Restructuring for agility at Volvo Car Technical Service (VCTS)

The last decade has been a turbulent one for the automobile industry. Two of the more significant competitive priorities that have emerged from this turbulence are the introduction of the platform strategy in new product development and the integration of information technology in the product, in the organization of production and in after‐market activities. Both developments have forced the car industry to introduce wide‐ranging organizational changes to create structures that are flexible and agile. This paper provides a practitioner’s account of the impact of the simultaneous introduction of these two interventions on Volvo Car Technical Service (VCTS).