58-63 M746

t sounds like a paradox, but there is only one real trend evident in today's global market, and that is continuous – and rapid – change. The market environment is uncertain; competitors are changing; new, disruptive technologies are emerging; and topping all this, customers are becoming more demanding. To be successful in such a dynamic market, globally operating companies must be able to supply goods designed to meet individual customer requirements. The focus is shifting from ‘mass production’ to ‘mass customization’. This new orientation is forcing companies to reorganize the way they do business. New ‘virtual organizations’ are being formed to handle specific orders – organizations that are established, managed and terminated according to market demand. These ‘virtual factories’ can be described as a multi-layer network of links between suppliers, sub-contractors, customers and different departments of the same organization. A customer who is involved in order processing at a very early stage is able to significantly influence product design, and is assured of getting exactly what he wants. While most experts agree that companies will have to become ‘virtual’ in order to A sales force in Latin America, the design department in Europe, and production in Asia? Arrangements of this kind are the new business reality for today's global manufacturing companies. But how are such global operations to be effectively coordinated? ABB’s answer was to develop and implement a new platform for high-performance, real-time collaboration. Globally distributed engineering teams can now work together, regardless of time, location or the CAD system they use, making ABB easier to do business with, for customers as well as suppliers.