Sven Thiebus

Bio: Sven Thiebus is an academic researcher from Siemens. The author has contributed to research in topics: Automotive industry & Diversification (marketing strategy). The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 7 citations.

Knowledge Management For Dynamic Automotive Networks

Abstract: The automotive industry is facing new challenges from increasing product diversification and complexity, decreasing product live cycle times and the permanent need for cost reduction. Car Manufacturers’ are assigning more and more development tasks and manufacturing orders to suppliers. Suppliers need to create temporary alliances of organizations to share skills, competences and resources. These dynamie automotive networks are facing similar challenges like Dynamic Virtual Organizations (DVO) do.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR RAMP-UP - Approach for Knowledge Management for Ramp-up in the Automotive Industry

Abstract: Abstract Enterprises in the automotive industry are facing new challenges from increasing product diversification, decreasing product life cycle times and permanent need for cost reduction. The ramp-up as linking phase between development phase and production phase has a crucial role for the success of a project. The performance of a ramp-up depends on the maturity of the product and manufacturing process. Knowledge management is an extraordinary driver for maturity of both. The existing solutions for knowledge management show insufficient results. The new approach bases on the cycle of organizational learning. The cycle consists of four phases: socialization, externalization, combination and internalization. It provides opportunities to improve ramp-up performance in the automotive industry. Part of the new approach is a sophisticated concept for a solution using Information Technology as enabler for Knowledge management.

The knowledge-creating company

Abstract: How have Japanese companies become world leaders in the automotive and electronics industries, among others? What is the secret of their success? Two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, are the first to tie the success of Japanese companies to their ability to create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. In The Knowledge-Creating Company, Nonaka and Takeuchi provide an inside look at how Japanese companies go about creating this new knowledge organizationally. The authors point out that there are two types of knowledge: explicit knowledge, contained in manuals and procedures, and tacit knowledge, learned only by experience, and communicated only indirectly, through metaphor and analogy. U.S. managers focus on explicit knowledge. The Japanese, on the other hand, focus on tacit knowledge. And this, the authors argue, is the key to their success--the Japanese have learned how to transform tacit into explicit knowledge. To explain how this is done--and illuminate Japanese business practices as they do so--the authors range from Greek philosophy to Zen Buddhism, from classical economists to modern management gurus, illustrating the theory of organizational knowledge creation with case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, Nissan, 3M, GE, and even the U.S. Marines. For instance, using Matsushita's development of the Home Bakery (the world's first fully automated bread-baking machine for home use), they show how tacit knowledge can be converted to explicit knowledge: when the designers couldn't perfect the dough kneading mechanism, a software programmer apprenticed herself withthe master baker at Osaka International Hotel, gained a tacit understanding of kneading, and then conveyed this information to the engineers. In addition, the authors show that, to create knowledge, the best management style is neither top-down nor bottom-up, but rather what they call "middle-up-down," in which the middle managers form a bridge between the ideals of top management and the chaotic realities of the frontline. As we make the turn into the 21st century, a new society is emerging. Peter Drucker calls it the "knowledge society," one that is drastically different from the "industrial society," and one in which acquiring and applying knowledge will become key competitive factors. Nonaka and Takeuchi go a step further, arguing that creating knowledge will become the key to sustaining a competitive advantage in the future. Because the competitive environment and customer preferences changes constantly, knowledge perishes quickly. With The Knowledge-Creating Company, managers have at their fingertips years of insight from Japanese firms that reveal how to create knowledge continuously, and how to exploit it to make successful new products, services, and systems.

The impact of buyer–supplier communication on production ramp-up performance

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how communication with suppliers influences performance during production ramp-up. Often, time, cost or quality targets are missed in production ramp-ups while the number and frequency of ramp-ups is further increasing. The goal of this paper is thus to contribute a better understanding if and to which extend communication content or communication relationship is affecting ramp-up performance. Design/methodology/approach The research uses data from a dyadic survey (N = 160) in the German automotive industry. The data set comprises responses from buyers and suppliers. Constructs, namely, information and relationship quality, as well as communication satisfaction, are measured. The effect of communication is evaluated referring to cost, quality and time dimensions of performance. The analysis is applied with structural equation modeling methodology. This research is complemented by a multigroup analysis (MGA) especially comparing buyer and supplier respondent groups. Findings The results indicate that communication satisfaction positively influences ramp-up performance and that information quality is of higher relevance than relationship quality. Briefly, information exchange (what information to transfer) is more important than relationship management (how to transfer information). This finding contrasts previous literature focusing on relationship factors in communication settings. Furthermore, findings from MGA sustain the findings, because effects are also analyzed from a supplier’s or buyer’s viewpoint. Overall, the findings imply that supplier communication in production ramp-up must of course provide a high level of information quality. However, to optimize ramp-up performance also a high level of relationship quality is required. Research limitations/implications This study featured data from the German automotive industry from buyer’s and supplier’s perspective. This limits its generalizability, yet provides opportunities to test the findings through longitudinal studies, potentially gathering data from other sectors. Practical implications This research recommends managers deliver high information quality to improve communication satisfaction. Hence, this survey provides support for business communication o enhance ramp-up performance to achieve success in buyer–supplier relations. Originality/value Besides the original dyadic database, this research addresses production ramp-up as a very dynamic process. Plans and forecasts change often, thus supplier communication takes place in a stress situation. Then, communicators might overstate information quality and lose sight of relationship quality. The study contributes to this field of research and postulates that (automatic, autonomous) data exchange requires behavioral and relational support. The findings are useful for companies in stress situation (e.g. also a pandemic supply crisis) and will avoid that the optimization of information exchange disregards the relationship aspect.

Business-to-Business communication in a dynamic environment: A systematic adductive analysis referring to ramp-up management

Abstract: The aim of this research note is to take stock of existing knowledge on the topic of Business-to-Business (B-to-B) communication and to conceptualize the exchange of information between buyers and ...

Optimization of knowledge transferring costs in designing product portfolio: a fuzzy binary linear programming model

Abstract: Purpose The success of any organization in a knowledge-based economy depends on effective knowledge transferring and then proper use of the transferred knowledge. As is known, optimizing the knowledge transferring costs in a product portfolio plays an important role in improving productivity, competitive advantage and profitability of any organization. Therefore, this paper aims to determine an optimal product portfolio by minimizing the konlwedge transferring costs. Design/methodology/approach Here, a fuzzy binary linear programming model is used to select an optimal product portfolio. The model is capable of considering the knowledge transferring costs while taking into account the human-hours constraints for each product by a fuzzy approach. Using fuzzy ranking functions, a reasonable solution of the model can be achieved by classical or metaheuristic algorithms. Findings Numerical experiments indicate that the proposed fuzzy model is practically effective. Originality/value The contributions of this work essentially consist of considering knowledge transferring costs in selecting an optimal product portfolio and using the fuzzy data which make the model more realistic.