Ed Rhodes

Implementing new technologies : choice, decision, and change in manufacturing

The impact of technological change on manufacturing industry and related business sectors is profound, and the pace of change continues to accelerate. The issue of implementation is now recognised as central, yet serious literature is scattered. This book collects together key theoretical and empirical international contributions covering important facets of this problem. After an editors introduction, section 2 covers the nature of the problems associated with technological change. Section 3 then discusses manufacturing innovation as a process. Sections 4 and 5 look at issues in the key areas of corporate strategy and management of implementation. Section 6 analyzes financing issues - the problems of resource allocation and investment, and section 7 discusses the problems of reorganizing for technological change, including information systems and human skills. The book rounds off with several case studies from different industrial areas.

Collaborative Learning in Advanced Supply Systems: The KLASS Pilot Project.

The KLASS project – Knowledge and Learning in Advanced Supply Systems – focused on the automotive and aerospace sectors. It sought to develop collaborative learning networks of suppliers. In Type 1 networks, tier one companies encouraged supplier SMEs to identify key shop floor personnel as change agents, who participated in an innovative continuous improvement learning programme. Delivery was a mix of face‐to‐face tuition and multimedia distance learning. A series of workshops, followed by in‐company diagnostic visits, enabled change agents to assess their own workplaces and to devise and implement continuous improvement programmes. Simultaneously, they worked towards accreditation. Shared learning developed across the supplier networks, benefiting operators, management, the SMEs and the tier one companies, streamlining supply and improving competitive advantage. In Type 2 networks, SME managers acquired capabilities directed towards improving their awareness of QCD performance. The KLASS approach provid...

’smart’ Design: Greening the Total Product System

About the book: Since the Rio summit in 1992, the paradigm of corporate environmental responsibility has gradually and consistently extended beyond complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulation and taking up the proactive initiatives of a few world-class companies. Research indicates that the business and financial performance of companies may depend directly on socially and environmentally responsible business practices. Many world-class companies now realize that customers and other stakeholders do not distinguish between a company and its suppliers. As a result, greening the supply chain is an innovative idea which is fast gaining attention in the industry. Greening the Supply Chain is a compilation of important chapters written by a diverse set of international authors which incorporates a broad variety of perspectives. Note: Smart car refers to Smart City coupe and Fortwo, and all terms are registered trademarks of MCC (micro compact car).