1,586 research outputs found

    Beginning SAP R/3 Implementation at Geneva Pharmaceuticals

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    Faced with intense competition in the generics drugs industry, eroding margins, and continuous price pressures, Geneva Pharmaceuticals, the North American subsidiary of Novartis International AG, made a bold, multi-million dollar decision to reengineer all its demand and supply processes using the SAP R/3 system. This case describes Geneva\u27s journey through the first two of three phases of R/3 implementation from mid-1997 to mid-2000, and the company\u27s plans for Phase III (scheduled for completion by late-2000). It highlights initial mistakes during this journey, strategies that helped overcome those mistakes, and how R/3 delivered operational efficiencies and competitive advantage under difficult business circumstances. As the case illustrates, ERP implementation is much more than technology change, it also incorporates substantive process and people changes; and without appropriate change management strategies and experienced leadership, ERP projects are likely to fail

    Models, Methods and Tools for Product Service Design

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    This open access book summarizes research being pursued within the Manutelligence project, the goal of which is to help enterprises develop smart, social and flexible products with high value added services. Manutelligence has improved Product and Service Design by developing suitable models and methods, and connecting them through a modular, collaborative and secure ICT Platform. The use of real data collected in real time by Internet of Things (IoT) technologies underpins the design of product-service systems and makes it possible to monitor them throughout their life cycle. Available data allows costs and sustainability issues to be more accurately measured and simulated in the form of Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Analysing data from IoT systems and sharing LCC and LCA information via the ICT Platform can help to accelerate the design of product-service systems, reduce costs and better understand customer needs. Industrial partners involved in Manutelligence provide a clear overview of the project’s outcomes, and demonstrate how its technological solutions can be used to improve the design of product-service systems and the management of product-service life cycles

    The application of knowledge based systems to the abstraction of design and costing rules in bespoke pipe jointing systems

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    This thesis presents the work undertaken in the creation of a knowledge based system aimed at facilitating the design and cost estimation of bespoke pipe jointing systems. An overview of the problem domain is provided and the findings from a literature review on knowledge based systems and applications in manufacturing were used to provide initial guidance to the research. The overall investigation and development process involved the abstraction of design and costing rules from domain experts using a sub-set of the techniques reviewed and the development and implementation of the knowledge based system using an expert system approach, the soft systems methodology (SSM) and the system development lifecycle methodology. Based on the abstracted design and costing rules, the developed system automates the design of pipe jointing systems, and facilitates cost estimation process within third party configuration software. The developed system was validated using two case studies and was shown to provide the required outputs

    Small business innovation research. Abstracts of completed 1987 phase 1 projects

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    Non-proprietary summaries of Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects supported by NASA in the 1987 program year are given. Work in the areas of aeronautical propulsion, aerodynamics, acoustics, aircraft systems, materials and structures, teleoperators and robotics, computer sciences, information systems, spacecraft systems, spacecraft power supplies, spacecraft propulsion, bioastronautics, satellite communication, and space processing are covered

    Task oriented robotics

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    Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE), phase A

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    A rationale to determine which structural experiments are sufficient to verify the design of structures employing Controlled Structures Technology was derived. A survey of proposed NASA missions was undertaken to identify candidate test articles for use in the Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE). The survey revealed that potential test articles could be classified into one of three roles: development, demonstration, and qualification, depending on the maturity of the technology and the mission the structure must fulfill. A set of criteria was derived that allowed determination of which role a potential test article must fulfill. A review of the capabilities and limitations of the STS middeck was conducted. A reference design for the MACE test article was presented. Computing requirements for running typical closed-loop controllers was determined, and various computer configurations were studied. The various components required to manufacture the structure were identified. A management plan was established for the remainder of the program experiment development, flight and ground systems development, and integration to the carrier. Procedures for configuration control, fiscal control, and safety, reliabilty, and quality assurance were developed

    Improved utility and application of probabilistic methods for reliable mechanical design

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    In a modern product development process such as in the automotive and aerospace sectors, extensive analytical and simulation approaches often are used to assess the ability of a design in fulfilling its requirements. Consideration of uncertainty in such situations is critical in ensuring a reliable design is produced. Probabilistic methods facilitate an improved understanding of design performance through characterization of uncertainty in the design parameters. The probabilistic methods developed over the past several decades have a range of capabilities and modes of application, for example, to predict reliability, for optimization, and to perform sensitivity studies, but have yet to be taken up routinely by industry due to a number of reasons. In this paper, issues that have typically inhibited their use or prevented a successful outcome are addressed through a systematic framework for improved utility and successful application of probabilistic designing for mechanical reliability
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