Sustainable development strategies for product provision and manufacturing approaches

Manufacturing firms are under many pressures both financially and competitive which focus attention on the performance of their manufacturing processes. In this paper the opportunities for improving the environmental impact of products within the constraints of existing manufacturing infrastructure are examined. Approaches which support sustainability in two aspects are proposed, firstly, the provision of products to the users in ways which extend the product life and secondly, manufacturing approaches which reduce resource usage. The provision and manufacture of products in ways that are truly sustainable are inhibited by three issues: firstly, decisions are predominantly made solely from the perspective of the “vendor” (and do not consider the wider perspective); secondly, that generally the scope of business planning is still rooted in production/manufacturing costs (and not consumption costs) and thirdly, the current performance measures (e.g. KPIs) mainly focus on profitability. The rationale for this conference paper is the argument that there is a need to raise the awareness during the earliest stages of business planning that there may be alternative approaches which are more sustainable. The concepts presented here will underpin further research into performance measures which encompass sustainability and resulting business planning implications

Review of Literature and Curricula in Smart Supply Chain & Transportation

This study provides a review of existing smart supply chain management (SCM) literature and current course offerings in order to identify unexplored implications of smart SCM. Specifically, the study focuses on curricula within the state of California to derive potential opportunities for the relevant practitioners in the Bay Area. In addition, the study further extends curriculum review to other well-recognized SCM programs around the U.S. By exploring current relevant course offerings from different academic institutions for higher education (i.e., universities), this research aims to deliver general ideas useful to knowledge practitioners in fields concerning SCM. Finally, the research illustrates a conceptual framework aimed at fostering familiarity with the necessary research topics for the evolving smart SCM

An Ontology for Product-Service Systems

Industries are transforming their business strategy from a product-centric to a more service-centric nature by bundling products and services into integrated solutions to enhance the relationship between their customers. Since Product- Service Systems design research is currently at a rudimentary stage, the development of a robust ontology for this area would be helpful. The advantages of a standardized ontology are that it could help researchers and practitioners to communicate their views without ambiguity and thus encourage the conception and implementation of useful methods and tools. In this paper, an initial structure of a PSS ontology from the design perspective is proposed and evaluated

Towards a lean model for production management of refurbishment projects, VTT Technology: 94

This is the Stage 3 Report for the ApRemodel project, which aims at improving processes for multi-occupancy retrofit by generating a lean model for project delivery. In this respect, a process-driven approach has been adopted to investigate what can be done to improve the way that retrofits projects are delivered. An initial literature review, focused on the management of refurbishment works, revealed that the research on this matter is scarce. There are plenty of studies related to the broad refurbishment area, however only a small number refer to the way that those construction projects are delivered. According to the literature, construction organisations have predominantly used traditional methods for managing the production of refurbishment projects. The problem is that those tools and techniques are not often appropriate to cope with the complex characteristics inherent to construction projects, especially in the case of refurbishments. Moreover, they have often not been based on a clear theoretical foundation. As a result, numerous types of waste have been identified in refurbishment projects such as waiting time, disruptions in performing tasks on site, rework, among others. This has led to unsatisfactory project performance in terms of low productivity, project delays, and cost overrun. The first step towards better production management in refurbishment projects is recognising the complexity of the sector in order to adopt the correct approach to cope with this specific scenario. In this respect, lean construction is identified as an appropriate way to deal with the complexity and uncertainty inherent in refurbishment projects, given that this management philosophy fully integrates the conversion, flow, and value views. This document builds on the findings from the literature review as well as evidence from case studies. Managerial practices based on lean construction principles have presented successful results in the management of complex projects. Case studies available in the literature report the feasibility and usefulness of this theoretical foundation. Moreover, the evidence from these studies show considerable potential for improving the management of refurbishment works. A list of methods, tools, and techniques are identified. This report may be used by construction refurbishment organisations and housing associations as a starting point for improving the efficiency in managing production of refurbishment projects. To this end, partnerships between industry and academia are strongly recommended. 4 Although the usefulness of lean principles in complex projects is already proved, further work is needed to check what practices are best for the respective refurbishment context, as well as identifying enablers and barriers for practical adoption. Furthermore, additional studies would be also necessary to better understand the extent to which the implementation of lean philosophy might influence performance of refurbishment projects. This report should be seen as work in progress with much more to learn, as detailed research work around the sustainable retrofit process in a lean way is further developed

Business models as systemic instruments for the evolution of traditional districts?

This paper aims to explore the potential role of Innovation Intermediaries in the evolution of a traditional cluster toward a service-oriented perspective. In particular, we will highlight the generative function of business models, here as market devices, in stimulating the co- evolution of Intermediary and target firms’ strategies.Business Models, Innovation Intermediaries, Entrepreneurship, Manufacturing, Systemic Instruments

Factors shaping the evolution of electronic documentation systems

The main goal is to prepare the space station technical and managerial structure for likely changes in the creation, capture, transfer, and utilization of knowledge. By anticipating advances, the design of Space Station Project (SSP) information systems can be tailored to facilitate a progression of increasingly sophisticated strategies as the space station evolves. Future generations of advanced information systems will use increases in power to deliver environmentally meaningful, contextually targeted, interconnected data (knowledge). The concept of a Knowledge Base Management System is emerging when the problem is focused on how information systems can perform such a conversion of raw data. Such a system would include traditional management functions for large space databases. Added artificial intelligence features might encompass co-existing knowledge representation schemes; effective control structures for deductive, plausible, and inductive reasoning; means for knowledge acquisition, refinement, and validation; explanation facilities; and dynamic human intervention. The major areas covered include: alternative knowledge representation approaches; advanced user interface capabilities; computer-supported cooperative work; the evolution of information system hardware; standardization, compatibility, and connectivity; and organizational impacts of information intensive environments