A global necessity

Wondering if your company is going to be global or not is not an option today as the world has opened up and brought in a greater potential for reward, but also stronger competition, said Ravi Uppal, president of global markets at ABB during this morning’s keynote at 2008 ABB Automation World Conference & Exhibition.
For ABB to gain the greater reward and fend off existing and new competitors, it all comes down to collaboration with partners and end users.
“We have to learn to share with other companies as we move forward,” Uppal said. “For us collaboration is a critical competency. It is not an option.”
“It is not a situation where we develop product and then just hand them over to customers,” he said. Rather, Uppal added, it is about working with end users and other partners to come up with a smart and cost effective solution.
The catch about entering into a collaborative situation is everyone has to be on the same page.
“The entire organization has to be around it,” Uppal said. “It is not about two individuals agreeing to do it.”
One other aspect about a collaborative relationship is to have an open mind. No one solution fits with all end users. Each has their own issues to deal with.