<p>With marketing concept being maturely developed, many firms are encouraged being customer-oriented. However, as firms pursue advanced technology development which is in order to meet customers’ various needs and being competitive, the furious competition of products innovation and development is raising which leads to time and people consuming blindly for firms, and the space of being competitive is condensed. In such case, a new logic is advocated which is to ask firms to lay down the separated line with consumers, and start to consider about interaction with consumers and other value network entities, it is time to get rid of single side supply and to advocate two side collaborate. This paper argue the customer orientation should be reconsidered with transmitting into service-dominant logic, through demonstrating from several primary theory foundation, it argued that interaction and collaboration of manufacturing companies and consumers is a new features for firms to find another outlet to being competitive. Even though this mindset is not prevail, it has already started in IT sector, and gradually it will expand to others, because information technology is seen as a good facilities for interaction between companies and consumers, it will be reflected in further practical study.</p>

Economic globalization, regional economic cooperation and knowledge economy make a great impact on the development of the new century. The changes of international trade and investment reflect the variety of the world economy development; the world economic development, in turn, influences the international trade and investment in both quality and quantity (Feenstra, 1998). The international marketing has become an important trend in this modern society, global strategy has been put at the top of the agenda of many companies. And making development in the international market can also be a good solution for the companies to increase their competition (Mittelman, 1996). It is vital for those companies to deal with foreign market entry as a first step in accomplishing their global mission (Onkvisit &amp; Shaw, 2004).  How to enter a foreign market is very important in this case, so the purpose of this work is therefore to research important factors on entering a foreign market. The theories, including environmental assessment before entry and foreign market entry strategies, are summarized by literature review and in order to make the theories applicable, a case study on a company inChinahas been done in this work as well. The methods used in this work include collecting processed data from literature review, gathering primary data by telephone interviews and through e-mails. SWOT analysis is used to assess targeted market for the case company. The case company is Shandong Shuanglun Group which is a famous pump manufacturer inChina; its targeted market that the company wants to enter is the Italian market. After SWOT analysis, the conclusion of this work indicated that opportunities of entry targeted market for the case company includes favorable tax policies and relevant laws, the threats in high context culture and terrorist activities should be paid attention to. The company has strengths in product but weaknesses in service, strategic alliance with one local pump manufacturer and exporting could be their market entry modes.

With marketing concept being maturely developed, many firms are encouraged being customer-oriented. However, as firms pursue advanced technology development which is in order to meet customers’ various needs and being competitive, the furious competition of products innovation and development is raising which leads to time and people consuming blindly for firms, and the space of being competitive is condensed. In such case, a new logic is advocated which is to ask firms to lay down the separated line with consumers, and start to consider about interaction with consumers and other value network entities, it is time to get rid of single side supply and to advocate two side collaborate. This paper argue the customer orientation should be reconsidered with transmitting into service-dominant logic, through demonstrating from several primary theory foundation, it argued that interaction and collaboration of manufacturing companies and consumers is a new features for firms to find another outlet to being competitive. Even though this mindset is not prevail, it has already started in IT sector, and gradually it will expand to others, because information technology is seen as a good facilities for interaction between companies and consumers, it will be reflected in further practical study.

In industrial drives market, requirements related to control quality and price of drives are important. In low cost drives, one of the aims is achieving speed estimation accuracy. Since motor parameters are required to estimate speed and sometimes it is impractical to do no-load and locked rotor tests, it is necessary to estimate motor parameters from motor label or by simple measurements. Throughout this study, some of parameter estimation and speed estimation methods found in literature are investigated and some new methods are proposed. These methods are applied to three induction motors and estimation results are compared with test results. Advantages and disadvantages of these methods are investigated. As a result of this study, the most suitable parameter and speed estimation methods amongst these methods are obtained for low cost motor drives.

Empresas de manufatura contratada terão sucesso se conseguirem definir sua estratégia por meio do desenvolvimento de competências operacionais alinhadas aos requisitos do mercado, direcionando decisões e ações que as impulsionem a obterem um melhor desempenho. As incertezas, tanto de produtos como de volumes que serão demandados, envolvidas no relacionamento com as empresas-cliente reduzem a oportunidade de um planejamento antecipado da produção, requerendo, então, uma política de atendimento da demanda do tipo make-to-order (MTO). O grande desafio enfrentado pelas empresas que operam no ambiente MTO é atender à demanda do cliente de forma rápida e confiável, ou seja, respeitando-se os prazos e as quantidades requeridos. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi analisar como práticas do sistema Lean Manufacturing (LM) poderiam ser efetivamente implementadas em conjunto a um sistema de planejamento e controle da produção (PCP) apropriado, visando ao desenvolvimento de competências operacionais alinhadas à política MTO. Os objetivos específicos do estudo concentraram-se em identificar na literatura as principais competências operacionais requeridas no ambiente MTO, discutir o processo de implementação de práticas do sistema LM e comparar, conceitualmente, sistemas de PCP. A empresa de manufatura contratada escolhida para este estudo representava um caso puro da utilização da política MTO, dada a natureza de seu relacionamento com os clientes. A aplicação da metodologia pesquisa-ação permitiu que o estudo fosse conduzido de forma participativa e com uma abordagem de solução de problemas, além de fornecer um roteiro de referência, relacionando as etapas da pesquisa aos conceitos abordados na literatura. Como resultado, verificou-se que a adoção de práticas do sistema LM auxilia de forma significativa no desenvolvimento de competências operacionais em empresas que operam em ambientes MTO. No entanto, é necessário que estas práticas estejam associadas a um sistema de PCP apropriado - Workload Control (WLC) - para que se obtenham os resultados esperados. / Contract manufacturing companies will succeed if they can define their strategy through the development of operational competencies aligned to market requirements, directing decisions and actions that lead them to have a better performance. The relationship with the hiring firm involves multiple products and demand uncertainty, reducing the opportunities for advanced planning, requiring a make-to-order (MTO) demand management policy. The main challenge faced by companies operating in an MTO environment is to achieve high delivery reliability in terms of order quantities and delivery schedules. The general objective of this study was to analyze how Lean Manufacturing (LM) practices could be effectively implemented together with an appropriate production planning and control system (PPC), aiming to develop operational competences aligned to the MTO policy. The specific objectives of this study include identifying in the literature the main operational competencies required to operate on a MTO basis, discussing the LM implementation process and comparing conceptually PPC systems. The contract manufacturing company chosen for this study operated according to a MTO policy due to the nature of its relationship with the customers. The application of the action research methodology allowed conducting the study in a participative manner, using a problem solving approach and providing a reference guide relating the action research steps to concepts discussed in the literature review. As a result, it was found that the adoption of LM practices contributes substantially to the development of operational competences in companies operating in an MTO environment. However, it is necessary that these practices are associated with an appropriated PPC - Workload Control - to obtain the expected results.

O presente estudo tem por objetivo mensurar e avaliar a prontidão para exportar das Indústrias Paulistas utilizando, para isso, o referencial teórico presente na literatura sobre Estratégia e Marketing Internacional e o software CORE (Company Readiness to Export) desenvolvido pela Michigan State University. Como anseios adicionais, espera-se aferir a aplicabilidade deste software à realidade brasileira e levantar hipóteses sobre as políticas públicas passíveis de serem implementadas no sentido de fomentar a exportação de indústrias do Brasil. Este trabalho apoiou-se em pesquisa descritiva, realizada em uma amostra aleatória composta de 393 empresas industriais sediadas no Estado de São Paulo. As principais conclusões apontam para a falta de prontidão da indústria paulista para a atividade exportadora e, simultaneamente, sugerem estratégias e ações alternativas para superar essas dificuldades. O método de análise de dados incluiu a elaboração de modelos de regressão linear e múltipla para detectar a influência das variáveis independentes avaliadas (porte, setor, ação internacional, presença de capital estrangeiro) sobre a variável dependente Prontidão para Exportar. / This study has the objective of measuring and evaluating the readiness to export of Manufacturing Companies from São Paulo (Brazilian State) using the theoretical mainframe present in the literature about International Strategy and Marketing and the software CORE (Company Readiness to Export) developed by Michigan State University. As secondary aims, it is expected to gauge the applicability of this software to the Brazilian context and to raise hypothesis over public policies capable of being implemented in order to foment the Brazilian manufacturers exports. This work is sustained in a descriptive research, conducted on a random sample composed of 393 manufacturing companies based in São Paulo State. The main conclusions point to the lack of readiness to export of manufacturing companies based in São Paulo State and, simultaneously, suggest strategies and alternative actions to overcome these difficulties. The data analysis method included the elaboration of multiple and simple regression models to detect the influence of the independent variables (size, industry, international action, presence of international capitals) over the dependent variable Readiness to Export.

The thesis analyses the marketing strategy of IMOPRA s.r.o. company which operates in the sphere of automotive industry. The theoretical part is formed by the first free chapters and is elaborated from the standpoint of strategic marketing and strategic management. The other chapters form the analytical part which contains general characteristics of IMOPRA s.r.o. company and it analyses its existing marketing strategy from the standpoint of its specific position on B2B market as a certificated manufacturer of air conditioning parts. The conclusion contains the evaluation of company existing marketing strategy and it recommends some partial potential improvements.

Bicycle leader brands have shift production overseas to reduce the cost of labor and to implement new technologies at lower cost. Bike manufacturer both in Asia and Europe employ a traditional way of production  based on economics of scale that aims cost per unit reduction. Where MRP systems and forecasting are part of their day basis operations. This traditional way of operation offers room for innovation that must be seen as a business opportunity. Thus, alternative management approaches can strengthen strategic goals and improve responsiveness and flexibility. Bicycle brands producing locally should implement alternative management systems to remain competitive, to take the maximum advantage of their location, to improve customer service and to cut operational cost. The course of action followed was a market analys is to understand the nature of the bicyclemarket within European Union. Similarly, a Business Process Reengineering was conducted to identify with the current operational processes and opportunities within the bicycle industry. Based on the Business Process Engineering, an alternative business model was presented. The main proposed solution to improve the current operational processes:  (a) Implementation of Just-­‐in-­‐time management system and relocation of assembly facilities.  (b) Benchmark IKEA core methods, designing products for supply chain and that customer assemble  the future themselves. (c) Benchmark Dell Computer business model of customization and supply chain. Finally, the fundaments for an alternative business concept were established regarding bicycle design concept, strategy planning and production system design.

För att möta kundernas strikta krav på korta ledtider och krav på lågkostnadsprodukter med hög kvalitet, har många organisationer kommit att bero allt mer på underleverantörer för att utveckla konkurrenskraftiga produkter. Omfattningen av leverantörsintegrering kan beskrivas med mängden ansvar en leverantör får i beställarens produktutveckling och hur samarbetet ser ut mellan parterna. Graden av ansvarsdelning kan innebära allt från rådgivning till fullständigt ansvar för alla processer i produktutvecklingskedjan. Perspektivet i detta arbete har fokuserat på underleverantören och hur den kan skapa värde i beställarens produktutveckling. Vidare syftar denna rapport att ta reda på vilka faktorer som påverkas beroende på när en leverantör integreras i produktutvecklingen. Rapporten undersöker specifikt hur faktorer som tid till produktion, utvecklingskostnader och produktkvalitet påverkas av tidig integration med leverantören. Arbetet bygger på en förstudie av tidigare forskning inom integration av underleverantörer i produktutveckling samt en kvalitativ intervjustudie med två svenska företag. Företagens relation till varandra är kund och leverantör. Arbetet kommer fram till slutsatsen att tidig integration och nära samarbeten med en underleverantör kan ha positiva effekter på pris och kvalitet, men mindre tydliga effekter på tid till produktion. Arbetet visar även vikten av bra kommunikation mellan leverantör och kund för bättre resultat i produktutvecklingen. Faktorer som geografisk plats, mängden resurser som båda parter investerar påverkar dessa resultat i stor utsträckning. / In order to meet clients' demands for short development times and cheap products with high quality, many organizations are relying more and more on suppliers to develop products that can compete on today's ferocious global marketplaces. The focus of this paper is on the supplier and how it can affect the client’s product development positively. Furthermore, this paper aims to conclude which factors that are affected when the supplier is integrated into the client’s product development. This report looks at how specific factors such as time to production, development costs and quality of the products are affected by early integration with the supplier. The scope of supplier integration can be defined by the amount of shared responsibility of the product development between the supplier and the buying organization. The level of shared responsibility can mean everything from strictly consulting to complete responsibility of the entire product development process. This paper is based on a study of previous research of supplier integration into product development, including a qualitative interview study with two Swedish companies. The internal relationship of the two companies that take part in this study is that of client and supplier. The conclusions are that early integration and close cooperation with suppliers have positive effects on price and quality, but only marginal effects on development times. The paper shows that regular communication between client and supplier generates better results in product development. Factors such as geographical location and the amount of resources that both parts invest affect these results.

The concept of industry 4.0 has long been a topic of discussion, research, and cultural impact, it has also rapidly increased effectiveness, profitability, and growth for the involved parties. At the pinnacle of industry 4.0 smart factories have emerged as a concept, describing the factories of competitive manufacturing leaders who best utilize the advanced tools of the era. The journey toward progressing conventional factories, making them smart, requires collaboration with suppliers who are well-equipped to support this transition. Therefore, this thesis aims to take on a supplier perspective through the lens of strategy to gain a deeper understanding of how suppliers should act towards original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the smart factory era. Specifically, investigating how suppliers can seize business opportunities in the smart factory maturity (SFM) journey of OEMs.  The study was conducted through a qualitative single case study performed with an industrial supplier towards OEMs in the motor vehicle industry (MVI). Data collection included performing semi-structured interviews with employees at the case company as well as observations such as break room discussions and visits at OEMs. Moreover, thematic analysis was carried out which resulted in three themes which deepens the understanding of the supplier’s role in the context. The discussion of the themes concludes that suppliers should: 1. Understand the state of the OEMs' smart factory journey, by identifying the OEMs SFM and what drives them forward. 2. Use the found enablers in their strategy to assist the journey, i.e. by developing strategic partnerships, expanding the software offering, establishing a smart factory vision, and changing the mindset towards solution selling. 3. Prepare for and manage the identified challenges of the smart factory era, which are factory legacy, new competency needs, cyber security, silo mindset, and change management. The research contributes to industry 4.0 maturity model literature by adding a more managerial view on the area and a supplier perspective. Furthermore, the study contributes to strategic management literature by adding onto the dynamic capabilities framework by providing a practical context on how organizations can seize business opportunities.