Abstract :
Access to information is essential in a successful organisation. The author describes how IT can benefit the global company, with particular emphasis on the experiences of the automotive industry. French auto-maker Renault took drastic measures to shorten product cycles. The company relocated its disparate design, engineering, and R&D functions to a single campus connected with a wide-ranging, high-speed network. This change allowed Renault to easily move people and equipment between workgroups, enabling more efficient cross-functional teamwork. The goal is to, within the next two years, reduce the time it takes to develop a new model by over 30% from eight years to five years, and eventually, to just three years
Keywords :
automobile industry; computer networks; goods dispatch data processing; information technology; manufacturing data processing; Renault; automotive industry; distribution system; global company; global network business; high-speed network; information technology; product cycles; supply chain management;
