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Cheshire Henbury's expertise
lies in the area of next generation manufacturing enterprise
and the strategic management of technology. A key underlying
competency in dealing with the "future" lies in the
management of significant strategic uncertainties that arise
from changes in the structure of the business environment.
One of the key weaknesses of
the Foresight programme has been its belief that it is possible
to extrapolate current trends in order to describe future challenges.
One the key lessons of the past 20 years in manufacturing industry
has been that the influence of discontinuities has made predictions
based on trends somewhat meaningless. Who for example 20 years
ago predicted e-business? How many manufacturing experts in the
early 1980s could see the importance of concepts such as business
process reengineering or empowerment?
Structural changes are occurring
in the business environment. Some are evident today (e.g. the
shift towards a buyers market). Others structural changes will
occur over the next 20 years, but what form they will take are
not now evident. The key point is that structural change results
in significant levels of uncertainty and developing the capabilities
to handle and work with the uncertainty is what really counts.
Cheshire Henbury is one of
the few organisations in the world that has pioneered the development
of a focussed understanding of structural change and the associated
high levels of uncertainty. This coupled with our insights into
strategy, technology, organisation and people integration and
alignment, makes our knowledge and expertise unique.
Our central philosophy is that
the strategic management of the significant uncertainty that
arises from structural changes is something one does for oneself,
using outside experts to support this process.
Activities in response to the
Manufacturing 2020 report should therefore be centred on the
key area of structural changes and uncertainty. Cheshire Henbury
can provide support for Manufacturing 2020 initiatives within
companies in several different ways. We can help customers to:
- Better understand the problems
of foresight and spread this understanding to key decision makers;
- Develop a high level Manufacturing
2020 supporting strategy;
- Design company specific Manufacturing
2020 assessment and implementation processes.
Please email Paul Kidd for
details, or alternatively make a phone call:
Email: enquire41@cheshirehenbury.com
Tel: +44 (0)1625 619313 |