Knowledge and Material Flow in Future Industrial Networks

An analysis of the strategies and structures of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) firms, consisting mainly of automobile firms but also including manufacturers of white goods and grey goods. The study has been going on for the last ten years and included perceived strategies on the management of technology. Concludes that networks are developed as a major operating unit and are taking over as the managed unit from the firms themselves. Globalization is a major trend where all kinds of activities are allocated due to competences, prices, etc. on each location. The firms and the networks which they are operating in are building hierarchies of technology for best use of technical competence globally. Other such hierarchical levels of technical competences are being built between competitors in what are called “strategic alliances, strategic bridging” and other concepts. The OEM firm itself is concentrating on developing its competence in system integration technology concerning the final product in question. Competences in developing and building such optimally integrated final products are focused while special technologies going into this system are procured from different outside sources.