Autor: Gisela Lanza

Industrial companies face the challenge to manage an increasing number of documents digitally and reliably. Document Management Software (DMS) enables the efficient generation, retrieval and filing of documents. However, the range of software solutions is vast. Furthermore, many introduction projects fail due to inherent organizational challenges. This article introduces a methodology for preparing the successful implementation of a DMS in both theory and practice.

Cooperation between German and Chinese companies is rare considering the potential for growth in China. However, not only in industry but also at university barriers of intercultural cooperation occur between Germans and Chinese. Against this background, case studies can be applied in teaching not only technical knowledge, but also intercultural competences. In this context, deficiencies in intercultural cooperation can be identified and successfully overcome.

Baden-Wuerttemberg and Suzhou Industrial Park are innovative and economically powerful regions in Germany and China, respectively. Thus, cooperation between companies from these regions offers promising synergy potentials. In order to identify industrial synergies, guideline oriented interviews have been conducted with 25 experts from Baden-Wuerttemberg and the Jiangsu province. Especially Chinese companies pursue strong collaboration in order to address future technology fields such as automation technology as well as environmental technology.

Germany is Europe’s most industrialized country. The close cooperation between industry and academia ensures rapid market entry of new technologies. The production is always an integrative character of disciplines in the implementation of an idea into a product. To meet the growing challenges in the high-wage countries, any potential must be raised by new technologies continuously. Right now the information and communication technology is a particularly prominent enabler.

Due to the concentration of core competences and the utilisation of international location advantages successful German production companies face a situation with globally dispersed sites in global value added networks. The ongoing globalisation, which includes the integration of external sites, suppliers and partners, leads to complex interactions within networks. However, these interactions are not or are simply partially known and not predictable so far. Being able to control dramatic dynamics in the behaviour of global value added networks, German production companies will be positively affected by globalisation in the future. Therefore, changeable global value added networks which can be quickly adjusted to dynamics become crucial. The paper on hand describes an approach for the planning and optimization of adaptable global value added networks. Background is the approach of the research project “planning and optimization of changeable global value added networks” (POWer.net) ...

Derived from the automotive industry an increasing number of companies - also from other industry sectors - implemented their own Integrated Production System. Relevant aspects concerning the implementation of an Integrated Production System like the motivation, the structure and the implementation strategy, as well as necessary efforts and benefits, were subject of a short survey by the Institute of Production Science (wbk) with chief managers of selected industry partners. This article summarizes the survey results and gives a short outlook to the future trend of Integrated Production Systems.