Twenty years performance of Volkswagen’s Truck and Bus modular consortium

Abstract

Abstract: This article analyzes the performance of the modular consortium installed in the truck and bus factory of Volkswagen in the city of Resende, Rio de Janeiro, in its first 20 years of operation. For that purpose we formulated a multidimensional performance analysis model, composed of indicators of the various aspects of the company and the main economic and market factors, covering the period 1990-2014. The model was based on aspects of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Political, Economic, Sociocultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) models. While the BSC guided the choice of the internal performance indicators, the PESTEL oriented the selection of the economic factors that affected the company’s performance. The main characteristics of modular consortiums, taken from the scientific literature, were used to analyze the arrangement’s performance, along with on-site observation at the plant. The results were obtained by examining the company’s indicators during the period studied, taking into consideration the influence of historical factors and the main aspects of modular consortiums. The Volkswagen modular consortium was in general resilient to the economic variations in the period, and facilitated expansion of the company’s product portfolio, contributing to leadership in the truck market.