Diversification strategy: an example of the aerospace industry. American company Lockheed Martin ("Lockheed Martin") Production system lockheed martin

Lockheed Martin transnational corporation is the world's leading developer and manufacturer of military aviation and space technology, ballistic missiles, fire control systems, and cyber security elements. The company also provides a wide range of management, engineering, technical, scientific and logistics services.

Description

Lockheed Martin Corporation was formed on March 15, 1995 through the merger of two technology leaders in the United States aerospace industry - Martin Marietta (specialized in the design of satellites and space rockets) and Lockheed Corporation (the main manufacturer of military aircraft in the United States). The small town of Bethesda in the suburbs of Washington was chosen as the headquarters. Key management roles are played by CEO Marilyn Hewson and Vice President Bruce Tanner.

The corporation is engaged in research, design, development, production, integration and support technological systems, products and services. The company operates in four main areas: aeronautics; space; rocketry and fire control systems (FCS); electronics and Information Security.

Other Space Systems programs include:

  • space-based infrared missile early detection system (SBIRS);
  • Advanced Extremely High Defense Satellite Communication System (AEHF);
  • system (GPS III) and others.

LM Space also ensures awareness of the command and special services about the situation in near-earth space, collects and integrates into a single information network intelligence on the ground and airspace, analyzes the data and ensures its secure transfer to the interested authorities.

Electronic, information and global systems

Rotary and Mission Systems (LM RMS) is the Lockheed Martin business segment headquartered in Washington, DC. The RMS segment provides design, manufacturing, service and support for:

  • a range of military and commercial helicopter models;
  • combat systems for the fleet, aviation, air defense;
  • radar complexes;
  • littoral (coastal) warships of the LCS series;
  • unmanned systems and technology;
  • training simulators.

In addition, RMS addresses the cybersecurity needs of government customers.

Lockheed Martin is involved in development programs for the CH-53K heavy helicopter for the United States Marine Corps, the VH-92A transporter, the Aegis Combat System integrated missile defense systems, the LCS ships for operation in shallow water and open ocean, the Hawkeye advanced radar system ... Together with Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, the division produces Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters.

The ambitious project to create compact safe fusion reactors looks truly revolutionary. The company promises to present a finished commercial product in 7-10 years. If this happens (and many scientists doubt it will succeed), the dependence on hydrocarbons and nuclear power plants will be significantly reduced. Harmful emissions will decrease, the ecological situation on the planet will improve.

2012-12-28. A contract was signed for the supply of new spacecraft.
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced a $ 1.93 billion contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems (LM, Sunnyvale, Calif.) To fund the construction of the fifth and sixth spacecraft (SC) AEHF-5 and AEHF-6 ("RKT" No. 46, 2012, p. 2). It is noted that the signed contract will be followed by the conclusion of a series of contracts for the purchase of long-term components for two satellites. According to previous statements by the Ministry of Defense, almost $ 490 million could be spent on components. It is assumed that the total cost of the AEHF-5 and AEHF-6 spacecraft will amount to $ 2.42 billion. The subcontractor for the AEHF program is Northrop Grumman Aerospace Corporation of Redondo Beach, California. She is entrusted with the manufacture of an EPS (Enhanced Polar System) payload. The EPS system will provide high-speed closed-circuit coverage in extreme northern latitudes. The conclusion of a contract for the manufacture of two spacecraft at once indicates that the US Air Force has chosen a strategy of "block purchases", which is expected to help save cash by 20-40%. The acquisition by the Air Force of two spacecraft of the AEHF system at a cost that will not exceed $ 3.1 billion has been approved by Congress. The signing of the contract was planned for the end of January 2013. The total cost of the six AEHF satellites ordered by LM, including ground equipment, is estimated at $ 9 billion. It is believed that the Air Force may revise its closed communications program and carry strategic and tactical payloads (PG) to separate target spacecraft. They are currently installed on one spacecraft of the AEHF model. D. Madden, Director of the Office of Programs for Satellite Military Communications Systems, is in favor of building separate spacecraft for strategic and tactical purposes. He believes that tactical communication equipment should not be installed on spacecraft protected from electromagnetic effects with communication equipment of the highest cryptographic standard, designed to control nuclear forces. In his opinion, tactical communications spacecraft should be less anti-jamming, small in size, less expensive to manufacture, and inexpensive launch vehicles should be used to launch them. It is expected that the issue of GHG disaggregation can be resolved by 2015. Due to the constant improvement of the system, the cost of manufacturing new satellites is increasing. So, the development and manufacture of the AEHF-1 spacecraft was estimated at $ 1.7 billion, the AEHF-2 spacecraft cost $ 2 billion, the cost of manufacturing the third satellite using the technologies already worked out on the first two was only 0.83 billion. The cost of manufacturing the fourth spacecraft increased again to $ 1.7 billion due to the re-ordering of the order for its financing and manufacture. 17 contractors were involved in the work under the AEHF program. They develop various elements, including space and ground segments, cryptographic components, waveforms, terminal device design.

Lockheed Martin's Board of Directors has decided to issue a booklet titled Setting the Standard - corporate code ethics and conduct in business. It emphasizes that ethical behavior requires much more than compliance with laws and regulations. Each employee received this booklet along with a letter that reads:
“Lockheed Martin is committed to addressing the diverse social and cultural dimensions of the environment in which we operate, while striving to establish ethical standards for our operations around the world. Honesty, integrity, respect, trust, responsibility and civic duty must be the hallmarks of our members' conduct. Honesty: truthfulness in all endeavors, honesty and frankness in relations with each other and with customers, suppliers, shareholders, society. Integrity: say what you think, keep what you promise, stand up for what is right. Respect: treat each other with dignity and fairness, respect the demographic diversity of our workforce and the uniqueness of each employee. Trust: Develop confidence in each other through teamwork and open, respectful communication. Responsibility: To speak out fearlessly about problems in the workplace, including violations of laws, regulations and company policies; in case of doubt, seek clarification and help. Civic duty: to abide by the laws of the countries in which we do business, to serve the good of the communities in which we live and work.
We understand how difficult it can be to carry out work duties within the above framework and offer numerous support resources ...
We are proud of our people and the leading role that we play in the development of the world. Thank you for your contribution to developing and maintaining an ethical work environment ... and for helping to set standards. ”7
V international companies the problem of the moral code is compounded by the need to respect human rights. In response to the "sweat squeezing system" used in many textile enterprises, one of the New York public organizations together with a number influential companies has developed a set of world labor standards ( child labour, low wage, hazardous working conditions). The resulting document was named Social Responsibility 8000, or SA 8000. In essence, it is intended to play the same role as the ISO 9000 quality assessment system of the International Organization for Standardization. SA 8000 is the world's first social standard to be audited. It has been introduced, for example, in factories that make clothes for fashion designer Eileen Fisher (annual turnover exceeds $ 100 million). In the process of “social standardization” of her company, E. Fischer prepared suppliers for certification and even paid for the audit of their enterprises. Companies such as Avon and Toys "R" Us followed suit.
Ethical structures. Ethical structures include the various systems, roles and programs through which a company seeks to promote ethical behavior among its employees. A company ethics committee is usually formed by a group of senior management charged with overseeing employee compliance ethical principles and make decisions in case of controversial situations... In addition, the committee is responsible for punishing those who violate ethical rules, which is important if the organization seeks to directly influence the behavior of employees. For example, the Motorola Ethics Committee has the power to interpret and amend key provisions of the Code of Ethics, report changes to employees, and make decisions about violating employees. In addition, many companies, such as Sears, Northup Grumman, and Columbia / HCA Healthcare, have full-time ethics and ethics departments. These departments are headed by the Commissioner, or Director of Ethics, who is one of the top executives of the company, who ensures that the organization's rules of law and ethics are respected. He defines communication standards, oversees ethics training, solves problems and various difficult situations, and advises managers on ethical aspects of decisions. Ten years ago, such a position did not exist in principle, but during this time there have been so many ethical and legal scandals in American companies that today few question the need for an ethics director. There is even an Association of Ethics Directors, whose members are representatives of more than 700 companies (in 1992 there were only 12). Employees can report dubious behavior, possible fraud, losses, unfair treatment of managers and various conflict situations using free confidential " hotline". In addition, they have the opportunity to get personal advice from the representatives of the Association.
To reduce such situations, and the provisions recorded in the moral code exist not only in words, but also in deeds, training programs on ethics are being conducted. All Boeing employees, for example, are required to devote at least one hour a year to such training, and senior managers five hours. At Murray Publishing, employees participate in weekly working ethics workshops. At these seminars, they discuss possible solutions to certain ethical dilemmas and possible actions in the event of a conflict of interest.
However, even the strongest ethical support program does not guarantee employees possible mistakes... Dow Coming, whose problem with imperfect silicone implants rocked the entire business community, was the first (mid-1970s) to develop what was considered an exemplary ethical program. The program involved the creation of an ethics committee, employee courses, periodic reviews, and managers' reports to the committee. What was the mistake? The program took into account only the environment as a whole, and its individual elements, such as product safety, were regulated by standard methods. In the case of Dow Coming, it was about the US National Council of Medicine, in which research work takes a very long time. Dow Coming's troubles have sent signals to many other industries. It is not enough for a company to have an impressive ethics program. It should be present in all daily operations, encouraging workers to make morally correct decisions in any situation.
Ethics and new workplace
Today, many leading companies understand that their performance is measured by more than just financial performance. The problems of ethics, the impact of social events on the economic performance of the company are of concern to both managers and scientists; there is a lively debate around this topic. The most pressing question is whether “diligent behavior” will harm a firm's bottom line, after all, ethical programs cost money. Several studies have been devoted to this problem. The results obtained by scientists are mixed, but they confirm that there is a small but positive relationship between social responsibility and financial performance. For example, the Domini Social Index, developed in 1989, shows that such firms perform as well or more efficiently than “irresponsible” organizations. An analysis of the results of a study by Walker Research suggests that, given equal prices and quality, two-thirds of consumers are willing to switch to the products of an ethical or socially responsible company. While the results of these studies have not yet received adequate confirmation, they demonstrate that the company's funding for ethical issues and development social responsibility does not render negative impact on financial indicators... The management of leading firms realizes that honesty and trust are essential to maintaining a successful, profitable business... For example, the Davenport Works division of the world's largest aluminum producer, Alcoa, uses its own funds to attract students to clean up trash off the Mississippi coast. Student Chad Pregracke named by the Federation wildlife Illinois Environmentalist of the Year, removed 12 tonnes of garbage from the banks of the river, including 92 metal drums, 153 tires, 3 refrigerators, a stove and a TV. By funding the program, Alcoa enhances its reputation as a socially responsible company. In the short term, socially useful activities may be associated with additional costs, but only they are able to establish a relationship of trust between the company and society, which, as you know, cannot be bought for any money. In the end, good deeds are good for the company in one way or another.
In the era of rapid development of e-business, ethical issues sometimes fade into the background: managers and ordinary employees strive to earn the maximum possible money as quickly as possible. However, the most perspicacious leaders

know the results of good old-fashioned honesty. The managers of the newly formed Silicon Valley company CenterBeam, Inc. put honesty at the forefront of their corporate culture and employees now have many stories to tell about how their company keeps its word. In accordance with one of them, one of the applicants for a job in the company received a promise from the management of a worthy job. But shortly thereafter, the company received a resume from an even more promising candidate. At another fast-growing company, the first applicant, despite promises, would have been turned down, but not at CenterBeam. Once a promise is made, it must be kept. Keeping a preliminary promise to one of the company's suppliers cost her several thousand dollars, but the managers kept their word. Both cases ultimately benefited CenterBeam itself, strengthening the credibility of its employees, suppliers, partners and buyers. We will discuss the role that trust plays in the activities of Internet companies in the next chapter.
Changes in working conditions create new ethical issues. Remote access, work in virtual teams, flexible schedule- all this creates conditions for the abuse of freedom by workers. The success of new ways of organizing work will depend on mutual trust. From the point of view of managers, new technologies provide an opportunity to tighten control over personnel (tracking the time an employee enters local area network, using a computer, searching for information on the Internet). A survey conducted by the American Management Association on this topic showed that about 74% of large US firms in one way or another register the activities and communications of their employees in the workplace, and between 1997 and 2000 this figure almost doubled. It is common in most companies to notify employees that they are being monitored, but not all follow this rule. In addition, some managers ethically believe that such total control is not only ineffective in terms of money and time, but in principle is incorrect, since it is an invasion of the employee's personal life.
We've raised some tough questions modern ethics working relationship. The processes of globalization of companies' activities only complicate them. We are confident that strong management support for high standards of ethics and social responsibility will benefit both the companies themselves and society as a whole.
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Unambiguously correct (or incorrect) solution to the dilemma faced pharmaceutical companies apparently does not exist. Protection of intellectual property rights (patents for medicinal products) - their legal right as well as a duty to employees, shareholders and customers. Managers who take a utilitarian approach to ethics will say that protecting patents is most beneficial to as many people as possible, as companies develop new drugs based on the decisions they make. But equity advocates may call this approach unfair to AIDS victims in the world's poorest countries. It should be noted that many pharmaceutical companies are responding to negative media coverage by lowering prices for drugs for AIDS patients from developing countries. Merck, for example, states that it does not knowingly make any profit from the supply of these drugs to developing countries. The leadership of Médecins Sans Frontières welcomed the decision, but noted that for many AIDS patients, the prices of the necessary medicines are still prohibitively high. Most in the public would like to see pharmaceutical companies take on additional responsibility and make AIDS drugs available to all who need them.8
Questions Dr. Martin Luther King said: “As long as there are poor people in the world, I cannot be rich ... the way you want. " Discuss this quote in the context of this chapter. Does it apply to corporations? The Greens advocate the need to enact laws that impose on oil companies in the event of a spill of oil products the obligation to fully compensate for damage to the natural environment, which will deal a serious blow to their financial well-being. Do you think the adoption of such a law will lead to an increase in corporate social responsibility? Compare the advantages and disadvantages of utilitarian and moral and legal approaches to making ethically correct decisions. Which one do you think managers should stick to? Why? Imagine yourself in a situation where you are being asked to "inflate a little" your business expenses. What will influence your decision: your level of moral development or the cultural values ​​of the company you work for? Explain. Do you think it is socially acceptable for the company to conduct its political activities or to establish alliances with other organizations aimed at influencing the authorities? Discuss. In decreasing order of importance, the criteria for assessing the company's social responsibility are arranged in the following order: economic, legal, ethical and assumed obligations. How do they all relate to dealing with ethical dilemmas within companies? What ethical issues are on the agenda now? Name one company problem solving from the standpoint of ethics and social responsibility, and unethical and irresponsible. Do you consider it ethical to collect personal information about visitors to websites without their knowledge? Control over the actions of employees on the Internet? Discuss. What do you think is more effective in developing sustainable ethical behavior in the organization: a code of ethics coupled with training programs or developed ethical leadership? Why? At Lincoln Electric, customers and employees are considered more important stakeholder groups than shareholders. Is it possible for the management to divide the interest groups into more and less important ones? Is it legitimate to treat them as equals?

The industrial revolution is bearing fruit: swords turn into guns, people change from horses to cars, robots start to work in factories, and we are gradually entering the era of high-tech business. The development of the Internet of Things has made it possible to modernize many factories, add automation and deep control of production to them. Environment and efficiency, speed and millions of responsive sensors - these are the priorities of today's large plant owners. We will tell you about them. Here are ten of the most advanced factories and factories in the world.

In 2015, Sheffield opened “one of the most advanced factories in the world,” as the project leaders described it. The Advanced Manufacturing Research Center has partnered with Boeing to unveil Factory 2050, a glass-walled convertible plant at the center of a new advanced campus in Sheffield Business Park at the University of Sheffield. AMRC's Executive Dean, Professor Keith Ridgway, noted that Factory 2050 should be the most high-tech factory in the world.

It will be home to the Integrated Manufacturing Group and will use advanced assembly and manufacturing technologies, advanced robots, flexible automation, next-generation human-machine interfaces, and new programming and learning tools.

The main SpaceX factory, which also houses the company's offices, with an area of ​​50,000 square meters. m. in a three-story building, originally built by Northtop to assemble 747 fuselages. This plant now houses areas for assembling avionics, missiles, capsules, quality control installations, as well as a control center behind a glass wall that monitors and controls the Dragon capsule in flight ... Dragon is the first private spacecraft to orbit Earth and return safe and sound. In one of the most advanced factories in the world, SpaceX is testing various elements of its Falcon 9 rockets, Dragon capsules and Merlin engines.

SpaceX's headquarters, in the Los Angeles suburb, in Hawthorne, where the company assembles its rockets, is in a place with a high concentration of aerospace manufacturers: Boeing, Raytheon, NASA, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumann, AECOM and others are also working here. ... Most notably, SpaceX uses vertical integration and builds almost all of the rocket elements along with software at his plant in Hawthorne.

Tesla

Tesla's factory is one of the most high-tech in the world. At Tesla's factory in Fremont, California, nearly 500,000 sq. m. dedicated to production and offices. Everywhere you look, there are robots that synchronously process cars and produce about 100,000 cars a year. Tesla owner Elon Musk does not particularly like to talk about what is happening behind the closed door of the factory, but time passes, and the world gradually learns about its filling.

Especially surprising is the efficiency and sterile conditions in which Tesla operates. It is in these concentrated and high-tech conditions that the autopilot is being developed based on artificial intelligence, who will independently drive the company's electric vehicles.

Siemens plant in Germany

Modeling, 3D printing, light robots are just a few innovative technologies that are driving the fourth industrial revolution - Industry 4.0. And they are already working at the Siemens electronics factory in Erlangen, Germany. One of the main reasons for the success of this plant is that people and machines work hand in hand.

Manfred Kirchberger, plant manager, says its efficiency is unique: “We manufacture industrial drives and controllers for production equipment. In our customers' factories, numbers often exceed millions. It would be too expensive to manufacture all of this equipment by hand. In addition, customer requirements are changing faster than ever, so production lines must be flexible. "

Permanent and fast adaptation is only possible if work force ready to accept changes in combination with modern technologies.

United Launch Alliance

You don't need to be an engineer to understand how important rockets are to us. More than a thousand satellites are currently working around the Earth, which provide us with navigation, communication, security and Scientific research... The United Launch Alliance - a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed - builds rockets that put satellites into orbit. And it does it efficiently and inexpensively, thanks to the competent management of enterprise resources.

The alliance supports program management, engineering, testing, and mission control from headquarters in Centennial, Colorado. Assembly, assembly and production take place in Decater and Harlingen. Obviously, in order to ensure high quality and high-tech assembly lines, ULA not only uses advanced technology, but also an ERP system.

Lockheed Martin at US Air Force Base Plant 4 in Fort Worth

No list of the coolest factories in the world would be complete without Plant 4. Dozens of next-generation fighters are scattered throughout the facility at various stages of assembly. The latest weapons and high-tech design of aerospace technology are reminiscent of the Second World War. This plant currently produces the F-35, the most advanced fighter in the world. The plant is self-sufficient and assembles and assembles almost independently.

Boeing manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington

Everyone knows that Boeing makes the largest, most reliable and most famous passenger airliners in the world. The place of their assembly is a labyrinth of moving parts and workers, in the center of which a massive frame of one aircraft, known to all "Boeing".

During the Second World War, B-17s were assembled at this plant. In 2005-2009, the Everett facility launched the Future Factory to create a new, enjoyable work area in the main factory building. The goal was to encourage cooperation among people, improve the quality of employees' work and, in general, production efficiency. Approximately 4,000 people moved to 55,700 sq. m. of renovated space in five office buildings. In fact, the Everett plant is the main representative of Boeing in our world.

Intel Fab32 Semiconductor Factory

100,000 sq. m. area and a thousand employees on one floor alone - this is the Intel Fab32 plant in Arizona and at the same time the headquarters of the technology giant. The main floor contains 17,000 sq. m. of clean rooms, in which tens of millions of energy-efficient processors are created.

The most distinctive feature of the plant is not striking. It is assigned a “cleanliness class 10”, which means there are ten or fewer particles of 0.5 microns or less per cubic foot of air (approximately 28 liters). Human hair is about 80 microns thick. For comparison, in operating rooms of hospitals, a cleanliness class of 10,000 is allowed: the air in the Fab32 room is a thousand times cleaner than the air in the operating room. The air outside is class 3 million.

McLaren Technology Center in Walking, UK

In general, this plant is beautiful in itself: it is located on the shore of a lake and resembles a long letter S. The height of the plant was deliberately limited in order to reduce the visual impact of this structure on environment: A person passing by will see trees towering over the top of the building.

The McLaren Group has one goal: to win. And any Formula 1 fan knows that the McLaren team has not only held an excellent share of checkered flags over the past four decades, but also benefited from the company's technological advancements. Such a company simply must have a cool factory.

eBay

The last item on our list is not really a factory. And in general, the very word "factory" has recently lost its ancient meaning - a noisy object, smelling of oil, where powerful, heavy, steel-making pieces of iron are assembled. eBay is working in a slightly different area: trying to understand the principles of buying and selling the millions of goods that pass through its networks every day. It is one of the largest online stores in the world and needs a fast, effective method comb through 50 petabytes of data to separate the wheat from the chaff and highlight real market signals from the noise.

Daily successful analysis of tens of thousands of variables and millions of transactions requires the use of the latest equipment and the most high-tech approaches. If eBay has used Excel charts to classify trends, and then passed them on to teams e-mail, then today there is no need for such complex chains: everything is done by the ERP system. Along with the development of the Internet of Things, the very existence of such objects became possible.

Of course, there are many more amazing factories, factories and manufacturing facilities in our world. But it was impossible to fit them all into a list of ten, so if we undeservedly forgot someone - write in the comments.

 

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