Das Fraktale Büroraumsystem: über einen Produktionsverbund zum Virtuellen Unternehmen

Most enterprises are up against a turbulent environment. If enterprises want to act successful in the medium and in the long term they have to master the changing conditions by going new ways. The new demands of the market are not only reflected in the products, processes, structures and channels of distribution of an enterprise. A seller has to offer an additional profit to the customer. Especially for small and medium sized enterprises the membership in a production network offers best chances for the enlargement of their supply for strengthening existing and getting new shares of the market. The following article shows an example for a successful cooperation of two enterprises which have been combining their core competences and are now able to offer a new, specific user-orientated product to a permanently growing market. These two enterprises of the furniture industry are well on the way to face the new demands of the market successful. The turbulent environment and the demand for more consumer orientated products made dynamic organizational structures necessary. This challenge was mastered by the reorganization of the enterprises to a Fractal Enterprise, independent from each other. This process was accompanied by the Fraunhofer IFF. The exchange of experiences, similar philosophies and cultures in these both enterprises and a climate of trust were the basis for creating a production network and a future virtual enterprise. A common strategic orientation, the determination of the customers demands and the development of concepts for the organizational, material and the networking of information are the steps to run through for the building of distributed manufacturing networks