially SMEs, is becoming a key issue. It introduces new challenges to the manufacturing business. In order to exploit the potential of networking in manufacturing, research in new working structures and principles is essential. New organizational forms, such as manufacturing networks, clusters and virtual enterprises, which are based on cooperation, are being developed [1]. A manufacturing network provides a basis for competitiveness, innovativeness, agility and adaptiveness by enabling interconnected partners to (1) form long-term business coalitions, (2) develop mutual understanding and trust, (3) jointly react to business opportunities, (4) gain synergetic effects by cooperation and (5) share information, knowledge, resources, competencies and risks. The main question here is how nodes of a network are defined. Most approaches in the literature consider entire manufacturing enterprises as being the nodes (e.g. [1, 2]). The shortcoming of this approach lies in the fact that such a node is an autonomous, but complex hierarchical structure, which, as a rule, withstands effective communication and decision making and is reluctant to be subjected to control. Thus, the complexity of a network increases with the number of involved partners. In order to manage the structural complexity of a manufacturing network, the paper proposes the concept of an autonomous manufacturing work system (AWS), which represents a network node. Hence, the building blocks that constitute the network are rather simple structures with autonomous behavior instead of complex structures, i.e. enterprises. The AWS encapsulates functionalities and competencies related to management and operations of its core manufacturing process and communication with the network. The paper first discusses the manufacturing network issues and related works. Next, it introduces the businessto- manufacturing network (B2MN) approach and the concept of the AWS. Further on, the information and control system of AWS is presented. Finally, the results and experiences of an industrial implementation are examined in a case study

The manufacturing networks open new possibilities and potentials in design, development and production of hightech products while they combine good characteristics of large companies with advantages of SMEs. Most approaches to networks assume manufacturing enterprises as being the nodes of a network. The paper introduces the B2MN business-to-manufacturing network approach based on the market mechanism, where the network nodes are autonomous work systems. The approach is argued with: (1) AWS is a rather simple structure in comparison to the structure of an enterprise, and (2) the market directly influences the manufacturing level, i.e. AWS, while in an enterprise it influences the business level only. AWS is a lean structure and possesses the rounded technological competence represented by EWS as well as the management functionality for autonomous management of internal operations and for coordination with other nodes. Hence, AWS is a system and represents the leaf level of logical decomposition of a distributed networked manufacturing system, which promises the minimum complexity of networked manufacturing structures. The industrial implementation has provided valuable experiences and improvements. Due to technological integrability on the communication level and organizational integrability AWS is a potential building block of future innovative manufacturing structures.