1. Jönköping Region - a center for SME development
Swedens most SME-rich region
A living laboratory for SME-development
>60% of mechanical industry within 200 km
An extensive network of subcontractors
A network of development centers for SME’s

2. Where is Jönköping?

3. Jönköping University
Four schools Engineering, Business, Learning and Health
Focus on entrepreneurship and development processes
Joint research programme with 3 perspectives:
Technology, Organisation and Learning

4. Development processes in SMEs and SME-networks
Three perspectives
Technology Organisation Learning
Three technology domains (computer and mechanical)
Product life cycle Network life cycle Knowledge supply
Network formation
Matching skills Regional linkage Interregional linkage
Web infrastructure University networks Student teams
Some practical cases

5. Three ICT-technology domains ¤ Product life cycle ¤ Knowledge supply ¤ Network life cycle
ICT Technology Team
Jönköping University (Computing & Mechanical)
Fraunhofer ISST, Berlin
Computas, Oslo
SPIIRAS, St Petersburg
Universidad Complutense Madrid

6. Product life cycle Product Design Market Requirements Production
Planning
CRM
CAD
CAM
SCM
ERP
MIS
After
Sales
Logistics
Sales &
Fulfillment
Manufacturing
Distribution
specialised solutions for SMEs
integration of different systems
integration of modeling, execution
integration of business strategy, corporate knowledge and IT infrastructure

7. Knowledge Supply in SME-Networks
Supplier A
Supplier C
Co-operation
Process
Customer
Manufacturer
Supplier D
complex co-operation process
need for optimized knowledge supply
intransparency w.r.t. knowledge sources
no common language
Supplier B

8. Knowledge Sources in SMEs
Personal competences of the employees
Corporate competences of the enterprise
Electronically stored comptence objects:
Documents (design rules, reports)
CAD drawings
Simulation routines
Requirement specifications
Etc.

9. Research: Lifecycle of SME networks
Community
Building
Matching skills
Regional linkage
Interregional linkage
Formation
Community
Dissolvement
Integration
Dis-
continuation
Operation

10. Network Formation web support
Structure of products/services
Matching
Structure of competences/skills
Negociation
Gap analysis
Learning
Formation

11. The host company concept
¤ Combining theory and practice The students have during the first study years a host company where the students combine theory and practice in small curriculum related studies
¤ All students are given a host company The students can choose from about 500 host companies and the study project are related to the companies business and industrial processes
¤ A springboard to employment The sequence host >diploma work>employment is common. Emloyment of engineers in SMEs is facilitated.
¤ Strong links between university and regional industry The university has a good contact and knowledge of the regional industry. Students convey knowledge to SMEsbbb

12. Year 1 Year 2 8 universities EU & Latin America Hand- book package
Selection students
SWMulti
8 universities
EU & Latin America
Start of student project
Information to
SME’s
SME-selection
Student admin
Student-SME interviews
SME Data base
1 SME at UNI 1
1 SME at UNI 2
2 students from UNI 1
2 students from UNI 2
Selection students
SWMulti
Linking SME’s and students from UNI 1 & 2
Information to
SME’s
Student admin
Student-SME interviews
Start of student project
Hand-
book
package
SME Database

13. Pulp Process Paper Mainten. Saw-mill Component Process Component
Value chain
Pulp
Process
Paper
Plantation
Mainten.
Harvest
Saw-mill
Process
Component
Board
Process
Component

14. Some practical cases
¤ ALFA project SME-chains Student exchange projects between SMEs in Chile and SMEs in Germany, Spain and Sweden. 1 with Germany, 2 with Spain and 4 with Sweden. Projects are formulated as diploma works, but have potential to lead to continued cooperation.
¤ Chambers of Commerce Jönköping – Montevideo Student exchange based on cooperation between two Chamber of Commerce and two e-learning SMEs. The concept starts from a Swedish educational programme to promote e-business in SMEs and to transfer some of the concept to Uruguay, in particular industries involved in export.
¤ Antioquia Wood Cluster in Colombia The project is financed by SIDA the Swedish Aid Agency. A survey of regional value chain including R&D and education, on a web-portal supports interregional linkage. Starting from reforestation plans of the Antioquia wood cluster consequencies on further processing and logistics are considered

15. Observations
The SME interest in the exchange depends on possible benefits of establishing commercial relations and the capacity to receive students.
The matching of SMEs is supported by web-tools and an exellent tool for awareness, but finally the mediating of the university coordinators close the deal.
Economically weak regions have a stronger interest to establish relations with strong regions and vice versa. An advantage if SME on one side is rather large.
Between economically unequal regions an institutional and funded cooperation between regions is better, e.g Chambers of Commerce or AID organisations.
It is easy to motivate students from idealistic reasons and for valuable international experience, at the same time meeting requirements from students and participating universities on valid diploma works for the students.
The possibilities to find interested SME exchange partners reflects the situation in different countries.

16. Future plans
Basic R&D in the areas of common terminologies and ontologies, database structuring and search based on value chain, links to project planning and management based on Logical Framework.
University student and diploma work exchange based on interregional industrial cooperation especially as regards SME’s and SME-networks.
Concepts for promoting less developed regions through interregional cooperation and provide new planning tools for International Aid Agencies. Of special importance is the role of SMEs in the integration of the economies of the 10 new EU member states

17. Value chain (t1) Value chain (t2)
“Value chain” – “Time” diagrams
Value chain (to) 1
Value chain (t1) 2
Value chain (t2) 3
Value chain (t3) 4
Effects from
Requirements on
major investments in the supply chain
technology trends and changes
infrastructure changes
competition and market