Using ERP as a basis for Enterprise application integration

Architecting and implementing e-Business supply chain solutions across and within the modern day enterprise, is now becoming a necessity in order to maintain competitive and be adaptable to market needs. As such, the integration of information and processes is a vital step, using technologies such as using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and enterprise portal platforms. The effective sharing of resource planning and other enterprise related data across and within the enterprise is typically seen as a facet of a business to business (B2B) platform. However, such infrastructures typically involve a tight integration across intra and inter-organisational systems. This paper examines an Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) initiative taken by a global manufacturer of industrial automation products, which attempted to utilise ERP as an integration tool across its internal B2B infrastructure, to achieve such an aim. This paper discusses those integration considerations and complexities, experienced by the case company upon embarking on an EAI integration programme through the adoption of a core ERP as a catalyst for organizational change. In doing so the authors present an analysis of the inherent risks and limitations of this approach in terms of previously published literature in the field, relating to technology-driven organizational change and EAI impact and adoption frameworks

An experience of modularity through design

We aim to utilise the experiences of a marine industry-based design team to determine the need for research into a modular design methodology in an industrial environment. In order to achieve this we couple the outcome of a current design project with the findings of a recent literature survey with the objectives of firstly, clarifying why a methodology is required and, secondly, defining the key elements which the methodology would have to realise or address. The potential benefits of modularity have long been recognised in the shipbuilding industry. Many shipbuilders adopt a 'module' approach to ship construction whereby the ship structure is separated into a number of large structural 'blocks' to ease manufacture and manoeuvrability during construction. However, as understanding of the capabilities of modularity as a design tool develops there is increased interest in capitalising on the differing life phase benefits of modularity such as reduced design costs and time, increased ease of maintenance, upgrade, re-use, redesign and standardisation across individual products and product families. This is especially pertinent in naval shipbuilding where the maintenance of a class of ship requires that all previously designed ships in that class must be of similar outfitting and must be able to interface with the new ship, in terms of propulsion, weapons, communications and electronics, and thus often require some form of retrofit. Therefore, many shipbuilders are moving from viewing modularity as a purely 'manufacturing' principle to a design centred principle. However, as noted by Chang and Ward 'none of the design theories or tools in the mechanical world serves as an articulate procedure for designers to follow in practising modular design'. Thus, despite the identification of a need to introduce modular principles at an earlier stage than detail design and construction, there is little aid in the form of tools, techniques and methodologies for designers in practice

Supporting 'design for reuse' with modular design

Engineering design reuse refers to the utilization of any knowledge gained from the design activity to support future design. As such, engineering design reuse approaches are concerned with the support, exploration, and enhancement of design knowledge prior, during, and after a design activity. Modular design is a product structuring principle whereby products are developed with distinct modules for rapid product development, efficient upgrades, and possible reuse (of the physical modules). The benefits of modular design center on a greater capacity for structuring component parts to better manage the relation between market requirements and the designed product. This study explores the capabilities of modular design principles to provide improved support for the engineering design reuse concept. The correlations between modular design and 'reuse' are highlighted, with the aim of identifying its potential to aid the little-supported process of design for reuse. In fulfilment of this objective the authors not only identify the requirements of design for reuse, but also propose how modular design principles can be extended to support design for reuse

Work Organisation and Innovation - Case Study: LHT, Germany

[Excerpt] Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) provides aircraft-related technical services to a worldwide customer base comprising airlines, aircraft leasing companies, maintenance organisations, and operators of business and VIP aircrafts. Besides the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services that form the organisation’s core business, activities also include development and production activities, as well as logistics

Final report on the VEGINECO project

Vegetable farming systems in Europe, Final report on the VEGINECO project

Integrating BIM and Planning Software for Health and Safety Site Induction

Project management software packages have been around for quite a long time to help managers to run construction projects effectively. Building Information Modelling – also known as Object-orientated Modelling technology was used at the beginning in architectural design which has become more widespread in structural and services engineering. The development of BIM modelling has made the tool more users friendly. As a result, BIM became widely used by most practitioners in their specialist areas. For health and safety practitioners within construction project management, This tool has not been fully explored. BIM technology has the potential to be used in safety planning procedures particularly those related to tasks on construction sites. The section of the research presented in this paper intend to explore and review health and safety issues on construction site with the sole intension of using better visualisation software to meet the needs of health and safety site practitioners in understanding such H&S problems. A framework needed for better H&S practice on site that may be used actively by all practitioners will be developed. The intension is to find a way forward in addressing ‘real’ health and safety site issues that may not be easy to be understood by practitioners without the full aid of visualisation. Keywords: Health, Safety, construction site, BIM, 4D Modellin

Towards an ontology-based platform-independent framework for developing KBE systems in the aerospace industry

Aerospace engineering is considered to be one of the most complex and advanced branches of engineering. The use of knowledge based engineering (KBE) technologies has played a major role in automating routine design activities in view of supporting the cost-effective and timely development of a product. However, technologies employed within KBE systems are usually platform-specific. The nature of these platform-specific models has significantly limited knowledge abstraction and reusability in KBE systems. This research paper presents a novel approach that illustrates the use of platform-independent knowledge models for the development of KBE systems in the aerospace industry. The use of semantic technologies through the definition of generic-purposed ontologies has been employed to support the notion of independent knowledge models that strengthens knowledge reusability in KBE systems. This approach has been validated qualitatively through experts’ opinion and its benefit realised in the abstraction, reusability and maintainability of KBE systems