Regionalization of engineering — Framework and scenarios

Abstract

Many multi-national technology corporations face the challenge to bring their business closer to their international customers. This paper describes a framework how regionalization of engineering, i.e. the transfer of recurring technical activities, can be effectively instituted. The framework comprises a process model comprising 7 process phases and 20 phase-spanning focal topics which have to be addressed during a regionalization initiative. The process model has been developed based on real regionalization scenarios of a technology corporation. The assessment of these scenarios was based on a morphological analysis and showed that there are four underlying basic cooperation models for regionalization of engineering. They are named "Engineering Supplier, "Engineering Center", "Engineering Hub" and "Multiple Engineering Hubs". Regionalization scenarios differ in terms of application rationales and characteristics. The main findings of the assessment of the regionalization scenarios are explained and illustrated in this paper.