架構創新與競爭優勢之研究-以手機相機模組產品為例

Abstract

產業競爭激烈，市場導向抬頭，掌握時機與成本控制是企業產品發展過程的關鍵考量；面對市場快速變化與產業競爭，企業唯有創新，方能建構競爭優勢；創新未必一定是基於突破性技術，透由產品設計或製造架構的創新，廠商往往可能改變競局，甚至改變產業結構。本研究針對手機相機模組的產品設計與製造方法的演進為例，探討架構創新邏輯在產品開發過程中所扮演的角色，以及其對於競爭優勢建構的影響。 手機相機模組隨著產業發展與市場需求改變，從LCC到COB，最後發展出CSP的製造工法，經歷兩次架構創新的變革，發展出即時上量、即時上市、良率高且穩定的產品製造優勢，且因量產與良率能力提升，改變了產業內的相對競爭態勢，促使手機相機模組產業回歸到成本競爭。除此之外，CSP也改變手機市場與手機相機模組市場之競爭結構，奠定先進者（Motorola與Omni Vision）之市場領導地位與競爭優勢。 根據本研究分析手機相機模組產品架構創新與競爭的過程，發現架構創新在企業追求產品創新過程中，是企業可思考的一種創新模式，建議廠商在推動企業產品創新變革過程中，可從改變『架構知識』連接方式著手，達到創新的效果，藉此厚植自身競爭優勢。本研究剖析手機相機模組之架構創新經驗，可作為其他產業廠商在面對相似創新與競爭情勢時的參考。

Facing fast technological changes and intensive competition, a firm has to maintain constant innovation in order to sustain its competitive advantages. The sources of innovation, however, do not limit to radical technology breakthrough. Instead, innovation based on changing the ways components linking together could constitute barriers to imitation and hence competitive advantages. The purpose of this research is to evidence the constant changes of architectural design and manufacturing occurred in handset camera module market, which depicts rich implications to the learning of architectural innovation and competitive advantages. From LCC to COB, finally developing CSP, handset camera module industry passed two waves of architectural innovation. Architectural innovation based on CSP product leads to time-to-volume, time-to-market and high-yield advantages. However, competitive pattern are changed by high production and high yield rate to cost competition. Nevertheless, CSP product changes the way of competition both in handset and camera module markets, which generates significant first mover’s (Motorola and Omni Vision) advantages. Therefore, we suggest that architectural innovation be an useful strategic approach to product development, under which sustainable competitive advantages could be based. By transforming architecture-based knowledge, a firm could achieve both effects of product innovation and formation of competitive advantages. Implications of architectural innovation to other potential areas of competition are also discussed.