International Appliance Manufacturing 2007

2. The suppliers are willing to relocate their production locations. Basically, there are no expectations for any support towards the OEMs. Nevertheless, guarantees of purchase would be highly appreciated. 3. From the suppliers’ perspective, it made and it makes sense to follow the OEM in case they relocate their facilities. 4. As an alternative to relocations, the optimization of the existing factories and locations in general could be taken into consideration. 5. Generally, Germany is highly appreciated for its well-educated workforce and the high level of technology. On the other hand, the relatively high costs occurring when producing in Germany are still a very important locational disadvantage. 6. Generally, the so-called low-cost countries offer low wages and salaries. But this does not automatically imply low total costs. Therefore, a cost-oriented decision could lead to a relocation of businesses back to Germany. 7. The suppliers seem to have realistic expectations with respect to the locations most popular in future. 8. From the suppliers’ perspective, relocation of businesses will lead to job losses. Acknowledgement The author greatly acknowledges the valuable support of Mrs. Susanne Demmer and Mrs. Beate SiebertRabenstein as well as the input of students of the university’s Department of Business Administration and Engineering. Figure 7: Were OEM-driven relocations in the past mistakes? current events will yield no results. But from the statement about the possible negative influence to the manufacturer-supplier relationship we can suppose that a relocation readiness due to rational reasons is available. Another hypothesis followed by a question, whether the suppliers really have a definite expectation with regard to the support given by the manufacturer for the relocation purpose. And if the answer is yes, which one is it? When we interpret the results from the poll ( = Questions III.-4), we can draw conclusion that the majority of the suppliers expects at least no support. If the manufacturer provides support, then in most of the suppliers’ opinion, it should be followed in form of utilization guarantee and basic agreement. Desirable would be a possible earlier participation in the relocation activity. The proximity to manufacturer depends on the complexity of the construction units? The majority of the suppliers think that they possess more advantages with complex construction units/ groups nearer to the manufacturer. This aspect should be considered seriously in the following inspection. The last hypothesis that we want to check is the question about whether the suppliers have realistic estimation with regard to their possible reactions. To the first question the majority of the suppliers answered that it was no mistake to relocate abroad, independently from the line of business ( = Question III -7). And also for the part of the question, whether suppliers, who intend to only concentrate on their business in the German market, to last long in the future. And apparently the answer is no. Conclusions The results presented above can be summarized as follows: 1. From the perspective of the suppliers of the White Goods industry, the current development in this industry is a menace to their businesses. But on the other hand, they do not start numerous actions without proper planning. International Appliance Manufacturing 2007 13

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of International Appliance Manufacturing 2007

Contents White Goods- made out of Germany Customer Benefits from Coil Coating Products with “Metal Looks” In Mould Labelling for the Appliance Industry Only Pay for What You Need with Trimmed Concept for Appliance Manufacturers New Lighting Trend in the Oven Innovation in Light and Design- An Introduction Influence of Recycled Material on the Mechanical Performance and Stabilization System of GB355WG Why Choose a Fast Diode Mosfet in a Three-Phase Inverter Topology Providing Six-step Current Commutation Appliance Motor Control Made More Efficient, Cost- Effective Through Sensorless FOC Control Save, Bright and Spotlessly Clean Stainless Steel Strip is Stepping Out with the Launch of Sandvik Decorex New Hot Melt Silicone Sealant Technology Reduces Time, Costs for Appliance Manufacturers IR Touch Controls- The 4th Generation Coil Coating Ensures White Goods at Leading Edge Design Coil Coating Ensures White Goods at Leading Edge Design New material Solutions That Help Satisfy Consumer Wants, Producer Needs and Regulatory Musts for Tomorrow’s Appliances Welcome to the Chinese Century Multibase PPμ Talc Switches and Sensors Rise to the Challenge Development by SKF of Value Added Solutions (VAS) for Washing Machine Applications Silicon Adhesives for Display Cabinet Construction Instantaneous Hot Water for Beverages A Very Small Real Time Scheduler for Both Cost Effective Home Appliance Controllers and Higher Level Firmware Development Dishwasher Circulation Pump Evolution Nucleated PP Opens the Door to Improvements in Design and Productivity of Molded Appliance Articles Energy Saving Solutions for Home Appliances Sensors Sensors Sensors and No Way Back An Integrated Driver for LED Panel Renders the Traditional MCU Obsolete Integrating Hall-effect Magnetic Sensor Technology into Modern Household Appliances High Efficiency, Low Cost BLDC Evaperoator Fan Motor with a Soft Magnetic Composite Stator and Bud TM Controller Household Dishwashers Energy Consumption Reduction- A Success Story Novel fan Design Offers Energy Savings to Refrigeration Market

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