Engineer-centered enterprise and context-based knowledge: the sources of Chinese competitiveness in grid equipment

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the competitive source of Chinese firms in an industrial sector of complex product systems. It helps to reveal the organizational innovation developed by Chinese firms in coping with international competition and technological challenges. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a qualitative method of research. The evidences are mainly collected through interviews, field observation and document analysis. Findings A pattern of engineer-centered organization is the source of competitiveness of Nanrui (NR) Electric (NREC) in this study. The firm equips its front project teams, and now its overseas branches with developmental human resources and authorizes them the power of decision-making to leverage R&D projects. It is an emerging challenge to the traditional multi-national companies (MNC) pattern, and enables the Chinese firms to build their capabilities on context-based knowledge. Research limitations/implications As a single-case study paper, there are limitations about the external validity of its argument. Through the in-depth discussion of the NREC case, this paper aims to generate some clues for future study in the relevant academic community, which can be a useful step to formal theorizing and modeling. That is why the authors develop the paper on a single case. As future directions of research, comparative studies covering more cases not only within the power system control and protection industry but also among different complex technology products industrial sectors are really needed. Practical implications For innovative firms from developing countries like China, they need to develop institutional arrangements to incentivize engineers in the frontline, which may help them to build competence upon successful interaction with customers. During the era of globalization, such a pattern may generate special competitiveness over giant multi-nationals or global production networks (GPNs). Originality/value The research provides an instructive case on the Chinese rise in industrial sectors of complex product systems. Its findings can not only provide enlightenment for industrial catch-up in developing countries through organizational innovation but also help to initiate a reconsideration of the traditional theorizing of MNC and GPN.

Economic pricing of complex products in a competitive closed-loop supply chain network under uncertainty: A case study of CoPS industry

The development of technology, the globalization of the economy, and the unpredictable behavior of customers have led to a dynamic and competitive environment in the Complex Product Systems (CoPS) market. Besides, CoPS economic pricing is one of the key factors that significantly reduces production costs of Complex products and systems ​​and increases competitiveness . In this regard, this paper develops a hybrid data envelopment analysis (DEA) fuzzy mathematical model for economic pricing of CoPS in a competitive closed-loop supply chain network under uncertainty, which leads to productivity and reducing the costs. To achieve the aim of this study, at first, different CoPS providers were evaluated using DEA based on a set of economic, technical, and geographical criteria . The advantage of this evaluation was choosing the right providers, eliminating inappropriate providers, and reducing complexity as one of the fundamental problems in mathematical models. Next, we maximize the benefit of the supply chain using the mathematical model. The objective of the proposed model is to identify strategic and tactical decisions at the same time to provide a fully optimal solution to the model. Furthermore, the presented robust model is capable of providing a stable structure under different uncertainties. This leads to minimizing the purchasing cost of CoPS manufacturers. Eventually, to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed approach, a case study was used to derive important managerial results .

Product-requirement-model to approach the identification of uncertainties in battery systems development

Electric mobility is on the verge of becoming a mass market. Major automotive OEMs have initiated programs to electrify their product portfolio. This transition poses new challenges and requires new innovative concepts in automotive development processes, especially for battery systems as the key component within electric powertrains. Battery system costs account for up to 40% of the electric vehicle’s total costs. Additionally, development cycles of battery systems for automotive applications are characterized by long development periods. Hence, the initiatives to advance electrification result in numerous development projects affiliated with significant development expenses. Battery systems can be referred to as mechatronic and electrochemical systems. They require a complex interaction of diverse scientific and engineering disciplines. Fast innovation cycles have effects regarding product requirements and assumptions towards their allocation. Hereby, uncertainties can lead to risks within development projects, especially in terms of time and costs. In current development processes, necessary changes are only dealt with reactively, causing unplanned additional expenses and delays. Thus, there is need for handling potential changes proactively, i.e. managing uncertainties leading to those changes as early as possible. New methods are necessary to identify and handle uncertainties of complex product systems within requirements engineering. An approach towards comprehensive uncertainty management is taken within this publication.

Integrator’s Coordination on Technological Innovation Performance in China: The Dual Moderating Role of Environmental Dynamism

As the backbone of national strategic development, Complex Product Systems (CoPS) have made great achievements in China, the world’s largest demand market and second largest economy. However, their further development is challenged by the dynamic environment, including the ongoing Sino-US trade friction, for example. The aim of this research is to investigate the influence of the dynamic external environment on CoPS innovation. Based on contingency theory, this study identifies and investigates the moderating effects of technological and market dynamism on the relationship between the integrator’s coordination and its technological innovation performance. Using survey data from 209 CoPS integrator enterprises in China, the findings show that (1) the positive effect of an integrator’s coordination on technological innovation performance is strengthened by technological dynamism, while (2) weakened by market dynamism. In addition, (3) the technological dynamism acts as a higher-order moderating role in inhibiting the negative moderating effect of market dynamism on the main effect in general. Furthermore, (4) an unexpected but inspiring finding shows that the integrator’s coordination facilitates innovation most when both the technology and market dimensions are highly dynamic. This study may indicate that managerial recognition may have significant influence on enterprise’s behavior.