A reference model for extended enterprise

In today's highly competitive, volatile and increasingly global manufacturing environment, manufacturing companies are increasingly aware of the need for agility and effectiveness at the supply-chain level, rather than simply at company level. Business Process Re-engineering and the resulting emphasis on core competence has influenced a move towards de-centralisation, flatter organisation structures and increased use of "outsourcing". It has been said that it is now supply-chain versus supply-chain and that this poses both opportunity and threat for SMEs. While some work has been done in relation to developing the concept of integrated supply-chains, relatively little has been published with respect to the concept of "Extended Enterprise (EE)", the "highest' 'level of inter-enterprise integration. This thesis provides a thorough review of literature with respect to supply-chain integration and Extended Enterprise. Current practice is evaluated on the basis of the literature review and an analysis of a questionnaire and some Case Study companies. A detailed description of Extended Enterprise is provided and a conceptual reference model is developed, with the aim of providing a strategic planning tool, which will help organisations to identify the extent to which they operate as part of an EE. The model is intended also to help organisations in their evolution towards more effective operation within EE. One of the key characteristics/enablers of EE is stated as the existence of an organisational structure, which supports the effective identification, rationalisation and deployment of core competence within an EE. An approach based upon the concept of a "Process Breakdown Structure" is introduced and is evaluated in the context of a Case Study Company

Inter Enterprise Framework for Hierarchical Decisions

Due to the condition of the current global environment, organizations have to compete not only with single companies, but also with Supply Chains (SC) or Collaborative Networks (CN). In this sense, companies that make up this kind of organizations have to integrate their processes and must collaborate with each other in order to be competitive. To achieve this goal, companies have to deal with collaborative decision-making processes, which in this context are more complex than in a single organization. Some of these collaborative networks have a hierarchical structure, which means that each level in the structure has a different role in the decision-making process. Enterprise Engineering through Enterprise Architecture (EA) can be used by enterprises to facilitate the integration of all elements and to analyse the complex hierarchical decision processes. Therefore, in order to understand the decision-making process in a hierarchical inter enterprise context using Enterprise Architecture concepts, this paper proposes a framework for inter-enterprise architecture for supporting Hierarchical Decision.This research has been carried out in the framework of the project “Sistema de ayuda a la toma de decisiones ante decisiones no programadas en la planificación jerárquica de la producción (ADENPRO-PJP)” Ref. SP20120703 funded by the Vicerrectorado de Investigación de la Universitat Politècnica de València.)Vargas, A.; Boza García, A.; Cuenca, L.; Ortiz Bas, Á. (2013). Inter Enterprise Framework for Hierarchical Decisions. En Industrial Engineering and Complexity Management. Grupo INSISOC. 594-602. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/78101S59460

Eco Global Evaluation: Cross Benefits of Economic and Ecological Evaluation

This paper highlights the complementarities of cost and environmental evaluation in a sustainable approach. Starting with the needs and limits for whole product lifecycle evaluation, this paper begins with the modeling, data capture and performance indicator aspects. In a second step, the information issue, regarding the whole lifecycle of the product is addressed. In order to go further than the economical evaluations/assessment, the value concept (for a product or a service) is discussed. Value could combine functional requirements, cost objectives and environmental impact. Finally, knowledge issues which address the complexity of integrating multi-disciplinary expertise to the whole lifecycle of a product are discussing.EcoSD NetworkEcoSD networ

Integrating information and knowledge for enterprise innovation

It has widely been accepted that enterprise integration, can be a source of socio-technical and cultural problems within organisations wishing to provide a focussed end-to-end business service. This can cause possible “straitjacketing” of business process architectures, thus suppressing responsive business re-engineering and competitive advantage for some companies. Accordingly, the current typology and emergent forms of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) technologies are set in the context of understanding information and knowledge integration philosophies. As such, key influences and trends in emerging IS integration choices, for end-to-end, cost-effective and flexible knowledge integration, are examined. As touch points across and outside organisations proliferate, via work-flow and relationship management-driven value innovation, aspects of knowledge refinement and knowledge integration pose challenges to maximising the potential of innovation and sustainable success, within enterprises. This is in terms of the increasing propensity for data fragmentation and the lack of effective information management, in the light of information overload. Furthermore, the nature of IS mediation which is inherent within decision making and workflow-based business processes, provides the basis for evaluation of the effects of information and knowledge integration. Hence, the authors propose a conceptual, holistic evaluation framework which encompasses these ideas. It is thus argued that such trends, and their implications regarding enterprise IS integration to engender sustainable competitive advantage, require fundamental re-thinking

Enterprise model verification and validation : an approach

This article presents a verification and validation approach which is used here in order to complete the classical tool box the industrial user may utilize in enterprise modeling and integration domain. This approach, which has been defined independently from any application domain is based on several formal concepts and tools presented in this paper. These concepts are property concepts, property reference matrix, properties graphs, enterprise modeling domain ontology, conceptual graphs and formal reasoning mechanisms

Integration of decision support systems to improve decision support performance

Decision support system (DSS) is a well-established research and development area. Traditional isolated, stand-alone DSS has been recently facing new challenges. In order to improve the performance of DSS to meet the challenges, research has been actively carried out to develop integrated decision support systems (IDSS). This paper reviews the current research efforts with regard to the development of IDSS. The focus of the paper is on the integration aspect for IDSS through multiple perspectives, and the technologies that support this integration. More than 100 papers and software systems are discussed. Current research efforts and the development status of IDSS are explained, compared and classified. In addition, future trends and challenges in integration are outlined. The paper concludes that by addressing integration, better support will be provided to decision makers, with the expectation of both better decisions and improved decision making processes

Applying model-driven paradigm: CALIPSOneo experience

Model-Driven Engineering paradigm is being used by the research community in the last years, obtaining suitable results. However, there are few practical experiences in the enterprise field. This paper presents the use of this paradigm in an aeronautical PLM project named CALIPSOneo currently under development in Airbus. In this context, NDT methodology was adapted as methodology in order to be used by the development team. The paper presents this process and the results that we are getting from the project. Besides, some relevant learned lessons from the trenches are concluded.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2010-20057-C03-02Junta de Andalucía TIC-578

The impact of management on creativity and knowledge transfer in an academic virtual enterprise

In a competitive knowledge-based environment the role of creativity in new product development (NPD) has increased. The university as the provider of scientific and technological knowledge has become a key player in NPD, as a supplier of knowledge and human capital and as the physical space for new enterprises. The boundaries between science and technology, university and industry are in flux. This article therefore examines the environmental, strategic and organizational factors influencing innovation in NPD process on an example of an Academic Virtual Enterprise (AVE) that was applied in a design course called European Global Product Realization. AVE represents a creative working environment for students, where they act as real professionals in solving a real-life design problem