Verkstadsindustrins logistik - en innovationssystemanalys

Report, 2004

The purpose of the innovation system analysis is to map and characterise the innovation system of the Swedish manufacturing industry and the involved logistics service providers. The analysis provides input to VINNOVA's R&D programme in the growth area of Innovative logistics systems and freight transport to govern R&D investments 2004 to 2007. The R&D programme is intended to support both shippers and logistics service providers implying that the innovation system analysis provides a holistic view upon logistics and covers the full supply chains. The project was carried out based upon literature studies, but mainly through interviews with industry organizations in the manufacturing field. In addition, selected manufacturing companies and their logistics service providers were interviewed. Three smaller case studies provided a deeper picture of the industry. Innovations, in the frames given for this study, are characterised by improvement of a process, an organisation or a method. The result of an innovation shows as reduction of costs or increase of revenues through improvement of logistics result variables. Thus, the innovation system of the manufacturing industry's logistics is not about inventing, developing and marketing new products, or to solve functionality problems with established products. It is rather about generating new ideas and implement them, for instance as process changes, new methods and ways of work, new flow structures and new organisations. The results from the study are summarised in the SWOT analysis at: http://www.mot.chalmers.se/staff/johwox/_private/Svenska/Rapporter/2004%20Vinnova%20ISA%20Verkstad-logistik.pdf listing and describing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the innovation system of the manufacturing industry and its logistics. The SWOT analysis would most likely have had a similar appearance for other industry branches, but the purpose of the study has not been to analyse how the manufacturing industry differs from other industries, only to map the innovation system itself.