Management of new technologies in production and logistics

Abstract

The increase of a company's competitiveness can be compared with the acceleration of a train. In this idea the product is represented by the tractive power of the locomotive and the production system by the waggons. Until now, a powerful locomotive was considered to be the most important condition of success, which means an excellent product, leading all waggons: production, logistics and organization. Worlwide, it can be observed that even feeble locomotives (products) with easily running waggons are overtaking powerful locomotives with heavily running waggons. This requires a concentration on the speed of the whole train, taking all influencing parameters into account. The enterprise's investment strategy demonstrates an almost equal percentage of its investable funds, namely about 5% of the return for research and development and about 6% for new technologies. The share of new technologies in production is increased from 62 to 68%. The strategic potential of new technologies in production and logistics can be judged by their effects on critical factors for success like costs, quality, flexibility and time. The achievable advantages in competition depend on the level of experience and on the duration of protection against imitation, as well as on the turnover and market shares of the products involved. To align an enterprise with the critical factors of success, the exclusive use of new technologies for automation is not sufficient. The combination of productive factors has to be rearranged frequently. Existing organizational structures, potential of employees, systems of logistics and technologies of production have to be improved considering these circumstances. They should be integratively controlled in a long-term strategy through the systematic management of technology.