Ribe Maskinfabrik A/s – Developing New Business Areas
Initially we will comment on the presenting groups work, and posthumously we will advocate for our own suggestions and ideas.
Question 1.
Methodology remarks.
We find the idea of using the SWOT framework to be very relevant, although we lack the application of the framework, in a more concrete manner.
We find the overall quality of the presentation to be good although there are several points and observations that could be more elaborate and formulated more precisely. The questions are very broad and we would appreciate a more precise focus on the most crucial factors.
Pros:
We agree that the production in China proposes lower costs. What is your view on Rimadans increased and strengthened offerings? Especially the trade off regarding cheap and delayed supply in comparison to quick and higher priced supply.
What is your view on future developments in other countries competitive advantage regarding industrial production solutions and pricing. (E.g. Russia, Africa, etc…) How should Rimadan relate to this and do you see the as a Pro or Con.
When summing up the advantages offered by the proposed business model we would like to have seen a substantiation of why these are either long or short term values. And in extension what are your thoughts on the following ideas:
The increasing availability of small production cells.
Chinese price level increasing
Rimadans position as a first mover
Cons:
What would you suggest is the optimal relationship strategy Rimadan should implement regarding up keeping the well developed relationships in the past and future. Perhaps you can consider the two poles of maintaining all relationships as opposed to exhausting and acquiring new relationships in a cyclical process.
Could the expansion to an international logistics network be seen as a opportunity instead of a con, by this we mean that the more steps and factors involved in the logistics process create more opportunities there are for Rimadan to increase there revenue.
Could you elaborate why you think it will be more difficult for RM to update their knowledge concerning production methods