2 research outputs found
Business strategy driven IT systems for engineer-to-order and make-to-order manufacturing enterprises
This thesis reports research into the specification and implementation of an Information
Technology (IT) Route Map. The purpose of the Route Map is to enable rapid design
and deployment of IT solutions capable of semi-automating business processes in a
manufacturing enterprise. The Map helps structure transition processes involved in
“identification of key business strategies and design of business processes” and “choice
of enterprise systems and supporting implementation techniques”. Common limitations
of current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are observed and incorporated
as Route Map implications and constraints.
Scope of investigation is targeted at Small to Medium Sized Enterprises
(SMEs) that employ Engineer-To-Order (ETO) and Make-To-Order (MTO) business
processes. However, a feature of the Route Map is that it takes into account
contemporary business concerns related to “globalisation”, “mergers and acquisitions”
and “typical resource constraint problems of SMEs”.
In the course of the research a “Business Strategy Driven IT System Concept”
was conceived and examined. The main purpose of this concept is to promote the
development of agile and innovative business activity in SMEs. The Road Map
encourages strategy driven solutions to be (a) specified based on the use of emerging
enterprise engineering theories and (b) implemented and changed using componentbased
systems design and composition techniques.
Part-evaluation of the applicability and capabilities of the Road Map has been
carried out by conducting industrial survey and case study work. This assesses
requirements of real industrial problems and solutions. The evaluation work has also
been enabled by conducting a pilot implementation of the thesis concepts at the
premises of a partner SME
A manufacturing model to support data-driven applications for design and manufacture
This thesis is primarily concerned with conceptual work on the Manufacturing
Model. The Manufacturing Model is an information model which describes the
manufacturing capability of an enterprise. To achieve general applicability, the
model consists of the entities that are relevant and important for any type of
manufacturing firm, namely: manufacturing resources (e.g. machines, tools,
fixtures, machining cells, operators, etc.), manufacturing processes (e.g. injection
moulding, machining processes, etc.) and manufacturing strategies (e.g. how these
resources and processes are used and organized). The Manufacturing Model is a four
level model based on a de—facto standard (i.e. Factory, Shop, Cell, Station) which
represents the functionality of the manufacturing facility of any firm.
In the course of the research, the concept of data—driven applications has emerged in
response to the need of integrated and flexible computer environments for the
support of design and manufacturing activities. These data—driven applications
require the use of different information models to capture and represent the
company's information and knowledge. One of these information models is the
Manufacturing Model.
The value of this research work is highlighted by the use of two case studies, one
related with the representation of a single machining station, and the other, the
representation of a multi-cellular manufacturing facility of a high performance
company