THE CHANGING PARADIGM FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS IN ADVANCED MATERIALS AND COMPONENTS MANUFACTURING

The realities of the current competitive environment suggest two central needs. The first is a shift in focus of the base of technical knowledge. The knowledge necessary to compete effectively in the new materials markets is focused less around understanding molecular structure or knowledge of individual compositions of matter and more around applying compositions of matter to the complex needs of mechanical, electrical, and electronic systems. Key is the understanding of interactions between material properties and fabrication properties—in short, an extension of the structure-property-process understanding to include the downstream fabrication process in addition to the synthesis process. In addition, firms face an increasing need to understand customer applications more deeply. Besides understanding the technical requirements of the job, firms must understand more deeply the operating environment and the customers’ true needs. Translating customer needs into technical requirements in systems design requires a new level of knowledge about customer needs. Finally, given the broad diffusion of knowledge, firms must rely more heavily on technology partnerships such as joint ventures and licensing to ensure bringing the most appropriate technology to the problem at hand. © 1992, Materials Research Society. All rights reserved.