Browsing by Subject "Automotive industry"

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    Flexibilisierung synchronisationsdefekter Beschaffungsketten : Entwurf eines fachkonzeptuellen Datenmodells für Logistik-Anwendungssysteme am Beispiel mechatronischer Produkte in der Automobilwirtschaft
    (2014) Weiss, Daniel; Kirn, Stefan
    The thesis investigates supply chains of mechatronic products in the automotive industry. In the past supply chains often were considered as stable, intercompany relations with long-running general agreements, predefined services and service flows. Due to the differentiation of demand in the form of complex mechatronic products, those stable relations, nowadays, are increasingly fading. From a customer’s point of view “mechatronic supply chains” result in increasing information acquisition costs, as procurement decision alternatives along mechatronic supply chains are often defective (e.g. inadequately assessable). This loss of control during the procurement process occurs due to the fact that mechatronic products as well as their components and parts show a high level of variety, different technologies and divergent life cycle stages. With regard to an entire mechatronic supply chain, the thesis describes this observation as a synchronization defect. Since the specific attributes of mechatronic supply chains do not allow the use of standard synchronization methods, the thesis aims to flexibilize the supply chain by means of IT application systems. Therefore, in particular, the thesis designs a conceptual data model which reduces information acquisition costs during the procurement initiation and processing along mechatronic supply chains, opening up shorter reaction times and/or additional options for action. Conceptual data models describe business problems from an IT application systems’ point of view. The design of a new data model is required due to the fact that the investigated conceptual data models showed only a small benefit related to the problem. The investigated models often were too unspecific and/or designed for other purposes (e.g. other tasks, industries).
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    The evolution of innovation networks : an automotive case study
    (2014) Buchmann, Tobias; Pyka, Andreas
    Competitive pressure forces firms to continuously develop new ideas, invent new technologies and bring new products to the market in order to survive the destructive part of Schumpeterian innovation competition. This holds particularly for the automotive industry in Germany, challenged by firms from emerging markets which are able to offer their products for lower prices. In the competition for new technological solutions, competences and cutting-edge knowledge are success factors. New knowledge stimulates the emergence of new ideas that can be transformed into innovation. Such knowledge can partly be generated internally in the companies’ R&D laboratories. However, relying on internal knowledge generation is no longer sufficient. Participation in innovation networks which allow for access to external knowledge, and applying innovation cooperation as a strategic tool to acquire necessary knowledge which cannot be developed in-house opens up rich opportunities to complement and recombine the own knowledge-base. Thus, knowledge becomes the most important source of competitive advantage. In this dissertation, I analyze the drivers of innovation networks evolution among a sample of German automotive firms.