Potenzial: Globalization

Lean Production-Systems (LPS) are widespread especially among the big automobile producers. LPS are company-specific configured systems which optimally coordinate technical, personal, and organisational methods. The implementation and maintenance (of elements) of an LPS requires a certain effort, but provides also many benefits. The effort-benefit relation especially for small and medium-sized enterprises is often not known. This paper allows in this context an overview of how to make this relation transparent as to production factors and size of enterprise.

Companies continuously take a chance in establishing international production facilities. However, the process of selecting a new site is yet far from being part of the daily business. Even international operating companies still have to face a considerable set of challenges regarding appropriate methods. The following article presents an approach that supports an efficient selection of suitable suites.

In the course of decreasing value added, enterprises increasingly collaborate with customers and suppliers. They hope for lower costs, higher flexibility, improved quality, and time advantages. In a survey, the following questions were investigated: What importance has collaboration in value added networks? How important is the duration of collaboration? With what kind of partners and in which area is collaboration realized? What is the trend towards collaborations with Eastern European and Asian partners? What are the success factors and threats of collaborations? In order to collaborate successfully and to capitalize on opportunities, collaborations should be understood as a success factor, should have a long term perspective and be more intensive. Furthermore, global and local sourcing should be used and balanced; the capability to collaborate and trust building should be facilitated.

The globalization process is frequently associated with negative effects on employment and the labour market. Not rarely a common opinion is that outsourcing and portfolio investments have negative effects on the labour market. Also a loss of the industrial basis is feared. However these statements are not comprehensive enough. A more differentiated examination shows that the international division of labour caused by the globalization has positive effects on production and the labour market and thus causes increases in welfare. The high unemployment is not caused by the globalization, but by failures of the politics.

Today, globalization is on the top of CEO’s agenda. Both, the unparalleled potential to grow into new markets as well as boosting the competitiveness of production are great opportunities making the globalization of production an imperative for successful companies. However, the risk and the complexity of that task require a dedicated approach to design, implement and manage the company’s network. Therefore, the article describes a basic project concept, major milestones and a promising scope of action for global production management.

Due to globalisation, competition is getting increasingly tough. Short times of delivery are becoming more and more important. In addition, demand-patterns are more unsteady than in the past, which makes it more difficult to keep delivery times permanently short. There are certain strategies, which work well under these circumstances. The characteristics and the applications of these strategies are the most important issues of the article.

The internationalisation of business activities has numerous impacts on global supply chain structure. Certain Supply Networks will have special logistics requirements. The orientation on the selected production network structure can be a first structuring approach. For global logistics that means that instead of standardized logistics principles a situation dependent reaction on the specific challenges of the international activities of a company is needed.

For manufacturers worldwide, globalization provides the opportunity of creating globally distributed manufacturing networks. In order to plan production in a manufacturing network, production sites have to be assessed accordingly. Interdependencies between product design, process design and the manufacturing site have to be taken into consideration. This article introduces a method that allows for planning globally distributed manufacturing networks focussing on these interdependencies.

One quarter to half of the manufacturing companies in different Western European countries performed offshoring of production activities in 2002 or 2003 - with Germany not ranking in the top positions. In Eastern Europe production offshoring is rather uncommon. Attempts to reduce the costs of production factors are still the dominating motive, but factors such as market opening, vicinity to key customers or securing the ability to supply locally are important, too. However, production offshoring is not necessarily an irreversible one-way process. Varying from country to country, every second to sixth offshoring company is countered by a backsourcing company.

Experts predict a lack of skilled employees for research and development in Western Europe within the next decades. Companies, which belong to the high tech sector, look for alternative sites to establish their research and development activities. The most important criteria for this selection are the level of education and the skills of their employees. The article develops a systematic process to support the decision making.