Challenges when outsourcing

Project time: 2003 – 2006

Budget: 2 960 000 kr

The purpose of the project is to analyse how outsourcing production affects innovation and competitiveness in industrial companies.

The results of the project include knowledge and methods that specifies the significance of production for efficient product development processes and the competitiveness of the firm. The results will also show how various forms of inteorganisational control provide opportunities for co-operation and mutual learning.
The project consists of four studies performed by researchers at three universities. The theme outsourcing as a learning dilemma includes continued comparisons of Nokia-Ericsson-Siemens. Additional studies concern  a survey to engineering companies and a case study on knowledge transformation in product design project. The second theme focuses a methodology to visualise the potential of production development. The third theme includes case studies on the role of subcontractors in development processes, and control of customer-supplier relations. The studies are integrated by common activities for spreading results and for analysis and learning between industrial companies, organisations and researchers. The results from the project will be spread through public and scientific publications, conferences and seminars.
The project is conducted in co-operation with several industrial companies. The two additional studies are financed by Lundbergs foundation and the University of Gävle.

Participating researcher(s)

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