Thesis (M.S.)--Middle East Technical University, 2003. / R & D, Manufacturing Sector, International Competitiveness.

Introduction: The topic of digital transformation plays an increasingly important role and is nowadays inevitable for firms to stay competitive. However, the effects of digital transformation are described as scattered and how to organize for digital transformation in the context of international manufacturing networks has not been investigated previously. This study sets out to explore the challenges that companies face when organizing for digital transformation. The following research questions were stated: RQ1: How do IMNs currently organize for digital transformation? RQ2: What challenges are IMNs facing when organizing for digital transformation? Method: A systematic literature review was combined with a multiple case study to reach the research objectives. Four case companies working with digital transformation in their International Manufacturing Networks and participating in the research project KODIT were part of the study. By this kind of study research study, the phenomenon of interest can be both examined and described. Thereby, a comprehensive context allows to solidify existing knowledge and create new knowledge in order to answer the research questions.  Frame of References: A literature review was performed to introduce  the concept of International Manufacturing Networks and to create an understanding of digital transformation and  its  related terms. Organizational change, maturity models and success factors, different approaches, roadmaps, and frameworks, were investigated to provide an insight into current ways of organizing for digital transformation. Furthermore, different challenges related to digital transformation were described. Empirical Findings: The empirical findings provide an overview of how the studied case companies work with digital transformation in their manufacturing networks. Each case company has a different understanding of digital transformation and its way of working. Whereby lead factories, cooperation, and collaboration play an important role. At the same time, the case companies face different challenges when working with digital transformation within an International Manufacturing Network. Analysis and Discussion: Organizing for digital transformation includes various aspects such as structural changes, approaches, success factors, maturity models, roadmaps, and frameworks. Whereby, digital transformation can only be successful when applying a holistic perspective. When undergoing the digital transformation journey numerous challenges have to be faced. By analyzing those challenges, it becomes clear that the introduction of a network perspective increases the complexity of digital transformation.   Conclusion and Recommendations: By combining existing literature with a case study, it can be shown how companies currently organize for digital transformation and which aspects are important to consider. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of potential challenges International Manufacturing Networks can face when working with digital transformation is provided. Hence, this thesis provides a means to develop a holistic understanding of organizing for digital transformation in International Manufacturing Networks. A complete case study is required in the future to validate the findings of this thesis.

Este é um estudo no campo teórico da Gestão de Operações Internacionais - IOM (International Operations Management), visto que a globalização dos negócios enseja e justifica pesquisas na gestão de seus sistemas produtivos crescentemente globalizados. Interesse especial recai sobre a teoria das Redes Internacionais de Manufatura - IMN (International Manufacturing Network). Uma IMN é um sistema coordenado de fábricas interdependentes, dispersas pelo mundo, interno a empresas multinacionais e sob controle direto de seus gestores. Seus elementos organizacionais são a Configuração, composta da dispersão geográfica e do papel estratégico de cada fábrica; e a Coordenação, composta da governança e dos processos operacionais da IMN. Uma das lacunas de pesquisa em IMNs trata do constructo \"avaliação de desempenho\". Apesar de ela ser um processo de feedback que é central à coordenação e ao gerenciamento estratégico de IMNs, pouco tem sido investigado sobre suas características, propósitos e efeitos. Isto é, as pesquisas têm investigado apenas o desempenho (resultado) em si, e não como ele é apurado e avaliado. Ademais, IMNs evoluem, na sua missão e características organizacionais, para cumprir estratégias que são dinâmicas por natureza. Logo, supõe-se que mecanismos de coordenação, como a avaliação de desempenho, por alinhamento interno, devam evoluir junto. A maior contribuição e deliverable desta tese foi propor um modelo que descreva e explique como avaliar o desempenho de IMNs. Baseado nos campos de IOM e Desempenho Organizacional, sua montagem combinou os elementos organizacionais de IMNs com as condições necessárias e suficientes à existência da avaliação de desempenho em uma organização. Desse modo, o modelo do processo de avaliação de desempenho de IMNs buscou incluir e lidar com complexos aspectos das organizações, que advêm tanto da sua busca por soluções gerenciais transnacionais quanto das suas condições competitivas. O modelo do processo foi então verificado empiricamente quanto a sua congruência e utilidade. Dada a prevalência de análises contextuais, o método de pesquisa escolhido foi o estudo de caso. O trabalho de campo ocorreu em três multinacionais brasileiras, escolhidas para maior riqueza de dados, entre outros critérios, por terem diferentes tipos de IMN e serem de diferentes indústrias. Os dados, tanto qualitativos quanto quantitativos, foram coletados por levantamento documental e entrevistas em cada empresa-caso, sendo então analisados longitudinal e transversalmente. Como resultado, as evidências sugerem que o modelo do processo aqui proposto é uma ferramenta congruente e útil para descrever e explicar como ocorre a avaliação de desempenho de uma IMN. Ademais, a avaliação de desempenho parece ser mais importante e estruturada em multinacionais cuja IMN tem coordenação de viés global (gerenciamento centralizado) bem como a estratégia de manufatura tende a produção \"enraizada\" (interna), trazendo assim mais contribuição à coordenação e ao gerenciamento estratégico da IMN. O modelo do processo e os descriptive insights gerados nesta tese ensejam pesquisas futuras tais como um survey amplo para levantar como as multinacionais de diversos setores e países têm avaliado o desempenho de suas IMNs, ou uma pesquisa-ação que prescreva a implantação de completa avaliação de desempenho, alinhada a um tipo particular de IMN. Para a prática, os resultados podem encorajar gestores a revisar e incrementar a avaliação de desempenho de suas IMNs, para tirar maior proveito desse processo gerencial. / The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to propose a performance assessment process model for International Manufacturing Networks (IMN). Despite performance assessment being a feedback process that feeds IMN coordination and strategic management, little research has been done regarding its purposes, features and effects. Based on the fields of International Operations Management and Organisational Performance, the process model development combined the constituent elements of IMNs with the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of performance assessment in an organisation. A multiple case research, in three multinational companies from Brazil, verified empirically the process model\'s fitness and usefulness. Data collected from company reports and interviews with two corporate managers in each case were examined with within-case analyses and then cross-case analysis. Evidence suggests the process model is a valuable tool for describing how IMN performance assessment unfolds. Additionally, IMN performance assessment seems to have higher importance and structure in multinationals whose manufacture tends to be rooted (in-house) and globally coordinated (centralized management), thus contributing more to IMN coordination and strategic management. Future research includes a large sample survey in multinationals from diverse industries and countries, and a workbook-based research action to implement a full-fledged performance assessment, aligned to a specific type of IMN. Furthermore, this study\'s process model and descriptive insights may encourage managers to improve the performance assessment of their and therefore optimize its utilization.

Este é um estudo no campo teórico da Gestão de Operações Internacionais - IOM (International Operations Management), visto que a globalização dos negócios enseja e justifica pesquisas na gestão de seus sistemas produtivos crescentemente globalizados. Interesse especial recai sobre a teoria das Redes Internacionais de Manufatura - IMN (International Manufacturing Network). Uma IMN é um sistema coordenado de fábricas interdependentes, dispersas pelo mundo, interno a empresas multinacionais e sob controle direto de seus gestores. Seus elementos organizacionais são a Configuração, composta da dispersão geográfica e do papel estratégico de cada fábrica; e a Coordenação, composta da governança e dos processos operacionais da IMN. Uma das lacunas de pesquisa em IMNs trata do constructo \"avaliação de desempenho\". Apesar de ela ser um processo de feedback que é central à coordenação e ao gerenciamento estratégico de IMNs, pouco tem sido investigado sobre suas características, propósitos e efeitos. Isto é, as pesquisas têm investigado apenas o desempenho (resultado) em si, e não como ele é apurado e avaliado. Ademais, IMNs evoluem, na sua missão e características organizacionais, para cumprir estratégias que são dinâmicas por natureza. Logo, supõe-se que mecanismos de coordenação, como a avaliação de desempenho, por alinhamento interno, devam evoluir junto. A maior contribuição e deliverable desta tese foi propor um modelo que descreva e explique como avaliar o desempenho de IMNs. Baseado nos campos de IOM e Desempenho Organizacional, sua montagem combinou os elementos organizacionais de IMNs com as condições necessárias e suficientes à existência da avaliação de desempenho em uma organização. Desse modo, o modelo do processo de avaliação de desempenho de IMNs buscou incluir e lidar com complexos aspectos das organizações, que advêm tanto da sua busca por soluções gerenciais transnacionais quanto das suas condições competitivas. O modelo do processo foi então verificado empiricamente quanto a sua congruência e utilidade. Dada a prevalência de análises contextuais, o método de pesquisa escolhido foi o estudo de caso. O trabalho de campo ocorreu em três multinacionais brasileiras, escolhidas para maior riqueza de dados, entre outros critérios, por terem diferentes tipos de IMN e serem de diferentes indústrias. Os dados, tanto qualitativos quanto quantitativos, foram coletados por levantamento documental e entrevistas em cada empresa-caso, sendo então analisados longitudinal e transversalmente. Como resultado, as evidências sugerem que o modelo do processo aqui proposto é uma ferramenta congruente e útil para descrever e explicar como ocorre a avaliação de desempenho de uma IMN. Ademais, a avaliação de desempenho parece ser mais importante e estruturada em multinacionais cuja IMN tem coordenação de viés global (gerenciamento centralizado) bem como a estratégia de manufatura tende a produção \"enraizada\" (interna), trazendo assim mais contribuição à coordenação e ao gerenciamento estratégico da IMN. O modelo do processo e os descriptive insights gerados nesta tese ensejam pesquisas futuras tais como um survey amplo para levantar como as multinacionais de diversos setores e países têm avaliado o desempenho de suas IMNs, ou uma pesquisa-ação que prescreva a implantação de completa avaliação de desempenho, alinhada a um tipo particular de IMN. Para a prática, os resultados podem encorajar gestores a revisar e incrementar a avaliação de desempenho de suas IMNs, para tirar maior proveito desse processo gerencial. / The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to propose a performance assessment process model for International Manufacturing Networks (IMN). Despite performance assessment being a feedback process that feeds IMN coordination and strategic management, little research has been done regarding its purposes, features and effects. Based on the fields of International Operations Management and Organisational Performance, the process model development combined the constituent elements of IMNs with the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of performance assessment in an organisation. A multiple case research, in three multinational companies from Brazil, verified empirically the process model\'s fitness and usefulness. Data collected from company reports and interviews with two corporate managers in each case were examined with within-case analyses and then cross-case analysis. Evidence suggests the process model is a valuable tool for describing how IMN performance assessment unfolds. Additionally, IMN performance assessment seems to have higher importance and structure in multinationals whose manufacture tends to be rooted (in-house) and globally coordinated (centralized management), thus contributing more to IMN coordination and strategic management. Future research includes a large sample survey in multinationals from diverse industries and countries, and a workbook-based research action to implement a full-fledged performance assessment, aligned to a specific type of IMN. Furthermore, this study\'s process model and descriptive insights may encourage managers to improve the performance assessment of their and therefore optimize its utilization.

Many companies are entering the international manufacturing arena. The continued expansion of the global market suggests that international manufacturing will grow. Among other concerns, the difficulty of producing high quality in some countries suggests that it is critical that companies using international locations for manufacturing find methods to better monitor and improve quality. The purpose of this research was to develop and test a method for quality improvement in an offshore environment. This method would be specifically applicable to a third-party logistics company (3PL), where the 3PL is a United States company that brokers manufacturing in China, networks to multiple manufacturers for a variety of products within that country, and is responsible for the final quality of the products made in China. After designing a new quality method that focused on regular recording and reporting of data, it was implemented into a 3PL test-case company and tested and results reported. From the results salient points were identified that improve quality when working with a 3PL located in China with a parent company in the United States. These points include: structure for reporting quality, management involvement, employee dedication to quality, and cultural understanding and awareness. Recommendations for further research are also outlined. These include: extended time (beyond three months) to implement the method and test it, larger sample size to improve the quantitative analysis, cost benefit analysis for the implementation of the method, implementation in different nations, and implementation in a manufacturing company specific to a product.

Since the dawn of globalization, manufacturing companies around the world have been expanding their global footprint to stay competitive. International manufacturing network of a company consists of plants with different roles and responsibilities spread across different locations around the world. Due to this increasing geographical dispersion and competitiveness, effective co-ordination of these  plants has become a priority along with achieving effective and efficient operations. This led to the development of the Core plant role. Core plants are the manufacturing plants that aims to achieve competitive and effective production, generate and transfer knowledge, while leading and coordinating the other plants within the network.     However,  the core plant role varies significantly across companies and academia  due to a lack of a common understanding regarding  its responsibilities and objectives. Furthermore, the performance of core plants are being measured with the same generic KPIs  as the other plants, even though their roles and responsibilities varies significantly. As a result, it has become difficult to measure their true performance and contribution of value to the network. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the development of comprehensive performance  measurement system that collectively measures the true performance and value of the core plant role to its international manufacturing network. Initially, the thesis investigates and bridges the mentioned knowledge gap with a two-tier literature review, before establishing their validity and relative importance in empirical context through survey.  The survey approach is also utilized to assess the current situation of performance measurement among core plants of different manufacturing companies.   The  findings suggest that ‘attaining operational excellence’ has the highest strategic importance but  this responsibility  only extends to  individual plant level not the network level. The core plant, network level responsibility ‘knowledge generation’ has the highest relative strategic importance and ‘Capability development’ has the lowest relative  strategic importance. The findings also reveal that the performance measurement systems of network level  core plant responsibilities are either poorly developed or non-existent.  The thesis concludes with a suggestion of a conceptual framework that provides the guidelines to develop a comprehensive performance measurement system for core plants. The findings and suggestions are of practical relevance to the top management of international manufacturing companies and academia for conducting future research.

During the last decade, research related to Supply Chain Management has got a great deal of attention. The focus has especially circulated around supply chain integration and centralisation due to the increasingly competitive global market. The aim of this thesis has been to investigate how the supply chain performance in international manufacturing companies could be improved. By having a qualitative approach, this thesis contributes to earlier conducted research by providing a holistic view on supply chain management. This is by the authors considered crucial to manage the complexity of supply chain management and supply chain change. The specific context examined in this thesis concerns the spare parts distribution of large international manufacturing companies. The methods used during the case study consisted of a thorough literature review, external interviews and workshops with experts within supply chain management and supply chain change, and several interviews with employees at different levels and functions at the focal company, Toyota Material Handling Europe. Two of the interviewed external experts were managers at the supply chain function at Volvo Construction Equipment and Ericsson. To answer the main research question, three sub-queries have been examined. The first one concerns what main areas of difficulty that can be identified in the current supply chain of the focal company and in international manufacturing companies in general. The second sub-query concerns which supply chain policies that could be used to solve identified areas of difficulty. Finally, the third sub-query concerns which prerequisites that could be identified to successfully manage change within supply chains. The results imply that Information and Inventory Management are the main supply chain related areas in need of improvements at the focal company, as well as in international manufacturing companies in general. Thereby supply chain performance could be improved if performance within these areas is enhanced. To solve these two identified areas of difficulty, four theoretical supply chain policies related to supply chain integration have been examined due to complexity, need of investments during an implementation, as well as each policy’s possibility to solve the identified areas of difficulty. The supply chain policy Vendor-Managed Inventory was considered the most appropriate policy for the focal company to implement. As a consequence, an evaluation of the focal company’s readiness to implement a Vendor-Managed Inventory policy was also conducted by using a supply chain readiness framework developed by Niranjan, Wagner and Nguyen (2012). Based on the literature review, including the theoretical evaluation of the appropriateness of implementing Vendor-Managed Inventory, together with the findings from the external expert interviews, the focal company is recommended to implement a Vendor-Managed Inventory strategy. However, the focal company is also recommended to see such an implementation as an opportunity to later investigate the possibility to also include large suppliers in the collaboration. This would increase the level of integration among supply chain members further and thereby secure the company has the possibility to receive the advantages associated with sharing information (including Points-of-Sales data) with all supply chain members.   From a theoretical perspective the conclusion is that Vendor-Managed Inventory, with its focus on supply chain integration through collaboration and information sharing among supply chain members, is considered appropriate to implement when companies want to improve performance in one or all of these areas. Furthermore, the usage of a consignment stock agreement might be an appropriate complement to Vendor-Managed Inventory due to the international context. However, the authors suggest that international manufacturing companies should strive towards including large suppliers in the supply chain collaboration to increase performance further. Thereby they should move towards capabilities promoted in the supply chain policy Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment, which advocate a higher level of integration than Vendor-Managed Inventory. Another main finding pinpoints the importance of a well-formulated and communicated vision in the beginning of a transformation, to manage supply chain change successfully. As a consequence, the authors of this thesis expanded the supply chain framework developed by Chopra and Meindl (2010) to also include vision. In addition, legal has been added as an important supply chain driver since it affects supply chain possibilities and decisions. The added parts are considered critical for the framework to be applicable in an international and rapidly changing business environment. Furthermore, the authors suggest the extended framework should be used to support companies evaluate the current and a desired future supply chain in accordance with examined change management literature. / Supply Chain Management har under det senaste decenniet fått mycket uppmärksamhet. På grund av en ökande internationell handel har forskningen framförallt behandlat Integration och Centralisering inom distributionskedjor. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka hur man kan förbättra prestandan av distributionskedjan hos internationella tillverkningsföretag. Genom ett kvalitativt angreppssätt bidrar denna studie med ett holistiskt synsätt av Supply Chain Management, vilket av författarna är ansett kritiskt för att kunna hantera komplexiteten relaterad till Supply Chain Management och förändringsarbete inom detta område. Studiens forskningsfråga har kunnat besvaras genom att undersöka tre delfrågor. Den första behandlar att identifiera huvudproblemområden i distributionskedjan hos fokusföretaget samt internationella tillverkningsföretag generellt. Den andra delfrågan behandlar vilka teoretiska supply chain policies som skulle kunna användas för att lösa de identifierade problemområdena, medan den tredje och sista delfrågan handlar om att identifiera förutsättningar för att kunna hantera förändringsarbete av, och inom, distributionskedjor på ett lyckat sätt. Samtliga delfrågor och huvudfrågan har kunnat besvaras genom genomförandet av en litteraturstudie, intervjuer och workshops med externa områdesexperter inom Supply Chain Management och Supply Chain Change, samt interna intervjuer med anställda på olika avdelningar och nivåer inom fokusföretaget, Toyota Material Handling Europe. Två av de intervjuade experterna utgjordes av chefer på logistikavdelningen på två stora internationella tillverkningsföretag. Företagen i fråga utgjordes av Volvo Construction Equipment respektive Ericsson. Resultaten visar att Informations- och Lagerhantering anses vara de huvudområden inom Supply Chain Management, vilka är i störst behov av förbättringar och förändringar på fokusföretaget samt i stora internationella tillverkningsföretag generellt. Därmed kan prestandan av distributionskedjan förbättras om företag fokuserar på dessa två områden. För att förbättra Informations- och Lagerhanteringen har fyra teoretiska supply chain policies utvärderats, vilka alla mer eller mindre fokuserar på att öka integrationen mellan medlemmar inom distributionskedjan. Genom att utvärdera dessa supply chain policies med avseende på komplexitet, implementationskostnader samt möjlighet att lösa de identifierade huvudproblemområdena, har författarna kunnat dra slutsatsen att policyn Vendor-Managed Inventory bör vara mest passande att implementera på fokusföretaget. I och med detta resultat utvärderades fokusföretagets lämplighet att implementera Vendor-Managed Inventory utifrån en teoretisk modell utvecklad av Niranjan, Wagner och Nguyen (2012). Resultatet av denna utvärdering stödde det tidigare antagandet att Vendor-Managed Inventory är lämpligt för fokusföretaget att implementera. Författarna rekommenderar dock att en VMI-implementation ska ses som ett första steg varefter förtaget även skall utvärdera möjligheten att inkludera sina större leverantörer och därmed öka integrationen av distributionskedjan ytterligare. Detta för att verkligen uppnå de fördelar informationsdelning kan medföra om information delas med samtliga medlemmar i kedjan. Författarna har med hjälp av dessa resultat kunnat dra den teoretiska och generella slutsatsen att Vendor-Managed Inventory, med dess fokus på att öka integrationen i distributionskedjan genom ökat samarbete och ökad informationsdelning mellan distributionskedjans medlemmar, anses lämplig att implementera då företag vill eller behöver förbättras inom dessa områden. Vidare kan avtalsmodellen Consignment Stock komplettera Vendor-Managed Inventory i en internationell kontext genom användandet av en legal ägare av lager, oavsett lagerposition. Författarna rekommenderar även att stora internationella tillverkningsföretag bör sträva mot att inkludera sina större leverantörer och därmed öka integrationen av, och samarbetet inom, distributionskedjan. Detta skulle medföra att prestandan av distributionskedjan förbättras ytterligare. Därmed bör de utvecklas mot supply chain policyn Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment, vilken förespråkar en högre nivå av samarbete än Vendor-Managed Inventory. Vidare visar studien vikten av en välformulerad och kommunicerad Vision i början av större förändringsprojekt. Detta för att öka chanserna till lyckade och välmotiverade förändringar. I och med identifieringen av visionens vitala del i förändringsprojekt, vidareutvecklade författarna modellen; Supply Chain Decison-Making Framework, utvecklad av Chopra & Meindl (2010), till att även inkludera Vision. Dessutom adderades Legala aspekter, då de påverkar både beslutsfattande och möjligheter inom en internationell kontext. Både Vision och Legala aspekter anses av författarna vara kritiska delar för att modellen skall vara applicerbar i en internationell och föränderlig miljö. I linje med forskning inom förändringshantering som identifierats i litteraturen, anses Chopra & Meindl’s vidareutvecklade modell nu vara lämplig att användas som en hjälp för företag att utvärdera sin nuvarande och önskade framtida distributionsstruktur.

Production sites in international manufacturing networks tend to have different responsibilities and roles in the network. One common classification of plants is to divide the sites into one core plant and several other production units or subsidiaries, where the core plant has an active role in the creation and transfer of knowledge, innovation and know-how, concerning products and processes. Efficient knowledge management within the manufacturing network is seen as a key success factor for companies and consequently an issue of high strategic priority for firms. In a time where the firm's competitive advantage lies in the ability to efficiently transfer knowledge among the plants in the network, it becomes increasingly important for the core plant and its subsidiaries to possess the required capabilities to be able to address the complexity of knowledge management and successfully manage, transfer, receive and apply the knowledge. The aim of the study is therefore to explore how knowledge can be transferred from the core plant to its subsidiaries and which capabilities and prerequisites that are required by both the core plant and the subsidiaries to achieve an efficient knowledge transfer. To achieve the aim of the study, a literature review and a case study at GKN Aerospace has been performed, which included semi- structured interviews, observation and document studies. The case study explores knowledge management and knowledge transfers both from a general network perspective and through three applied knowledge transfers projects that have been performed at the case company. The studied projects are knowledge transfers and collaborations between the site in Trollhättan, which has a natural but informal role of supporting other sites in the network, and three different sites in the United states; El Cajon, Newington and Cincinnati. The empirical findings were categorized into two main parts; general knowledge transfers in the network and the specific projects. These findings were then compared to the theoretical framework in the analysis to provide a discussion around each research question. The analysis constitutes the foundation for the conclusions, discussion and recommendations. In the conclusion of this study the importance of formalizing the responsibilities and roles of the sites in a manufacturing network is highlighted. It is also crucial to assign a team of supporting experts, with the responsibility of performing and improving the knowledge sharing and transfer activities performed in the organization. To achieve a successful knowledge transfer between sites it is, further, essential to establish a clear and straightforward strategy in terms of knowledge management to facilitate the transfer and sharing in the network and reduce the complexity. Guidelines identified in this study, for working with knowledge transfers, are to use a structured process, a solid planning, assure the involvement of all parties and perform face- to- face meetings at the receiving site. / Fabriker i internationella tillverkningsnätverk tenderar att ha olika ansvarsområden och roller i nätverket. En vanlig klassificering är att dela in de i en core plant och flera andra produktionsenheter eller systerfabriker (subsidiaries) där core plant innehar en aktiv roll i skapandet och överföringen av kunskap, innovation och “know-how” när det kommer till produkter och processer. Effektiv knowledge management inom tillverkningsnätverket ses som en viktig framgångsfaktor för företag och är följaktligen en fråga med hög strategisk prioritet. I en tid då företagets konkurrensfördelar ligger i förmågan att effektivt överföra kunskap mellan produktionsenheterna i ett nätverk, blir det allt viktigare för core plant och dess systerfabriker att besitta de förmågor som krävs för att kunna hantera komplexiteten i knowledge management. Fabrikerna måste på ett framgångsrikt sätt kunna hantera, överföra, ta emot och tillämpa kunskapen. Syftet med studien är följaktligen att undersöka hur kunskap kan överföras från en core plant till dess systerfabriker samt de förmågor och förutsättningar som krävs av både core plant och systerfabrikerna för att uppnå en effektiv kunskapsöverföring. För att kunna uppnå syftet med studien har en litteraturstudie och en fallstudie, på GKN Aerospace, genomförts. Fallstudien inkluderar semi-strukturerade intervjuer, observationer och dokumentstudier. I fallstudien undersöks knowledge management och kunskapsöverföring både från ett generellt nätverksperspektiv och genom att studera tre tillämpade projekt som har genomförts på fallföretaget. De studerade projekten innefattar kunskapsöverföring och samarbete mellan fabriken i Trollhättan, som har en naturlig men informell roll i att stötta andra fabriker i nätverket, och tre olika produktionsenheter i USA; El Cajon, Newington och Cincinnati. De empiriska resultaten har kategoriserats i två huvuddelar; generella kunskapsöverföringar i nätverket samt de specifika projekten. Resultaten har sedan jämförts med studiens teoretiska referensram i en analys för att tillhandahålla en diskussion kring varje forskningsfråga. Analysen utgör grunden för studiens slutsatser, diskussion och rekommendationer. I studiens slutsatser lyfts betydelsen av att formalisera ansvar och fabrikers roller i ett nätverk. Det är också nödvändigt att tillsätta en grupp av supporterande experter med ansvaret att genomföra och förbättra kunskapsöverföringar samt dela och sprida kunskap inom organisationen. För att kunna uppnå en lyckad kunskapsöverföring mellan fabriker i nätverket är det, ytterligare, av vikt att etablera en tydligt och rättfram strategi i form av knowledge management för att underlätta kunskapsöverföring och -delning i nätverket samt för att reducera komplexiteten. Riktlinjer för att arbeta med kunskapsöverföringar, som har identifierats genom studien är användandet av en strukturerad genomförandeprocess, en gedigen planering, involverande av alla parter i kunskapsöverföringen samt att personligen träffa den mottagande arbetsgruppen på plats på den fabriken. / COPE - Core Plant Excellence

International manufacturing companies are shipping goods worldwide, resulting in interorganizational freight transportation where customers, suppliers, and logistics partners are involved in the transportation processes. This interorganizational nature of freight transport emissions has made them difficult to address, as they can be seen as not being connected to only one single company’s decisions. With the relevancy, consciousness, and interest of going greener being on the rise on a global level, many studies have made a call for a wider perspective on how manufacturing companies can work with reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport related to their business. This thesis addresses that call, and the research purpose of this thesis is to explore how a manufacturing company can achieve continuous and controlled reduction of CO2 emissions from freight transport. This study develops a framework in support of decarbonizing freight transport at a manufacturing company, through the adapting of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) activities, enabled by Strategy and Management Control Systems (MCSs). In sum, it is explored how a manufacturing company can adapt GSCM activities for decarbonization of freight transport as part of a decarbonization strategy, that is implemented and sustained within the company through MCSs. This master thesis studies the case company Rosemount Tank Radar AB, a Sweden-based manufacturer of measurement instrumentation with high levels of export. To find the relevant strategy and management control concepts and theories, a literature study was first conducted. Based on this literature study, a case study of the company was then performed. Following the case study, case findings were analyzed and related to the concepts and theories found in the literature study, leading to the final framework. The framework constitutes the overall conclusion, and a mapping of the analysis on how manufacturing companies can reduce their CO2 emissions from freight transport through the approach based on GSCM, decarbonization strategy, and MCSs. The framework gathers identified decarbonization strategy scopes for greener transports found within the research field of GSCM and the case study. These decarbonization strategy scopes are then set in relation to the identified strategy and control management concepts and tools, that support efficient and tangible implementation of the decarbonization strategy. On a practical level, the framework developed in this thesis is suggested to bring a foundation for discussions among supply chain managers at manufacturing companies that are looking to define or redefine their decarbonization strategy in order make their freight transport greener. As the case study findings of this master thesis also proposes, greener supply chain transport practices can lead to cost savings and better customer experiences, in addition to reducing CO2 emissions.