International product development in automotive industry:
mapping and improvement suggestions from a customer
satisfaction perspective
Abstract: Getrag All Wheel Drive AB (GAWD) in Köping, Sweden today develops,
manufactures and sells All Wheel Drive (AWD) systems to the private car
industry. However it has not always been like this. Before 2004, the very
same plant was a subsidiary company of Volvo Car Corporation, sourcing its
need of manual transmissions and AWD systems. Since now having all car
manufacturers as potential customers GAWD at the same time is affected by
the free market competition from other AWD systems manufacturers. It is now
even more important to be efficient and make operations right the first
time, to keep present customers and also gain new ones.
About the same time as GAWD was formed, it became a member of an
international GETRAG product development process, with a North American car
manufacturer as external customer. It is important to learn from this
project since the manners and customs of the customer are not previously
known to GAWD. The purpose of this master thesis has been to identify
structural problem areas as well as making improvement suggestions regarding
quality assurance of GAWD’s product development. This has been achieved by
focusing on findings at GAWD and the expectations of its in-house customer
in the United States, GETRAG Axle Plant (GAP).
After making interviews, observations and a focus group workshop, the
problem areas communication with customer and supplier, involvement in
supplier choice and insufficiently preset prerequisites were identified. The
effect has been time consuming misunderstandings, role ambiguity, lack of
motivation and misinterpretation of some customer expectations.
GAWD is recommended to standardize work within its GETRAG supply chain
members to set target and define scope together, toward optimal GETRAG
customer satisfaction at the lowest use of resources. This can be achieved
if day to day work is based upon strong leadership committed to quality,
collaboration, communication and evaluations among the supply chain
companies. The study shows a need for an early project team kick-off
meeting, attended by a cultural agent teaching ways towards effective
collaboration and communication. GAWD should focus on improving the
commitment of the steering team and coordination of communication among
purchasing and project organisations. The later is directly proportional to
the quality of communication with the customer and affects the potential
dissatisfaction the most. GAWD should further assume that the customer does
not know about Swedish culture or operations until proven otherwise.
Organisational changes in line with thesis result have been made at GAWD
during this research process, which is evidence of continuous improvement
activities.
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