Operations Excellence: Smart Solutions for Business Success(International Management Knowledge)

Achieving operative excellence is an important endeavor for all companies -- it is the "holy grail" that leads to increased value over the long term. It's one of the essential strategic differentiation factors that gives answers to company growth, efficiency, cost and profitability issues. By applying operative levers systematically and managing them correctly companies are doing everything in their power to ensure that they follow their selected corporate strategy. It helps them answer a number of critical questions; What value should my company create itself and what should be achieved by external parties? Where are my company's production sites and which key technologies and products take center stage? How and where does my company manage and support innovation? Where is the company's supplier base mainly located and how can the supply chain be steered to achieve maximum effects? Companies that have a functional operative strategy and are prepared to make sometimes difficult changes to improve their business are the best-in-class. This book critically examines their strategies and pinpoints those approaches that will enable you to achieve operations excellence within your own company.

Table of Contents:
Introduction- Operations Excellence PART I Introduction - What is Successful Product Development? Changing Business Models and their Impact on Product Development Innovate to Win Global Development made Successful Success Factors and Levers for Best Practise in Innovation Management Smart Engineering Processes 'Made in Japan' PART II Introduction - Strategic Trends and Challenges for Purchasing Key Trends in Purchasing Best Practises and Impact on Purchasing Strategy Purchasing Empowerment- The Way to Achieve World Class Purchasing PART III Introduction - Manufacturing in a Global Context Organizations Drive Strategy and Performance: Insights from Two Successful Lead Buying Models How Companies can Optimize their Global Manufacturing Footprint Leveraging Manufacturing Excellence in Global Production From Maintenance to Quality Control PART IV Introduction - Supply Chain Management - More than just Logistics Global Supply Chain Management - A Success Factor for Global Players Complexity Management- The Starting Point for Improving Performance Working Capital Excellence - How Companies Can Tap Hidden Cash Reserves in the Supply Chain Supply Chain Organization - A Key Enabler for Successful Supply Chain Management

About the Author :
ROLAND SCHWIENTEK is a Partner in Roland Berger's Munich office. He studied business administration at the Gerhard-Mercator University of Duisburg, Germany. Schwientek joined Roland Berger in 1997 after working several years in various functions in the automotive and automotive supplier industry, lastly as a purchasing manager at Bosch automotive division. KPI, Procurement/purchasing, manufacturing footprint, supply chain management and working capital optimization are some of his focus issues. He leads projects across many different industries under the heading Best Practice Transfer: What can we learn from leaders and leading industries? Schwientek is author of a number of studies, including Purchasing Excellence and Working Capital Excellence. AXEL SCHMIDT is a Partner at Roland Berger. He joined the strategy consultancy in 1991 and became Global Head of Operations Strategy in 1997. Previously he worked for Procter& Gamble in Paris and ACL Engine Parts in Australia. He gained his degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Schmidt has conducted projects in various industries ranging from consumer goods/retail and pharmaceuticals through to automotive, engineered products and financial and security services. He advises clients on the projects that include supply chain and asset optimization, global footprint optimization, distribution and logistics strategy, turnaround programs and global purchasing and development organization redesign.