Strategic Knowledge Sharing. The Role of Mother Plant in the OMB Valves Case Study

This thesis originates from the experience gained during the internship carried out at Considi S.p.A., a management consulting firm based in Grisignano di Zocco (VI), widely recognized in Italy for its expertise in operational strategy and business performance improvement. During this period, I had the opportunity to actively participate in an organizational transformation project at OMB Valves S.p.A. (Cenate Sotto, BG), an international industrial group specialized in the production of valves for critical applications. The project focused on the structured sharing of knowledge and best practices between the main manufacturing site (Mother Plant) and secondary plants. The first part of the thesis analyzes the theoretical foundations of Lean Production and its adaptation to Engineer to Order firms, along with the Japanese concepts of Yokoten and Mother Plant, with a particular focus on their application in high complexity environments. The concept of the Mother Plant is explored as a strategic lever for knowledge dissemination and process standardization within multi site industrial organizations. The second part presents the OMB Valves case study. The transformation roadmap is examinated, highlighting how the Cenate Plant served as the methodological and operational reference for defining the organizational model transferred to Rescaldina (MI) site. The activities included macro process analysis, the use of lean tools (flow charts, swim lanes, skill matrices) and the definition of standard work practices. The results show how the combination of lean principles, flow based logic and centralized knowledge governance within the Mother-Child Plants can represent an effective strategy for supporting post acquisition operational integration and organizational scalability in complex and global industrial environments.