| 1. |
- Lundbäck, Magnus
(författare)
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Cross-brand product platforms : a product development perspective on acquisitions in the automotive industry
- 2002
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Ingår i: International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management. - 1470-9511 .- 1741-5012. ; 2:3-4, s. 261-279
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Globally, the car industry faces challenges as never before. In order to handle the changes in the product development field, the industry develops products by manufacturing several different brands and models from a single vehicle platform. In this case study research of acquisitions in the automotive industry, specific problems have been identified that are related to the cross-brand integration of product platform development activities. The analysis shows that important areas of the integration process can be controlled by giving managers a better understanding of areas that hamper cross-company product development projects from reaching cost-effective solutions and economies of scale
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| 2. |
- Lundbäck, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Design engineering culture differences : Ford´s acquisition of Volvo Cars
- 2000
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The cultural issues of design engineering are important in the context of any interorganizational collaboration. The objective of this article is to describe and analyze the design engineering decision-making process at Ford Motor Company. It examines the area that concerns culture in the workplace, but does so in the context of how Volvo employees understand it one year after Ford's acquisition of Volvo Cars. It is clear that there are important differences in the way of conducting decisions between the companies, at least as the engineers at Volvo understand it. These differences will have a negatively impact on the speed of the integration process and future ability to co-operate.
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| 3. |
- Lundbäck, Magnus
(författare)
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Ford Motor Company's acquisition of Volvo Cars : the R&D integration process problems and problem areas
- 2002
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is of great importance for automobile companies to achieve benefits of scale in the development of new products because of the high costs involved. During the 1990s the probability of achieving benefits of scale, in order to make the needed savings, has changed dramatically. Model volumes have dropped, resulting in difficulties in obtaining economies of scale within the company limits. This change, together with the already high and still growing costs involved in the development of new technology, has forced the industry to form strategic alliances and acquire or merge with competitors to be able to develop models and brands as derivatives of product platforms and thereby achieve cost-effective solutions. Despite the aforementioned changes, previous research has not specifically focused on areas that must be identified when integrating R&D processes in order to achieve benefits of scale and costeffective solutions in acquired or merged companies. The aim of this licentiate thesis is to identify R&D integration process problems and integration process problem areas that prevent companies from reaching cost-effective solutions and economies of scales in the merged R&D process. One of the most recent acquisitions in the automobile industry, Ford Motor Company's acquisition of Volvo Cars in 1999, has been studied in the first years following Ford's acquisition, and constitutes the empirical base for this thesis. The R&D integration process has been followed, and data for the integration process was gathered between 1999 and 2001. Structured interviews were conducted and triangulation techniques have been used to verify the findings from these interviews. Data on the product development organization, such as project documentation, financial reports, implementation strategies etc., has then been used to supplement data from the observations and interviews. The results indicate how company differences in the R&D process require specific production systems, organizations and responsibilities, which are difficult to sort out without specialized support and tight control during the early stages of the integration process. Furthermore, areas such as engineering standards, product architecture and release systems need to be synchronized right at the start of the integration process, in order to be able to optimize the R&D processes. From the acquiring company's point of view it has been easy to carry out advanced engineering projects, in contrast to product platform projects. In the acquired company, however, problems due to differences in accounting principles occurred, resulting in an inadequate basis for decision-making, which in turn results in product project cancellation due to inadequate financial arrangements.
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| 4. |
- Lundbäck, Magnus
(författare)
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Managing the R&D integration process after an acquisition : Ford Motor Company's acquisition of Volvo Cars
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In January 1999 Ford Motor Company acquired Volvo Cars. This thesis analyses some of the integration processes that followed the acquisition. It focuses, particularly, on the integration of the research and development organizations (R&D). The overall aim is to contribute to a better understanding of areas that require special attention when managing the R&D integration process after an acquisition. The analysis is based on internal corporate financial reports, project documentation, observations, and more than 150 interviews, conducted between 1999 and 2003. Previous research on R&D operations has mostly used single-firm perspectives. The results of this thesis indicate that the single-firm perspective is important, but in an acquisition situation it has to be complemented with an inter-firm R&D integration perspective. The results depict this, when organization of R&D is changed to optimize and facilitate the inter-firm co-operation. These changes do not always contribute to strengthen the individual firm’s long-term competitive advantage. Some organizational structures, technologies, managerial principles, etc. should be brought into line in the two firms, while other factors should not be adopted in order to keep the firms’ long-term unique value-creation capabilities intact. There are thus several parallel interdependencies that have to be taken care of simultaneously. For example, organizational issues will create demands and constraints on the products. However, there is also an equally defendable logic of starting with the product and what it means to organizational structures of the different firms. For example, the use of different visible components, such as a steering wheel and door handle, will place demands on organizations, preferable undertaken by separate design resources and departments. This means that a high organizational autonomy may result in a low level of commonality, while simultaneously build firm uniqueness. On the other hand, a low organizational autonomy may well result in a high level of commonality, but at the same time damaging the firms’ long-term unique value-creation capabilities. The results stress the importance of relating decisions about issues raised during the integration process to the acquiring firm’s long-term acquisition objectives. The challenge for management in both firms is therefore to manage the balance between short-term goals and long-term acquisition objectives. The thesis is organized into an extended summary and five appended papers.
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