跨國企業的產品開發與協同設計流程改善—以D公司為例

Abstract

本論文是藉由研究跨國企業在全球競爭策略、全球產品研發、以及研發流程改善及專案管理等四個構面，探討跨國公司在面臨價格和開發時程所處的壓力下如何利用台灣設計代工廠(ODM,Original Design Manufacturing)以流程改善參與所謂之「協同設計」，以擴大對產品研發的影響和對應所面臨的挑戰。個案分析部份，著重在一款商用筆記型工作站(Laptop Workstation)如何植基於策略競爭之理論分析架構，加入協同設計之概念，及運用適當的管理工具。如專案管理(Project Management)、制約理論之關鍵鏈專案管理(CCPM,Critical Chain Project Management)和六標準差(6σ,Six Sigma)以達成產品專案目標。本研究之目的除研究以跨國企業D公司內部研發及流程改善優勢所形成的研發競爭策略外，另也對台灣代工廠除了在製造流程和成本控制的傳統優勢外再挑戰新的研發管理思維。或可為台灣的代工廠帶來除了技術外不同的競爭優勢觀點。 本研究歸納出四點建議供有興趣之品牌廠商和代工廠作為參考： 一、 簡化標準化及產品開發流程-標準化的目的在追求產品在研發和製造上的一致性，降低在產品開發生命週期中的變異。但除了標準化之外，各流程必須是能「符合客戶需求」下，設計出最適成本的產品規格，過多的設計或繁複的流程，不僅增加產品的成本也造成過多的變異來源。如何與時俱進地修正(簡化)現有流程因應客戶的設計與製造需求，實為關鍵重點。 二、 先期統合「協同化」的產品定義和定義衝突的協調方法-正是由於協同品質的優劣決定成果，部門間的利益和執行程序的優先順序有必要在專案開始之初即有清楚的定義，仲裁的單位和溝通的管道務必於專案進行前就有效的溝通。而工作完成的定義和施行的方法如工法也必需清楚的界定，避免未來任務的銜接產生認知上的差異，進而影響內容之執行。 三、 健全的專案管理和產品開發流程稽核制度與改正措施–現今協同設計和專案管理已非新義，但如何確保整個產品的生命週期間的一致性，企業有必要加強在產品開發的流程確保與稽查。此也涉及企業的組織再造與變革和對專案間資源共享的管理，對於若以「百年企業」為經營目標的代工廠而言，累積國際品牌的管理經驗實為必要之務。 四、 配合經驗重覆修正企業策略與調校定位–隨著國際分工的趨勢，台灣的代工廠除了應再精進產品的設計能力和學習運用更好的工程管理技術外。亦應學習客戶的品牌經營策略，培植自已對於市場的嗅覺，同時尋找下一波商機的機會。在此同時企業的經營策略也必須與時俱進的修正，企業定位也應予之調校以待企業轉型時不至於一時無法因應，造成良機的損失。

Purpose of this study is focuses on a Transnational Company how to work with its ODM to overcome the difficulties from cost and schedule challenges. Porcesses improvements drove from its customer through four concepts to speed up the growth of organizations, including Global Competition Strategies, Global Product Development, and Develop Process Improvement & Project Management. A commercial laptop workstation applied as an example on demonstrating how to complete the so called Collaborative Design Activities, via Project Management Tools like Six Sigma and Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM). Goal of this study was to justify today’s ODM has more of the strengths besides those well known practices of cost control and manufacturing efficiency. Those ODMs in Taiwan should be more capable on playing a role as a value added partners than an order taken vendors to their customers. Meanwhile, this study also encourages ODMs to go beyond the technical boundries and marching toward the management excellence by bench marking those best practices from their brand customers. Finally, four recommendations been summarized as following: 1. Simplified the processes of product development- The main reason to standardize the product developing and manufacturing processes is to reduce the varience during product life cycle. The ultimate goal is to fulfill customer needs under an appropriate cost or an efficient way to management. A complicated design or process not only increases the implementation cost, also causes the source of varience. Therefore, how to assure the designate processes are easy to follow-up and clearly to understand is the key to success. Organizations shall aware the importance and fixing or simplifying the existing product development process to match the customer requirements is thus very essential. 2. If have to build the collaborative development working enviorment, better to do it at the earliest phase. It’s a hard requirement to reach every aspect of agreement from different departments to functions. While agreements define the quality of a project, thus all project success elements including guidelines, priorities, communications, or endorsements must be unambiguously identified at project kick-off and agreed upon related parties. At the best, an appropriate arbitrator shall be assigned from top management in order to naturally iron out the conflicts without delaying the project undergoing. Basically, the better communication within a project, the better chance of a project could success. Focuses on program or project priorities always help team to synchronize the steps towards harmony. Clearly defining the ways to execute jobs help teams from confusing or arguments during issue managements. Especially the outputs from every process must be defined and documented during project transitioning between processes. 3. A well defined project management tool and product development process, help the project manager monitoring the progress in a systematic way. Guidelines or SOP could help teams to follow things easily but NOT guarranty the will with rigor. A solid, organized auditing mechanism is the insurance to protect processes been followed. Meanwhile, organizations shall encourage individuals or groups to embrace the actions from correction during project implementation. Which not only is the way to make sure the audit system is working functionally and healthy, but also demonstrating organizations can learn from mistakes. With the suitable auditing mechanism in lieu of the implementation of corrective actions, that will be extremely helpful while conducting Collaborative Design and Project management in a project. Rebuilding the organizations or reallocating resources usually not preferred by most of managements when project is undergoing with some kind of urgency. However, the strength of adjustment all conditions to the flexibility and efficiency of Taiwanese ODMs also functioning as the base to support the product towards success from the observations of this research. The strength not only help ODM can level up its core competence but also be beneficial to its future own brand dream, if with. 4. Corporate should periodically modifying its business strategy and adjust the corporate goals by learning from those best practicities. Through the working with those world-class brand companies, Taiwanese ODMs should accelerate the speed to become as the leading edge companies of design excellence. Which also provides a solid foundation in the future if own brand is the long term strategy to Taiwanese ODM. Meanwhile, the enhancement of management skill duing the collaborative deisgn activities with brand customers also help Taiwanese ODMs to reset their corporate business strategies to fit in the business changes caused by the reforms of industrial transformations.