International Production Networks in the Automotive Industry:Drivers and Enablers

The automotive industry was one of the earliest to internationalise, with overseas production by US companies already happening in the early 1900s. However, the arrangement for overseas automotive production at that time was quite different from the idea of international production networks in the contemporary sense. There were few linkages between international locations and overseas operations were designed either as largely self-sufficient, vertically integrated, replications of their domestic factories or as CKD/SKD assembly plants with little local technical content. By comparison, our current understanding of international production networks is that they are dispersed, collaborative, high value adding and centrally coordinated. This paper uses global company case analysis to identify the drivers and enablers that shape the international production networks of two automotive companies, BMW and Volvo Cars. The methodology contrasts with previous network studies of the automotive industry that have concentrated their analysis at the country and regional level. /320191409_International_Production_Networks_in_the_Automotive_Industry_Drivers_and_Enablers [accessed Oct 18 2017]

Research Results Improve Learning and Understanding in Master Courses - The use of a manufacturing strategy tool

The analytical STRATEGO-tool has been used in total 48 project groups in master courses at Chalmers University of Technology from spring term of 2015. The project trains the students in applying theoretical tools at real organizations with a specific interest in analyzing their use of operations strategy. This paper presents the outcome from these courses and specifically discusses its usability as a pedagogic tool in different contexts, even though the intention with the tool initially was to constitute a tool for SMEs who wanted to develop their manufacturing strategies

Industrial Timber House Building - Levels of Automation

Swedish industrial timber house building faces a constantly increasing housing demand. In order to respond to the demand, companies in this sector, have to improve their businesses in terms of productivity. At the same time they need to meet customer requirements therefore, balance between the productivity and flexibility. Off-site assembly of exterior walls is an essential part of the house production, and cutting down lead times at this phase hence, increases the competitiveness. If introduced in a right way, automation can contribute to a higher productivity. Thus, right levels of both physical and cognitive automation are necessary. The objective of this study is to measure the current levels of automation (LoA) within the off-site exterior wall assembly. Research design consisted of a literature study and a case study that was conducted at a Swedish company that is an engineer-to-order producer of single-family timber houses. A case study design was made according to the DYNAMO ++ framework. The framework was used in the assessment of LoA and designing flexible task allocation in many manufacturing industries, but there is a lack of knowledge on how to use this method in the industrial timber house building. The average physical and cognitive LoA of 124 identified tasks are 3 and 1 respectively. Increased physical and cognitive LoA for critical tasks would enable flexible task allocation between human operators and technology. It is believed that this type of flexibility can result in less production disturbances and higher productivity when a high variety of exterior walls is assembled

Sustaining local manufacturing: a longitudinal study of Swedish companies

This paper reports an investigation of local sustainable production in Sweden aimed at exploring the factors contributing to survival and competitiveness of manufacturing. Eight companies were studied on two occasions 30 years apart; in 1980 and 2010. To provide a valid longitudinal, perspective a common format for data collection was used. As a framework for data collection and analysis the DRAMA methodology was employed (Bennett and Forrester, 1990). There are a number of results reported in detail concerning long term competitiveness and sustainability of manufacturing companies

Strategies for sustaining manufacturing competitiveness:case studies of Australian firms

This study investigates the strategies adopted by Australian manufacturing firms to sustain their local production and competitiveness, including during the period of the recent global financial crisis. Six Australian manufacturing organisations in different sectors were selected and analysed using the market-based and resource-based views, and components of the DRAMA framework. The findings highlight several factors and company efforts to sustain manufacturing operations. These organisations pursued a range of manufacturing strategies to enable distinctive offerings in the marketplace and used various ways to differentiate themselves. This was possible through the portfolio of capabilities that determine their continued production and business performance over the period. This study provides important lessons for managers in manufacturing organisations and demonstrates how differing capabilities and strategies of firms can impact the competitiveness of local production, not only in times of economic crisis but also in the long run to sustainable competitiveness in the future

Performance indicators at different organisational levels in manufacturing companies

The purpose of this article is to study how performance is measured at different organisational levels within manufacturing organizations. The analysis and discussion are based on the results from a present state analysis of 7different Swedish manufacturing sites conducted in the research project “Sustainable and resource efficient business performance measurement system” which is a part of the Swedish research program Produktion2030. The indicatorsused at the sites were collected through interviews with managers on different levels in the organization and studies of the visualised performance indicators on score cards and on KPI boards.To determine the differences between organizational levels, the performance indicators were categorised according to their type, topic, and frequency of updating the results.The largest differences were found between site level and area level in all analyses. On site level there was a larger amount of indicators, lower frequency of updating the results, and more frequent use of advanced indicators. Thefocus on site level was more on financial indicators and the total amount of performance indicators are higher compared to area and work centre level.This article contributes to the performance measurement systems body of knowledge through the identification of differences in type and topic of performance indicators used at different organisational levels within a manufacturingorganization

Performance indicators at different organisational levels in manufacturing companies

The purpose of this article is to study how performance is measured at different organisational levels within manufacturing organizations. The analysis and discussion are based on the results from a present state analysis of 7different Swedish manufacturing sites conducted in the research project “Sustainable and resource efficient business performance measurement system” which is a part of the Swedish research program Produktion2030. The indicatorsused at the sites were collected through interviews with managers on different levels in the organization and studies of the visualised performance indicators on score cards and on KPI boards.To determine the differences between organizational levels, the performance indicators were categorised according to their type, topic, and frequency of updating the results.The largest differences were found between site level and area level in all analyses. On site level there was a larger amount of indicators, lower frequency of updating the results, and more frequent use of advanced indicators. Thefocus on site level was more on financial indicators and the total amount of performance indicators are higher compared to area and work centre level.This article contributes to the performance measurement systems body of knowledge through the identification of differences in type and topic of performance indicators used at different organisational levels within a manufacturingorganization

Production Management and Smart Manufacturing from a Systems Perspective

The traditional view of production systems relies on the organization of physical and information flows enabling customer satisfaction with products or\ua0services, following inputs from strategy, policies, rules and principles, supported by tools, systems and methods, and improved through performance management systems. Moving forward to new levels of industrialization, smart manufacturing represents systems integration and automation supported by Cyber-Physical-Systems (CPS) to enable more autonomous, agile and sustainable production processes, which can at the same time be influenced by, as well as influencing the organizational system in real time. As a new managerial topic, this research paper intends to study and systematically organize the literature related to smart manufacturing and production systems design in order to identify whether smart manufacturing can be implemented through the production systems approach and, if so, what are the requirements for implementation and integration of different management systems (e.g. quality, and environment systems)

Digital organisational readiness: experiences from manufacturing companies

Purpose: This research aims to identify and organise the conditions of organisational readiness for digital transformation. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study comprises three case studies within manufacturing companies from different sizes and industries located in Sweden. Plant visits and in-depth interviews bring to light companies\u27 experiences with initial steps towards digital transformation. A set of conditions for digital organisational readiness was translated into a questionnaire and tested with one of the studied companies. Findings: This paper organises and tests digital organisational readiness conditions to support companies\u27 initial steps on digital transformation. The results are put in perspective of established change management theory and previous studies about digital transformation. The findings will conclude in a questionnaire to support dialogue and digital organisational readiness assessments. Research limitations/implications: Additional conditions for the initial phase of digital transformation could possibly be found if more cases had been included in the study. Practical implications: The article identifies a set of conditions translated into a questionnaire that should be used as a dialogue tool to create strategic alignment and support companies in their initial discussions. If this process can be faster and more efficient, the company can achieve a competitive advantage against competitors. Originality/value: This research\u27s relevance relies on the fact that companies are advancing in adopting digital technologies without being ready from an organisational perspective. This gap creates barriers for companies\u27 digital maturing processes, stopping them from having full access to digital technologies\u27 benefits