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- Supply chains: Smart cars
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What happens when you bring the best of two famous brands together? What sorts of innovations can emerge, and how is a brand image created for the new product? The Smart car came about as a result of a collaboration between car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and Swatch, the Swiss watch maker. This album examines the innovations behind the Smart car, its supply chain, and its assembly line in Hambach, France, where a finished car is produced every 96 seconds. With its major suppliers situated on the same site, Smart can rapidly assemble a good value customisable car which is both pioneering and appealing. This material forms part of The Open University Course T882 Supply chain innovation, strategy and management.
By: The OpenLearn team (The Open University,)
- Duration 35 mins
- Updated Saturday 5th December 2009
- Posted under Engineering & Technology
Track 1: Supply chains: Smart cars
A short introduction to this album
© The Open University 2009
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Tracks in this podcast:
Track | Title | Description |
---|---|---|
1 | Supply chains: Smart cars | A short introduction to this album Play now Supply chains: Smart cars |
2 | Smart thinking | Introducing the funky customisable Smart car, the result of a partnership between Mercedes and Swatch watches Play now Smart thinking |
3 | Smartville | How the innovations continue at Smart's factory, and how the brand image is built Play now Smartville |
4 | Behind the brand | The radical re-thinking of the car assembly process and its supply chain, along with 12 on site component suppliers Play now Behind the brand |
5 | Innovating the aftermarket | The servicing and selling of Smart cars to customers is also revolutionised, combining the best of Swatch and Mercedes' brand values Play now Innovating the aftermarket |
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Originally published: Saturday, 5th December 2009
Copyright information
- Body text - Content : Copyright The Open University
- Audio/Video tracks: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 The Open University 2009
- Image 'Supply chains: Smart cars' - Copyright: The Open University 2009
- Image 'Google Driverless Car' - By Driving_Google_Self-Driving_Car.jpg: Steve Jurvetsonderivative work: Mariordo - This file was derived from Driving Google Self-Driving Car.jpg:, CC BY 2.0 under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
- Image 'Pontiac Aztek' - Copyright free: Ifcar
- Image 'Tyres in the environment' - Copyright: © | Dreamstime.com
- Image 'Spyker car at test track' - Copyright: The Open University
- Image 'Supply chains: the supermarket' - Copyright: The Open University 2009
- Image 'film can' - Copyright: BBC
- Image 'Benjamin Zephaniah' - Copyright: Production team
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Publication details
-
Originally published: Saturday, 5th December 2009
Copyright information
- Body text - Content: Copyright The Open University
- Audio/Video tracks: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 The Open University 2009
- Image 'Supply chains: Smart cars' - Copyright: The Open University 2009
- Image 'Google Driverless Car' - By Driving_Google_Self-Driving_Car.jpg: Steve Jurvetsonderivative work: Mariordo - This file was derived from Driving Google Self-Driving Car.jpg:, CC BY 2.0 under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
- Image 'Pontiac Aztek' - Copyright free: Ifcar
- Image 'Tyres in the environment' - Copyright: © | Dreamstime.com
- Image 'Spyker car at test track' - Copyright: The Open University
- Image 'Supply chains: the supermarket' - Copyright: The Open University 2009
- Image 'film can' - Copyright: BBC
- Image 'Benjamin Zephaniah' - Copyright: Production team
Other content you may like

Society, Politics & Law
The thorny issue of ‘driverless’ cars
How will the law accommodate changing technology for driverless cars? Who is responsible if the vehicle crashes?
Health, Sports & Psychology
Business Bursts: Supply chain
Business School academics look at different approaches to supply chain, exploring brands such as Mini and WH Smith

Science, Maths & Technology
OpenLearn Live: 22nd October 2015
A car which warns against innovating for the sake of it; the rise of Bernie Sanders; then more free learning through the day.

Science, Maths & Technology
Here's how we can save the car – and the planet at the same time
Alexandre Rodrigues discusses how we can balance saving our most popular form of transportation and the planet we live on at the same time.

Money & Business
Spyker's hand-crafted sports cars: a branding and marketing challenge
Passion and emotion are two brand qualities Spyker wants to convey. But does the brand have enough recognition compared to its rivals?

Science, Maths & Technology
Supply chains: the supermarket
How does a large supermarket chain expand into new markets? How does it adapt to new cultural values and consumer preferences? This album tells the story of leading UK retailer Tesco, which has increasingly become an international player in markets such as South-East Asia and Eastern Europe. The company gains global reach by forming strategic partnerships and adapting to distinct cultural traditions and preferences. Examples from Korea, Hungary and Thailand illustrate how the management and impact of supply chains presents fundamental organisational challenges. This material forms part of The Open University course T882 Supply chain innovation, strategy and management.

TV, Radio & Events
OU on the BBC: Nation On Film - Selling Cars
A story of how film sold the car before the days of television advertising, part of the BBC/OU's series Nation on Film.
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