Areas of Research
-
Mergers and Acquisitions of Manufacturing Enterprises
-
Manufacturing Strategies & Planning
-
Implementation of Best Technology Driven Industrial Engineering Practices
-
Best-in-Class ERP Practices
Ph.D. Research of Dr. Vilas B. Shinde
{The thesis was submitted to the University of Mumbai for the award of Ph. D. degree on the title “Mergers and Acquisitions for Value Chain Management in the Framework of Technology Driven Industrial Engineering Practices” in June, 2012 under the guidance & supervision of Dr. Gopakumaran T. Thampi, Principal, Thadomal Sahani College of Engineering, Mumbai, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, at Sardar Patel College of Engineering, Mumbai. Subsequently, the thesis has duly evaluated and examined by the well known senior examiners from the institution of national repute through viva-voce and degree Ph. D. (Technology) in the subject of Mechanical Engineering was awarded.}
Abstract of Thesis
Normalization and synchronization of enabling ICT technology systems are ignored on the eve of on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and is one of the most critical issues to be addressed in contemporary mergers and acquisitions of manufacturing enterprises. Hence, it is essential to study, analyze and normalizes the technology driven industrial engineering practices on M&A prior to and along the execution of transaction. Technology driven industrial engineering practices are the backbone of manufacturing industries that contribute to make the processes and product offer cost and quality arbitrage in the globalized market place and for enhancement of overall efficiency. Technology system normalization on M&A without a plan in place shall result in unexpected bottleneck; escalation of cost in leveraging economy of volume or in increasing the product mix, cause to be slow down, and loss of face with shareholders.
The research aims at investigating the issues in unification / synchronization disparate systems existing in merging manufacturing enterprises. Our investigation also probes about the architectural solutions in the form of middleware. This research also addresses the possibility of designing a template in the form of ready reckoner to identify and normalizes the technology practices of manufacturing enterprises on the process of M&A. The research also enquires about the possibility of radical restructuring (BPR) of business enterprises on mergers and acquisitions. Our investigation shows that the system normalization of technology practices and synchronization of processes on M&A contributes towards the saving of revenue and time. It is also found that big manufacturing enterprises can leverages the market network through Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a force and resource multiplier in the post-merger scenario.
We zeroed on the two most pervasive and effective technology driven industrial engineering practices in the realm of business processes for system normalization on M&A namely enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM). Enterprises might have wasted its competitive advantage by not normalizing various disparate systems of enterprises and greatly harms the value chain performances. It is becoming even more difficult to select the right technology solutions from various ERP vendors in the process of M&A because choices are plenty and complex. The appropriate selection and normalization of technology process elevated towards the enhancement in performance measures of the merged enterprise.
This is the opportune time for the researchers, technology practitioners and engineers to breakout from the natural system normalization mode into articulated modern technology based system normalization on M&A of manufacturing enterprises. The ERP system normalization is the big challenge to the ERP vendors since most of the transaction of M&A of business enterprises have failed due to already having different ERP systems. There is no single ERP vendor at this point of time who is having readymade ERP software for the system normalization of technology processes on M&A of manufacturing enterprises. Therefore, lots of opportunities in focusing our study on normalization of enabling technologies practices on M&A of manufacturing enterprises to enhance the performance of the merged entity and make M&A a successful event.
The study presents the conceptual models and hypothesis for the system normalization. The Operation Oriented Architecture (OOA) of ERP middleware is one of the conceptual models for the complete solution of system normalization on mergers and acquisitions of manufacturing enterprises. The template in the form of ready reckoner is designed for the ready reference of M&A process of manufacturing enterprises with a technocrat’s perspective. The study also presents an impact of articulated system normalization on M&A as successful merged entity and natural system normalization as unsuccessful merged entity through empirical data which was collected from technology practitioners and engineers.
Minor Research in progress (2012-13)
The proposal for minor research was submitted to University of Mumbai by Dr. Vilas B. Shinde, the University has considered the proposal and sanctioned the research grant to carry out the Project. The project entitle “The Investigation of Best-in-Class ERP Practices in Small and Medium Scale Manufacturing and Business Enterprises in Mumbai Region”. The work on this project is in progress. and will be completed by the mid of 2013.
| 
