Manufacturing Executive - November 2008 - (Page 8) starters MANUFACTURING EXECUTIVE R E P O R T E D A N D W R I T T E N B Y M A R K H A L P E R A N D PA U L TAT E Technology Strategies for European Industrial Leaders Shell Goes Virtual for Collaboration hell engineers around the world don’t have to catch a plane or even leave their desks anymore to work with their colleagues on innovative ideas. They can now go online and exchange eureka moments, collaborate, and learn on a totally virtual Shell island, located in the limitless 3D digital world of Second Life. Acting on an internal idea submitted to GameChanger, Shell’s innovation group, the global energy giant has created two virtual islands in the Second Life world: a Learning Island, designed for virtual meetings and learning, and Ideation Island, an innovation and project management space. Both islands are designed to stimulate collaboration, learning, creativity, and innovation among Shell staff. Second Life, launched in 2003 by U.S. digital pioneer Linden Labs, is a virtual world where people meet as their chosen avatars — basically digital representations of themselves, sometimes taking bizarre forms. It has its own currency and virtual cities, and is now inhabited by millions of virtual residents from around the world. Businesses are increasingly getting involved by setting up virtual sales rooms to market their wares to virtual buyers, or creating their own dedicated islands. There are currently 23,600 “owned” islands in Second Life. Shell, however, is taking a more innovative, ground-breaking approach by using its virtual island as a collaboration tool. The project won first prize for R&D at the recent 2008 TEC Intraverse Awards in France. For globally dispersed companies such as Shell, which has more than 100,000 employees in 110 countries, creating an easily accessible, virtual online tool for collaboration and learning could deliver major business S dividends, Shell managers believe. Said Shell Chief Technology Officer Jan van der Eijk: “Collaboration with others from beyond our disciplines and beyond our industry will be of increasing importance. This virtual world and other social network- ing tools that we are currently reviewing could play a role in enabling that collaboration, helping us in our innovation journey to deliver real-world progress by drawing out the creativity of our vast technical and nontechnical community.” Supply Chain Battle in the Air oeing has received so much attention for the supply chain overhaul it ushered in with its 787 Dreamliner that you might think it alone among aircraft giants is handing off design and manufacture of subassemblies. Truth is, European archrival Airbus has been doing the same for years, although Boeing’s recent moves have arguably put it in front. Outsiders, such as Japan’s Kawasaki, Italy’s Alenia, and many others, are building an estimated 70% of Boeing’s innovative, long-range plane. Not to be outdone in outsourcing, then, Airbus has throttled up its efforts to lighten its own manufacturing load. How? Through plant sell-offs. In mid-September, Airbus agreed to sell its Filton, England, wing operation to British engineering company GKN for £136 million. “For Airbus, this decision will allow us to concentrate on our role of being an aircraft architect and integrator,” Airbus CEO Tom Enders said. Perhaps showing that nothing is sacred in the internal supply chain, Airbus had developed Filton into one of its “centres of excellence.” GKN will use the plant to develop composite materials meant to replace heavier aluminum, an area where some aviation experts believe Boeing has trumped Airbus. The plan is for GKN to sell the wings to Toulouse, France-based Airbus. The Filton sale came shortly after Airbus sold its Laupheim, Germany, plant to Diehl and Thales, the German-French manufacturing company. Diehl will sell cabin components, previously made by Airbus, back to the pan-European aircraft giant. Both sales are part of Airbus’ “Power8” restructuring program. Those who want to believe that Airbus is looking more like its American rival can add this arrow to their quiver: Diehl and Thales agreed to denominate European sales to Airbus in U.S. dollars. Airbus, which for a couple of years has suffered from converting weak dollar sales in the United States into strong euros, is creating ways to offset this. Unfortunately for Airbus, no sooner did it reach its dollar deal with Diehl and Thales than the dollar started strengthening. As an accidental hedge, Airbus tried and failed to work out the same deal with GKN. B 8 November 2008 Photo courtesy: The Boeing Company (Jeff Corwin)
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