Innovation enabling manufacturing processes

Abstract

Global operations for multinational companies today pose a particularly challenging environment for maintaining fluid knowledge transfer and effective communication methodologies. In a continuous drive for product innovation, process development often takes on lower priority to other initiatives that directly affect the design and delivery of a product. However, existing literature shows that process development and governance are critical to sustainable growth in the global marketplace. Multinational companies must recognize the need to integrate process development in a product centric enterprise to maintain effective information flow and clear communication channels. Cisco faces this challenging in maintaining effective cross-functional communication while growing through acquisition and new product developments. Cisco also faces additional complexity in managing a global network of outsourced manufacturing activities. This research analyzes two case studies in process development within the Manufacturing organization at Cisco. Specifically, these two case studies focus on driving early engagement of manufacturing concerns in the product lifecycle and effective means of facilitating this initiative.