LIFT - Effektive globale verdikjeder for produksjon av maritime kraner og håndteringssystemer

Many Norwegian engineering firms have been highly successful in taking responsibility for the entire value chain, from initiation and design to delivery and service to customers. As part of this shift, they have increasingly outsourced larger parts of the process to subcontractors, typically related to the production, assembly and testing. Most of the physical value created is therefore outside the company. This means that they will have to take the role of global value chain coordinators, and need to excel at planning and monitoring all activities and deliverables so that the final product is delivered cost-effectively and in less time than the competition. The overall idea for the value creation in LIFT is that innovative methods and solutions for project supply chain management lead to competitive delivery of cranes and handling systems in a global maritime market. Engineered-to-order (ETO) networks are dynamic and hard to define, and their planning and control functionalities are commonly affected by the actions of suppliers and customers. Frequently, projects experience delays, budget over-runs, and quality defects. Consequently, there is a need for project management that synchronizes engineering and production processes throughout the network. As a part of LIFT, the project planning maturity model (MMPP) was developed in order to improve project performance in ETO manufacturing networks. Achieving project success is one of the central problems in the project management theory. This topic has been studied thoroughly by both academics and practitioners. However, much of the literature available on project success relates to large construction projects and megaprojects, while little research on this topic has been done with regards to smaller projects executed by ETO companies. When it comes to the design process of project performance measurement system (PPMS) customized for ETO companies, virtually no information can be found. Therefore, as a part of LIFT there the process for creating a PPMS for ETO companies was developed. The developed PPMS design process was applied for development of a PPMS for one of the case companies. Supply chain management is a central topic for ETO companies. Some of them stick to own production, while others have outsourced manufacturing to lower-cost countries. The ETO companies vary in size, production volumes, product complexity, the markets they operate in, and in the ways their procurement, production, and project management are organized. However, establishing effective strategies for different suppliers remains highly relevant for all of them. Each of the case companies in LIFT has categorized its suppliers using the Kraljic purchasing portfolio model. Based on the results of the analysis, the case companies are currently in the process of development of their supplier strategies. The feedback received from the case companies points to the effectiveness of the Kraljic approach as a tool for generation or development of supplier strategies. Developing a sound BM is one of the key factors for achieving success in any kind of business. However, many companies tend to focus on technology innovation while paying less attention to BM innovation. A sharp decline in oil prices has led to a significant reduction of demand for advanced equipment from the companies operating in the oil and gas sector. Under these circumstances, in the beginning of 2015 AXTech has started to develop a new BM based on renting out of advanced lifting equipment, as an alternative to a traditional model of just selling it. By offering such a solution, the focal company tried to address the customers reduced ability to invest money in the pricey equipment. The first piece of equipment produced by AXTech under this new BM was a lifting tower Litjkaren that was ready for market in November 2016. The tower has a lifting capacity of 25 tons, is very fast to mobilize and can be steered remotely from the focal company's headquarters in Molde. The biggest challenge the focal company faces now is, however, to reach the "right" customers and get Litjkaren to market. At the point as this research was ended, Litjkaren was not assigned for any particular work. The market situation seems to be still at a stage where the existing fleet of equipment/vessels has covered the needs of such subsea projects. It is a fact that most of this work has been performed with significantly larger equipment than strictly needed. Over time, AXTech is confident that there will be a market for smaller light-weight systems that can be rented for a fraction of the investment price needed when a full-size tower is integrated on a vessel. For AXtech this project has been a good opportunity to further explore new business potentials and to enhance the applied technology. Exploring the business of servitization has introduced new thinking on how to enhance the value proposed.

Flere norske engineering-bedrifter har hatt suksess med å utvide sin virksomhet fra design til å ta ansvaret for hele verdikjeden fram til levering og service hos kunder. Selv om de tar dette ansvaret, setter de bort store deler av oppgavene knyttet til p roduksjon, montasje og testing til underleverandører. Mesteparten av den fysiske verdiskapningen som de konkurrerer på skjer derfor utenfor bedriften. Dette gjør at de er nødt til ta rollen som globale verdikjedekoordinatorer, og være best på å planlegge og følge opp alle aktiviteter og leveranser slik at sluttproduktet blir levert kostnadseffektivt og på kortere tid enn det konkurrentene klarer. Den overordnede ideen for verdiskapning i LIFT er derfor at innovative metoder og løsninger for project supply chain management fører til konkurransedyktig levering av kraner og håndteringssystemer i et globalt maritimt marked. Dette skal bli oppnådd gjennom å (1) utvikle et strategisk konsept for project supply chain management i globale produksjonsnettverk; ( 2) utvikle metoder for multikriteriedesign av verdikjeder som tar hensyn til spesifikke egenskaper og produksjonskrav ved produktet; (3) utvikle prosess og metoder for effektiv planlegging og oppfølging i globale leverandørnettverk; og (4) utvikle konsept for fremtidens IKT-support for integrert project supply chain management. Prosjektet vil ha en varighet i overkant av tre år og et totalt budsjett på 12MNOK, som støttes med 5,86MNOK av Maroff-programmet. Konsortiet er satt sammen av AXTech, Huse Engine ering og Hycast fra næringslivet, og NTNU og Møreforsking fra FoU-siden. Foruten at prosjektet er av stor betydning for partnerbedriftene, er det forventet en betydelig samfunnsøkonomisk gevinst ved at den maritime klyngen styrkes. Utfordringene i prosj ektet er sentrale for mange engineering-bedrifter. Økt kompetanse på området innen næringsliv og FoU-miljøer vurderes derfor som svært viktig.