Ekkehard Schwartz Vice President Transformation 202020 Volvo
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Realising a new car is a complex is to build on experience based process involving all major units knowledge as well as capturing of a car company. In simplification innovative creativity. We are a the task is divided into three parts: knowledge based company with an strategic groundwork, preparation 87 year history of making cars. Yet in product definition and finally we recognise there is always more Ekkehard Schwartz implementation. to learn and we are now re-defining Vice President our very way of working. It all starts Transformation Within Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) with a question: How can we do this 202020 a comprehensive analysis work is differently?” now under way to identify how new Volvo car projects from get go to start of The objective is to achieve project production can be run in a smarter, duration of 20 months by the year more efficient way and thereby 2020. Thus this transformation is cut lead times, save resources and named 202020 within the company. improve quality. A project should Now, employees of different last no more than 20 months. backgrounds and expertise get In comparison, today a project together to find out what gaps there stretches over about 30 months. are in internal processes and how Ekkehard Schwartz is Vice President these can be closed. This focus on Vehicle Engineering within Research learning and networking between and Development: units are crucial elements to achieve a new way of managing the Excellence Award “A knowledge-based approach development phases. Considering Winner to product development and a all the major units within Volvo Cars Gent - 1999 corporate culture with less top-down are involved, a shift such as this management and more delegated requires a strong corporate culture, responsibility enables us to shorten clear objectives and readiness the project phase to 20 months. This from employees as well as external supports our business in providing partners to embrace change. better quality in our products and internal processes, less re-work and “This is not about implementing less spending. That in turn enables something new but creating us to invest even more in innovations something new – and to do that all and future products,” he says and employees and partners need to continues: be co-creators. At Volvo Cars each employee is encouraged to grow “However, reaching this objective and contribute to improvement, means we need to re-structure and they are the innovators.” says re-think how we manage a new car Ekkehard Schwartz. programme, a huge task. The key 52 About Volvo Car Group Transformation has become a Volvo Cars is currently developing Volvo has been in operation household word at Volvo Cars. the new Volvo Cars Management since 1927. Today, Volvo Cars is Since 2010 when Zhejiang Geely System, based on the EFQM one of the most well-known and Holding acquired the Swedish car Excellence Model. Transformation respected car brands in the world manufacturer from Ford Motor 202020 is part of and an example with sales of 427,000 in 2013 in Company, Volvo Cars has been of the comprehensive improvement about 100 countries. Volvo Cars embarked on a journey to become work that affects all business critical has been under the ownership a standalone manufacturer in every processes within the company of the Zhejiang Geely Holding sense. In 2011 the future objective to and with focus on innovation and (Geely Holding) of China since reach an annual volume of 800,000 sustainable performance. 2010. It formed part of the Swedish cars was announced as well as the Volvo Group until 1999, when the company’s dedication to develop “We are a small player in a world company was bought by Ford in-house technology that would set of automotive giants. Yet we are Motor Company of the US. new standards for its future products. convinced we will grow. To do that Now, Volvo Cars is entering that we make use of being a smaller Volvo Cars has over 23,000 new phase of the company’s history: company; we can collaborate more employees worldwide. Head office, In 2013 the four cylinder engine and act faster than the bigger product development, marketing strategy topped with electrification companies can. But to capture and administration functions are was launched with the introduction innovation and creativity, we need mainly located in Gothenburg, of the new Drive-E powertrains, a firm common ground where Sweden. Head office for China offering high performance and low expectations and objectives are is located in Shanghai. The fuel consumption. And early 2015 known to all stakeholders – that company’s main car production will see the market introduction of is the Volvo Cars Management plants are located in Gothenburg the all-new Volvo XC90, the first car System,” says Paul Welander, Senior (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium) and to be based on the company’s new Vice President Quality and Customer Chengdu (China), while engines are Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) Satisfaction. manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) which will further improve efficiency and Zhangjiakou (China). and economy of scale production. “Innovation is at our core. The Volvo Car Group aims transformation of our company is at better quality, in essence about capturing that leaner development unique Volvo way of looking at what and less spending possibilities a car can offer, how it can with Transformation make our customers’ lives easier. For 202020 us, what we do is all about people – even when the issue is internal processes as in Transformation 202020,” says Ekkehard Schwartz. HARNESSING CREATIVITY & INNOVATION.