Industrial networks: capturing changeability?

Abstract

Industrial networks offer great opportunities for adapting their processes and structures to changing circumstances, expressed by the criteria of innovation, speed and flexibility or changeability. Especially, more integrated approaches, like Dispersed Manufacturing Networks, present new challenges to decision-making, during all stages of product development and manufacturing, at strategic, tactical and operational levels for all companies involved. As a response to these challenges, this paper presents three models (Innovation Impact Point Model, Collaboration Model and Continuous Outsourcing Model) and a method for reconfiguration that support decision making in industrial networks. Together with the longer existing models for the Order Entry Points, these approaches will facilitate successful exploitation of industrial networks. However, many current approaches rely on the conversion to networks of models that fit the monolithic company. The characteristics of industrial networks call for theories and tools that address the instability caused by the interaction between the constituent agents and the dynamics for capturing market opportunities.