R&D Integration Between Subsidiary Companies : A Case Study in the Commercial Vehicle Industry

Abstract: Through mergers and acquisitions, automotive manufacturers can gain access to intellectual property and the ability to release advanced products and services at a faster pace and a decreased cost. This is achieved through integrating the product development capabilities of the merged or acquired companies. This study aimed to identify key success factors and challenges in product development integration by using the Traton Group as a case study, specifically two collaborations between their subsidiaries, Scania and Navistar. Interviews were performed with key product development resources at all three companies, as well as employees working in roles to enable collaboration within the Traton Group. The results confirm the importance of all success factors found in previous research on R&D integrations and how the success factors impact each other. They also show how the collaborations between Scania and Navistar have evolved and improved over time. Finally, they highlight the importance of common IT tools as enablers of collaboration, particularly in collaborations with intensive software development work. The study compares Traton’s integration strategies against previous research, and concludes that Traton is on the right track. However, the interviewees' responses indicated a desire for increased involvement from the corporate parent Traton in the collaboration work.