A framework for developing, manufacturing, and sourcing trucks & equipment in a global fluid management industry

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (p. 48).Selecting and executing the optimal strategy for developing new products is a non trivial task, especially for low volume, high complexity products in a highly volatile global industry such as Fluid Management. At Fluid Management Corporation (FMC), Trucks and Equipment (T&E) that are used to deliver services both onshore and offshore currently follow a single product development model: In-house design; Outsourced prototyping, testing, and manufacturing. The objective of this research work is to challenge the status quo and to provide FMC with a practical framework that helps to determine the optimal development strategy. Rather than following a single development strategy for the entire portfolio of trucks and equipment products, the new methodology recommends a development strategy at a product functionality level and product feature level. Product development strategy is defined here using three dimensions: Design strategy; Manufacturing strategy; and Supply Chain strategy. Each functionality or feature is evaluated using a set of six criteria which then maps that functionality or feature to a specific recommended location on a three dimensional strategy cube. The set of evaluation criteria were derived from exploring and analyzing the current product development process, and from benchmarking world class companies from a wide range of different industries. The results show that for functionalities and features that differentiate FMC from its competitors and are viewed as core competencies, FMC should consider in sourcing the design, prototyping, and testing processes.(cont.) These functionalities include blending, pumping, software development, and system integration. Similarly, for functionalities and features that are not viewed as core competencies such as transport units, storage, and power generation, FMC should consider outsourcing the development process including design.by Ghassan Awwad.S.M.M.B.A

Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2020, which was planned to be held during June 8-12, 2020, at the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was postponed until an undetermined date. XP is the premier agile software development conference combining research and practice. It is a hybrid forum where agile researchers, academics, practitioners, thought leaders, coaches, and trainers get together to present and discuss their most recent innovations, research results, experiences, concerns, challenges, and trends. Following this history, for both researchers and seasoned practitioners XP 2020 provided an informal environment to network, share, and discover trends in Agile for the next 20 years. The 14 full and 2 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 37 submissions. They were organized in topical sections named: agile adoption; agile practices; large-scale agile; the business of agile; and agile and testing

The Use of Information Systems in Collocated and Distributed Teams: A Test of the 24-Hour Knowledge Factory

Recent academic and policy studies focus on offshoring as a cost-of-labor driven activity that has a direct impact on employment opportunities in the countries involved. This paper broadens this perspective by introducing and evaluating the 24-hour knowledge factory as a model of information systems offshoring that leverages other strategic factors beyond cost savings. A true 24-hour knowledge factory ensures that progress is being made on information systems related tasks at all times of day by utilizing talented information systems professionals around the globe. Many organizations currently implement other variants of offshoring that appear similar but are fundamentally distinct. The typical model is a service provider framework in which an offshore site provides service to the central site, often with two centers and a distinction between a primary center and secondary center. Entire tasks are often outsourced to the lower-cost overseas site and sent back when completed. In contrast, the 24-hour knowledge factory involves continuous and collaborative round-the-clock knowledge production achieved by sequentially and progressively distributing the knowledge creation task around the globe, completing one cycle every 24 hours. Thus, the 24-hour knowledge factory creates a virtual distributed team, in contrast to a team that is collocated in one site, either onshore or offshore. By organizing knowledge tasks in this way, the 24-hour knowledge factory has the potential to work faster, to provide cheaper solutions, and to achieve better overall performance. Previous studies have examined individual teams over time and explored various benefits of distributing work to distant teams, but have not directly compared the effect of collocation versus geographic distribution on the use of information systems and the overall performance over time of two real-world teams working on a similar task in controlled conditions. This paper highlights the concept of the 24-hour knowledge factory and tests the model in a controlled field experiment that directly compares the use of information systems and subsequent performance in collocated and globally distributed software development teams. The central finding is that while collocation versus geographic distribution changes the way teams use information systems and interact at key points during a project, each type of team has the potential to use information systems to leverage its inherent advantages, to overcome disadvantages, and ultimately, to perform equally well. In other words, one organizational structure is not inherently superior nor must structure pre-determine performance. Geographic distance introduces new challenges but these can be overcome – and even leveraged for strategic advantage. In sum, our findings suggest that firms can apply the 24-hour knowledge factory model to transition from a service provider framework in which offshoring is a short-term and unilateral cost-saving tactic to a strategic partnership between centers in which offshoring becomes a core component of a global corporate strategy

India's National Innovation System: Key elements and corporate perspectives

In recent years India has emerged as a major destination for corporate research and development (R&D), especially for multinational corporations. India's domestic institutions like Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) have set prestigious milestones of international standards. Not surprisingly, at Governmental levels a number of international cooperation agreements in the field of science and technology have been signed with India. After years of self-imposed seclusion, principally motivated by post-colonial India's insistence on the development of indigenous technology, India finally seems to have joined the global mainstream of innovation. India is in the process of emerging as a major R&D hub for both large and medium-sized multinational companies in various industries. This development is mainly owing to the availability of skilled labor produced in world-class elite institutions. Cost advantages, e.g. in the form of low wages are still present but receding due to substantial wage hikes often ranging between 15 and 25% per annum. The striking finding is however about market-driven factors. Of late, India's market potential, in the meantime ranked as 3rd largest worldwide by the Global Competitiveness Report 2007-08, has emerged as a crucial driver. Rising income levels of India's billion-plus population are creating unique market opportunities for firms, both domestic and foreign. In India the Government has historically played a major and in most cases a singularly positive role in the formation of its innovation system. India, ever since its independence from British rule, has invested much time, resources and efforts in creating a knowledge society and building institutions of research and higher institutions. Despite explosive population growth literacy rate in India grew from 18.3% in 1950-51 to 64.8% in 2001 thanks to concerted Government efforts; female literacy rose from a mere 8.9% to 53.7% in the same period. Moreover the quality of education in India is generally ranked as very good. According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2007-08 the quality of mathematics and science education in India is ranked as 11th best in the world, much ahead of 29th placed Japan, 36th placed Germany, 45th placed United States and 46th placed United Kingdom. Nevertheless, India is faced with major challenges related to infrastructure and bureaucratic hurdles. The quality of education, notwithstanding such excellent rankings as stated above, in many institutions does not reach the standards required for (cutting-edge) R&D efforts. Moreover, a booming economy is leading to shortage of qualified and experienced skilled labor - which result in inflationary wage growth and high attrition rates, which generally lay in a double-digit range. With the Government maintaining a pro-active role many of these problems may however be expected to get resolved to a manageable extent. In its Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) the Government has announced massive investments in infrastructure and education sectors to enhance both the quantity and the quality. Industrial firms in India have recognized their chances and are investing heavily in R&D capacities. India is also a beneficiary of global mobility and exchange of talents, technology and resources as much as the world, especially the developed Western countries, have profited from India's export of brain power. In sum all these developments raise hopes for a further improvement in the conditions of Indi's National Innovation System. --National Innovation System,India,Offshoring,Globalization,Research and Development

Adoption of Open Business Models in the West and Innovation in India's Software Industry

Over the last three decades, outsourcing has had a big influence on the international division of labour. It is clear that it has been a major reason for the enormous build-up of production capabilities in the developing world, in particular in the export platforms of Asia. However, the influence of outsourcing on innovation capabilities is less clear. Recent literature shows that innovation capabilities have emerged in the software cluster of Bangalore in India. This report asks whether and how the adoption of open business models in OECD countries had an influence on the rise of innovative software services in Bangalore. This requires detailed research on both the demand side and the supply side of outsourced software services. On the demand side, this report compares three software buyer segments, exploring the relationship between business models and outsourcing patterns. The study shows that the adoption of open business models in OECD countries has a major influence on the ‘space’ for innovation that accrues to suppliers in the software industry in India. On the supply side, the study investigates the factors that determine whether the new spaces are filled and how advanced innovation capabilities are built. The key feature of this study is that it examines the interaction between demand- and supply-side dynamics. Most studies tend to focus on only one side, but the key is to see them in conjunction. The study shows that their co-evolution over time changes not only the scale of outsourcing but also the ‘quality’ of the contents and the division of labour

Introducing the Electronic Knowledge Framework into the Traditional Automotive Suppliers’ Industry: From Mechanical Engineering to Mechatronics

The automotive sector is undergoing radical changes. New trends such as electrification, autonomous driving, connectivity, and car-sharing—to name a few—are disturbing the carmakers, which must satisfy their clients while meeting the increasingly strict environmental regulations. This pressure also falls on automotive parts suppliers, which now are asked to manufacture high-added-value integral systems, while struggling to keep a very adjusted price. As traditional automotive components evolve into electronic systems, suppliers must gain digital mastery to remain competitive. This paper presents different ways of introducing e-skills in a company and illustrates this with some examples from the Basque automotive industry. The aim is to encourage corporations to take the step towards digitalization, providing different options for them to choose the one that best suits their current scenario. For this study we have analyzed the literature and the press releases of the component manufacturers and interviewed staff from some of them. This research seeks to provide solutions so that the automotive sector remains competitive, as it is a strategic sector for the economy and employment.This work has been partially supported by the grant ‘Ayudas para el desarrollo de proyectos de I+D mediante la contratación de personas doctoradas y la realización de doctorados industriales, programa BIKAINTEK 2019’, by the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment of the Basque Government. Additionally, this work has been partially supported by Eusko Jaularitza-Gobierno Vasco (HAZITEK ESTRATEGICOS 2020 ZL-2020/00022-PILAR-y 2021 ZL-2021/00931-COMMUTE-), by CDTI (IDI-20201264) and FEDER funds