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Oulun yliopiston väitöskirjat

OPTIMISATION OF PRODUCT CHANGE PROCESS AND DEMAND-SUPPLY CHAIN IN HIGH TECH ENVIRONMENT, ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS C Technica 378

ISBN-13:	978-951-42-9354-2
Kieli:	englanti
Kustantaja:	Oulun yliopisto
Laitos:	Tekniikka, matematiikka
Oppiaine:	Tekniikka, matematiikka
Sidosasu:	pehmeäkantinen
Sijainti:	Print Tietotalo
Sivumäärä:	132
Tekijät:	YANG DAYOU

20.00 €

Information and communications technology (ICT) companies face challenges in an unpredictablebusiness environment, where demand-supply forecasting is not accurate enough. How tooptimally manage product change process and demand-supply chain in this type of environment?Companies face pressures to simultaneously be efficient, responsive and innovative, i.e. tominimise costs, and shorten order delivery and product change periods. This thesis included three action research cycles within a real demand-supply chain of asignificant international actor. Each action research cycle sought answers by going into oneextreme of minimising costs, diminishing order delivery period, or shortening product changeperiods. In practice, these research cycles included the case company changing their businessaccordingly for each of these cases. Conducting required changes in the case company wereeconomically significant trials. The results of this doctoral dissertation provide tips for global high tech companies. Largeinternational companies typically have manufacturing sites in different parts of the world.According to the results, mental shift from local optimisation to a global one is required forefficient manufacturing operations. Companies have traditionally considered their strategy as a choice between minimising costs,quick delivery, and rapid product change. Also, companies have believed that one single strategyis adequate and applicable to all of their products. According to this thesis, different products mayhave a different strategy. This would allow companies to flexibly react to the needs of differentcustomer groups, business environments, and different competitors. In addition, strategy can bechanged relatively often, monthly, weekly, or even daily. Based on the results of this doctoral thesis, companies must harmonise their product portfolioglobally, including all their sites. Once the same product version is at all sites, they can help eachother from components supply viewpoint. Consequently, product changes can be taken throughquicker.

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