Department of Management and Engineering

Purpose -This paper proposes application of quality engineering in the early phase of environmentally conscious design (Ecodesign). Methodology/approach -Utilizing Kano Model and willingness to pay, it presents a framework for classification of environmental characteristics of products/services (i.e. offers) in two dimensions. The framework is connected to design management, i.e. design itself and external communication, where strategies for companies are given. The integration of the classification and the strategies is applied to three environmental characteristics against Japanese markets. Findings -The classification framework was proved to be effective as it generates much richer implication than other existing methods. In addition, it works well especially for environmental characteristics. Generation of strategies was also found to work effectively. They suggested some potential of using quality-engineering oriented methods/tools to deal with customer perception in the early phase of Ecodesign.

This paper proposes a new model-based technique to automatically generate sequence control programs for mechatronics machines from design information. This technique solves one of the bottlenecks in developing mechatronics machines by reducing burdens of software development. In this technique, a sequence control progrmn is generated from a model of the design object represented in a mechanical CAD by searching the physical causalities described by Qualitative Process Theory and by providing geometric information. Based on this technique, we implemented a prototype system named the Sequence Control Program (SCP) Generator which integrates a mechanical CAD and a software generation system. An example of control program generation for a photocopier with the SCP Generator is described.

""In order to reap competitive advantage from innovation, a firm's technology activities should square with its technology strategy - but how do technology strategies relate to activities and financial performance in relevant business areas? This paper investigates this question by means of a comparison between two leading firms in the electrical engineering industry: ABB and General Electric. We show that substantial performance differences between these companies in the power generation field are related to differences in their espoused technology strategies (as indicated by statements in annual reports) and technology activities (as indicated by patenting) and the degree of alignment between these.

technological capabilities,
technology leadership,
technology scope,
technology strategy.""

For a long time, the telecom equipment industry has been at the forefront of outsourcing and relocating production operations to contract manufacturing firms located in Asia and Eastern Europe. Recently, however, leading firms have begun to revise this strategy, based on their recognition of the continual importance of technological leadership and integration capabilities. Using a case study of a key company, this paper explores the dynamics of outsourcing and production strategies in the telecom equipment industry. One of the central aspects under study is the interaction of product development with industrialisation and production. The paper analyses issues such as component standardisation versus differentiation and technological integration, the value of deep integration capabilities for cost reductions, and why production competence and the rapid industrialisation of products incorporating new technologies have acquired renewed importance, despite the global trend towards lowest-cost locations.

Are individual inventors still important in today’s lean R&D organizations? A study of three R&D organizations in two Swedish companies, both committed to increasingly leaner R&D and with an innovation focus, certainly indicates that a small group of extra innovative inventors in each organization outperform their colleagues in terms of patents applied for. In this paper we discuss how managers can leverage these important individuals and how the fragile inventive space needed for the growth of the next generation of key inventors can be
nourished.

Rising fuel prices and tightening regulations to curb greenhouse gases and other emissions have changed the parameters of competition in the global automotive industry, introducing new uncertainties, increased variation and technological turbulence. Many studies focus on the potential performance of 'alternative technologies', from fuel cells to battery electric cars. This paper starts from the other end: the competition unfolding in the real marketplace between today's most important fuel-saving technologies: the 'new' gasoline hybrid electric vehicle versus the 'old' but continuously evolving diesel power train. In the paper, these technological options are related to the evolution of the European and US markets and the innovation and sourcing strategies of Japanese and European manufacturers. A central finding is that the advent of the hybrid power train has intensified technological competition within the industry, but that it stands no real chance of replacing the evolving diesel in the foreseeable future. However, the competitiveness of technological trajectories must be distinguished from the fate of the firms engaged in these technologies. The paper ends with a discussion of the key factors influencing the outcome of this technology contest between the leading Japanese and European manufacturers

"Incremental improvement of a deeply embedded technology system has been a hallmark of the automotive industry for a very long time. Efforts to develop alternatives have repeatedly failed. This paper analyses analyzes how Toyota started to challenge this pattern in the late 1990s by the architectural innovation embodied in Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid-electric car. Then an account follows of how key competitors reacted by accelerating their incremental innovation efforts, in an era when concerns over fuel prices and greenhouse gas emissions increased demand for environmentally sound vehicles. The paper builds on records of patenting and performance of actually marketed models to analyze the unfolding technology competition. Based on current development lead-times, it also considers the most probable technologies on the market in a 10-12 year timeframe, and further discusses how the technology strategies of today’s major competitors position them in this era of ferment.
Key words: Technological discontinuity, hybrid-electric vehicle, technology strategy, car manufacturing, architectural innovation"

"For an increasing number of firms in the capital goods industry,
combinations of products and services, so called integrated
solutions, are becoming part of their future growth strategies. By
analysing three case studies, the article highlights the variety of
such solutions and some important implications for the involved
companies. The analysis suggests that companies need an
extended set of competences to succeed in providing integrated
solutions, amounting to a balance of technical and integration
competence with market/business, consulting and partnering
competences. This implies a move from product-focus to
customer-centric orientation and focus on optimisation of user
processes. From a research perspective the paper underlines the
importance of integrating studies of product and service
innovation, two fields that so far have been studied separately."

Deregulation, privatization, and outsourcing are changing the organizational environment for projects in infrastructure industries (e.g., power generation projects). An important trend is the increasing use of management and engineering consultants on behalf of clients but, sometimes, also acting as supplier representatives in situ. We argue that very little research has been devoted to these arrangements. The paper focuses on the effects of such organizational fragmentation for the execution of largescale engineering projects. Three problems are identified: the problem of coordination, the problem of the absent customer, and the problem of learning. On a theoretical level, the paper points to important aspects of coordinating engineering work in nonrecurring project business. On a practical level, the paper highlights the need for clients to assess consultants from a broad perspective, including their abilities to build a cooperative project environment and establish problem-solving and conflict- resolution arrangements.