Work Organisation and Innovation

[Excerpt] Innovations in work organisation have the potential to optimise production processes in companies and improve employees’ overall experience of work. This report explores the links between innovations in work organisation – under the broader label of high performance work practices (HPWPs) – and the potential benefits for both employees and organisations. It draws on empirical evidence from case studies carried out in 13 Member States of the European Union where workplace innovations have resulted in positive outcomes

East Midlands food & drink sector strategy

The food & drink sector is one of four priority sectors identified in the regional economic strategy, A Flourishing Region. This document sets out a strategy for maximising the contribution of the food & drink sector to the economic development of the East Midlands

The implementation of Lean Six Sigma for operational excellence in digital emerging technology companies

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to develop a better understanding of the hurdles in implementing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) for operational excellence in digital emerging technology companies. Design: We have conducted case studies of LSS implementations in six United States based companies in the digital emerging technology industry. Findings: Critical success factors (CSF) for LSS implementations in digital emerging technology companies are: (1) organizational leadership that is engaged to the implementation, (2) LSS methodology that is rebranded to fit existing shared values in the organization, (3) restructuring of the traditional LSS training program to include a more incremental, prioritized, on-the-job training approach, and (4) a modified LSS project execution methodology that includes (a) condensing the phases and tools applied in LSS projects, and (b) adopting more iterative project management methods compared to the standard phased LSS project approach. Implications: Implications comprise the awareness and knowledge of critical success factors and LSS methodology modifications specifically relevant for digital emerging technology companies or companies that share similarities in terms of focus on product development, innovation and growth, such as R&D departments in high-tech manufacturing companies. Limitations: The qualitative nature of our analysis and the geographic coverage of our sample limits the generalizability of our findings. Originality: Research on industry specific enablers for successful LSS implementation in the digital emerging technology industry is virtually absent. Our research informs practitioners on how to implement LSS in this and alike industries, and points to aspects of such implementations that are worthy of further attention from the academic community

Project Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Beer production project

El objetivo de este documento es encontrar soluciones a los problemas de gestión de proyectos que surgen como consecuencia de la cuarta revolución industrial, que está cambiando la industria tal y como la conocemos y nos sitúa en un punto crítico de adaptación a una nueva realidad que traerá consigo grandes oportunidades y también grandes riesgos. Además, la gestión de los nuevos proyectos 4.0 supondrá un reto de comunicación entre expertos en tecnologías y lenguajes informáticos muy diferentes, por lo que este documento destaca los elementos a tener en cuenta en la revolución tecnológica y estudia cómo gestionar un proyecto en una Smart factory.The aim of this document is to find solutions to the project management problems that arise as a result of the fourth industrial revolution, which is changing industry as we know it and places us at a critical point of adaptation to a new reality that will bring great opportunities as well as great risks. In addition, the management of new 4.0 projects will pose a challenge for communication between experts in very different technologies and computer languages, which is why this document highlights the elements to be taken into account in the technological revolution and studies how to manage a project in a Smart factory.Hochschule Albstadt-SigmaringenGrado en Ingeniería en Organización Industria

Collaborative improvement as an inspiration for supply chain collaboration

The battlefield of competition is today moving from the level of\ud individual firms to the one of the extended enterprises, that is, networks of customers and their suppliers. This paper discusses how learning and continuous improvement today take place in processes based on daily collaboration at intercompany level, i.e. Extended Manufacturing Enterprises (EMEs). The purpose of the paper is to present a preliminary theory on Collaborative Improvement (CoI), i.e. continuous improvement at the EME level. Based on a literature review on Supply Networks, and Continuous Improvement and on evidence from two explorative case studies, the paper proposes a model for Collaborative Improvement in EMEs and discusses a research approach based on Action Research and Action Learning to further develop preliminary theory and actionable knowledge on how to foster and sustain CoI in EMEs

Optimizing Innovation with the Lean and Digitize Innovation Process

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Lean product development: nothing new under the sun?

The concept of lean product development has attracted the attention of many scholars since its inception in the 1990s derived from practices at Toyota Motor Company. Key to this approach to new product development (NPD) are a few methods derived from lean production as well as longer established practices such as concurrent engineering. This makes one wonder whether lean product development is a new practice, a new method or an encapsulation of already existing methods at the time; this quest for the roots and tenets of lean product development, also in comparison with other methods for NPD, is the focus of this paper. This journey takes this propositional paper not only to the roots of lean product development and the context of its era of conception, but also to what this concept adds to other extant methods for NPD. In particular, this comparison draws out that other methods are trying to achieve the same objectives: the creation of products and services with value to the customer, the reduction of time-to-market and the efficient use of resources. This inference implies that managers of new product (and service) development can choose from a wider pallet of methods and approaches to enhance the performance of R&D and to connect better to manufacturing (including supply chains). Inevitably, this has implications for research on (lean) product and service development; hence, this paper sets out a research agenda based on the deliberations and gaps that have been uncovered in the discourse

The link between the diversity of productive models and the variety of capitalisms

Prepared within the framework of the ESEMK project supported by the EU (FP6, Priority 7, CIT-CT-2004-506077 The European Socio-Economic Models of a Knowledge-based society), this paper discusses the linking between the variety of capitalism and the diversity of organisational forms for firms. This linking is illustrated through the case of the car industry. First part presents the works based on the hypothesis of an institutional isomorphism between the macro-level and the organisation. Second part tries to link analytical grids which integrate the diversity of institutional forms at the macro, meso and micro-levels.car industry, institution, institutional isomorphism, organisation of the firm, productive models, sector, variety of capitalism

Key enabling technologies, methodologies, frameworks, tools and techniques of smart and sustainable systems

For manufacturing systems, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is currently considered a big challenge and is closely related to intelligent manufacturing or production, alongside a more or less wide set of technologies, methodologies, frameworks, tools and techniques. I4.0 encompasses a diversity of approaches to enable the progress of production systems, resulting in shortened production times, production efficiencies, product quality, customization and flexibility of performance. Due to the general awareness about the importance of enabling intelligent manufacturing alongside sustainable production, sustainability is gaining renewed importance. Due to the importance of the theme, there is a need for an updated review of the main enabling approaches of I4.0 for sustainable manufacturing systems. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted considering the research question: Is there increased attention being given to sustainability issues nowadays in Industry 4.0? Through this work, it was possible to verify the main I4.0 and sustainability pillars considered in academia, which for I4.0 are the integration of horizontal and vertical systems, with 94% of the relevant articles mentioning this pillar. The additive manufacturing and 3D printing was refered in 56% of the relevant articles, and for sustainability, the economic pillar was mentioned with 95%, being the main one, with a large difference from other factors.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020