Phinma Case Study

LASTIMOSO, LOVELY MAE V.                                                  February 22, 2018

BSIE-5                                                                           SPECIAL TOPICS

“PHINMA”

1. Assess PHINMA’s mastery of the cement technology. How does a firm “master” the technology in the industry?

Based on the case, PHINMA's basic technology for cement manufacturing is old, although technical advances have already been instituted. I think PHINMA’s mastery in cement technology is far beyond other countries. PHINMA does fabricate parts from imported equipment with the help of local companies but according to them even though local companies could design and engineer the equipment it will take time to fabricate the parts within an acceptable lead times, cost, and engineering tolerances.

A firm master the technology in the industry by the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler and more efficient. To master the technology in the industry, the company must think outside the box to create and apply more efficient manufacturing and production techniques.

Therefore, a firm master its technology in the industry through not just having all the materials needed in processes and fabricating materials but also the resources (e.g. financial, prototypes) which are already planned ahead of time.

1. Will mastery of cement technology really enable PHINMA to compete effectively against Filipino, Korean, and other foreign competitors? How?

YES, because PHINMA is having continuous improvement a Japanese method towards improving products, services or processes. Aside from this different technique, most of the managerial positions in PHINMA are likely to be engineers which does have technical backgrounds on at least all the technical aspects of a cement plant operations. Managers that are engineers will have a huge impact in the decision making into this kind of industry since, engineers are trained to fulfill objectives and requirements while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, and cost. PHINMA also, invested in keeping its engineers up-to-date in cement related technologies by inviting foreign technical consultants and sending its engineers abroad to study or attend conferences of equipment manufacturers who do equipment R&D. The mastery of cement technology really enables PHINMA to compete effectively against local and foreign countries like Korean companies it is because Korean plants will cost more than PHINMA because of inflation. Thus, mastery of technology PHINMA will help them to be more efficient in their process along with other foreign cement industries which they could compete.