Industrial Management - research and researchers

The research focus of the laboratory lies on projects and the business, industries and sectors around them. We are particularly interested in value creation logics and business models in project-based industries. In connection to this several streams of research can be identified. We look at how industrial companies move from manufacturing towards services and solutions and how they craft their business models to create and capture value from new technologies and services. We also look at how the collaboration between companies can be intensified by means of trust, leadership and business model design so as to reduce uncertainty and increase the total value creation in an industry, and how this can be measured and managed. We typically use an ecosystem lens to the firms and industries we study. We work in a number of sectors but with a special focus on the energy, transportation, and mining.

The time-frame for the research programs within the Laboratory are normally several years, involving one or more companies with financing from both private and public sources.

Master and doctoral theses are an essential part of the research activities. A large part of the research is conducted in cooperation with PBI Research Institute (independent research institute with a co-operation agreement with Åbo Akademi University). The institute provides infrastructure and access for both the post-doctoral personnel and the doctoral students. The research conducted in the institute is cross-disciplinary and doctoral students from other faculties within Åbo Akademi University are part of the research in the institute. The Laboratory of Industrial Management is part of the Graduate School for Industrial Engineering and Management in Finland.

Researchers

Kim Wikström, professor
His and his research groups areas of research and expertise are: 1) value creation and industrial logic and business models (strategies, offering, modularization, integration mechanisms and services) in industrial investments and project-based firms and 2) organizational design (capabilities / competencies, risk and uncertainty, organizational structures) in large projects. His present focus is on boundary-spanning business models including collaboration mechanisms in large industrial investments and systems. He is involved in and managing several international research and development projects involving multinational project firms (Wärtsilä, ABB, Cargotec, Kone, STX and Deltamarin).

Magnus Hellström, Associate Professor(tenure track) within The Sea, docent

Jonas Spohr, Senior Lecturer

Magnus Gustafsson, Research Director, docent

Yiran Chen, Doctoral Student

Ignat Kulkov, Doctoral Student

Karri Mikkonen, Project Manager

Henry Schwartz, Doctoral Student

Viktor Sundholm, Project Manager

Anastasia Tsvetkova, Research Associate, Docent in value creation in business ecosystems

Irina Wahlström, Project Manager