A Hybrid MCDM Method To Evaluate Supply-Chain Development Strategies

[[abstract]]Global logistics and outsourcing have become an irreversible industrial development trend in today's technology industry. Previous studies differ on supplier selection, supplier development, and supply-chain performance assessment evaluation methods. Research suggests that outsourcing is not only a program of options, but also results in different operating performances based on varying company supply-chain strategies. To build a competitive supply chain, companies must conduct a comprehensive assessment and develop a clear and explicit supply-chain development strategy. This research derives a composite method for assessing supply-chain strategy. A decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method first clarify six major areas of supply-chain strategy assessment, and then draw a network impact-relationship map based on the direction of influence and extent of the impact in each area. An analytic network process then captures the interdependence between the evaluating factors, and identifies the relative weight of these criteria for each major factor in the supply-chain development strategy. Finally, the study develops an effective supply-chain strategy decision-making assessment model to help companies select an optimal strategy. Examining the world's top 4 TFT-LCD factories validates the results of this study.[[notice]]補正完畢[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]SCI[[ispeerreviewed]]Y[[booktype]]紙本[[countrycodes]]PA

TechNews digests: Jan - Nov 2005

TechNews is a technology, news and analysis service aimed at anyone in the education sector keen to stay informed about technology developments, trends and issues. TechNews focuses on emerging technologies and other technology news. TechNews service : digests september 2004 till May 2010 Analysis pieces and News combined publish every 2 to 3 month

Snowboard, Ski, and Skateboard Sensor System Application

The goal of this project was develop a sensor for the commercial market for skiers, snowboarders, and skateboarders that can give them the data such as speed, elevation, pressure, temperature, flex, acceleration, position, and other performance data such as trick characterization. This was done by using a variety of sensors, including a GPS, flex sensors, accelerometer, and others to provide data such as speed, position, position, and temperature. The sensors were placed in an external polycarbonate casing attached to the ski or board by using an adhesive pad on the bottom of the casing. These sensors then transmit the data via a microcontroller to either an LCD screen displaying a simple application or a memory system. The user can then access and analyze this data using Matlab code to interpret its relevancy. Using this system, performance data was recorded to analyze tricks such as spins and jumps

OLEDs AND E-PAPER. Disruptive Potential for the European Display Industry

DG ENTR and JRC/IPTS of the European Commission have launched a series of studies to analyse prospects of success for European ICT industries with respect to emerging technologies. This report concerns display technologies (Organic Light Emitting Diodes and Electronic Paper - or OLEDs and e-paper for short). It assesses whether these technologies could be disruptive, and how well placed EU firms would be to take advantage of this disruption In general, displays are an increasingly important segment of the ICT sector. Since the 1990s and following the introduction of flat panel displays (FPDs), the global display industry has grown dramatically. The market is now (2009) worth about ¿ 100 billion. Geo-politically, the industry is dominated by Asian suppliers, with European companies relegated to a few vertical niches and parts of the value chain (e.g. research, supply of material and equipment). However, a number of new technologies are entering the market, e.g. OLEDs and electronic paper. Such emerging technologies may provide an opportunity for European enterprises to (re-)enter or strengthen their competitive position. OLEDs are composed of polymers that emit light when a current is passed through them. E-paper, on the other hand, is a portable, reusable storage and display medium, typically thin and flexible. Both OLEDs and e-paper have the potential to disrupt the existing displays market, but it is still too soon to say with certainty whether this will occur and when. Success for OLEDs depends on two key technical advances: first, the operating lifetime, and second, the production process. E-paper has a highly disruptive potential since it opens the door to new applications, largely text-based, not just in ICTs but also in consumer goods, pictures and advertising that could use its key properties. It could also displace display technologies that offer text-reading functions in ICT terminals such as tablet notebooks. There are three discrete segments in the OLED value chain where any discontinuity could offer EU firms the opportunity to play a more significant part in the displays sector: (1) original R&D and IPR for devices and for the manufacturing process and material supply/verification; (2) bulk materials for manufacture and glass; and (3) process equipment:. For the e-paper value chain, we can see that the entry of EU suppliers is perhaps possible across more value chain segments than for OLEDs. Apart from the ones mentioned for OLEDs, there are opportunities to enter into complete devices and content provision. In terms of vertical segments, the point of entry in OLED FPDs for Europe is most likely to be in the mass production of smaller FPDs for mobile handsets. In conclusion, OLEDs and e-paper have the potential to disrupt current displays market and in so doing they may enable EU companies to enter at selected points in the value chain to compete with the Asian ICT industry.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

JTEC panel on display technologies in Japan

This report is one in a series of reports that describes research and development efforts in Japan in the area of display technologies. The following are included in this report: flat panel displays (technical findings, liquid crystal display development and production, large flat panel displays (FPD's), electroluminescent displays and plasma panels, infrastructure in Japan's FPD industry, market and projected sales, and new a-Si active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) factory); materials for flat panel displays (liquid crystal materials, and light-emissive display materials); manufacturing and infrastructure of active matrix liquid crystal displays (manufacturing logistics and equipment); passive matrix liquid crystal displays (LCD basics, twisted nematics LCD's, supertwisted nematic LCD's, ferroelectric LCD's, and a comparison of passive matrix LCD technology); active matrix technology (basic active matrix technology, investment environment, amorphous silicon, polysilicon, and commercial products and prototypes); and projection displays (comparison of Japanese and U.S. display research, and technical evaluation of work)

Commercial assessment of roll to roll manufacturing of electronic displays

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-81).The cost of manufacturing electronic displays currently limits the range of applications and markets into which it is currently economically feasible to adopt displays. Roll-to-roll manufacturing has been identified by the display industry as a new and fundamentally different manufacturing paradigm that has the potential to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of a display relative to the conventional approaches used in the industry. This manufacturing cost reduction could have a profound impact on the display industry by not only transforming the display manufacturing infrastructure, but also by permitting electronic displays to penetrate new markets. The purpose of this thesis is to determine how roll-to-roll manufacturing technology could develop and to assess what impact the technology could have on the electronic display manufacturing industry. This work first identifies the material, patterning, and equipment technologies that need to come together in order for roll-to-roll manufacturing to be industrially feasible, and then determines how and if the technology will offer a cost reduction over conventional manufacturing techniques.(cont.) Next, the markets for displays are segmented and analyzed to discern whether niche initial markets exist where roll-to-roll could have a distinctive advantage and gain traction. Competitive technologies such as LCD and modular LED are discussed and it is determined that roll-to-roll displays must compete with LCD technology on the basis of price in the markets in which LCD has incumbency in order to achieve widespread adoption. The display industry structure is analyzed by means of an assessment of the supply chain, intellectual property landscape, financing mechanisms, and business models to understand how partnerships and financial investment risk are salient aspects of the commercialization process. It is concluded that materials cost advantages over current manufacturing approaches and the timing of roll-to-roll technology integration developments relative to the incremental manufacturing cost decreases in competing technologies will ultimately dictate the success of roll-to-roll manufacturing.by Michael Aaron Randolph.M.Eng

Full resolution hologram-like autostereoscopic display

Under this program, Dimension Technologies Inc. (DTI) developed a prototype display that uses a proprietary illumination technique to create autostereoscopic hologram-like full resolution images on an LCD operating at 180 fps. The resulting 3D image possesses a resolution equal to that of the LCD along with properties normally associated with holograms, including change of perspective with observer position and lack of viewing position restrictions. Furthermore, this autostereoscopic technique eliminates the need to wear special glasses to achieve the parallax effect. Under the program a prototype display was developed which demonstrates the hologram-like full resolution concept. To implement such a system, DTI explored various concept designs and enabling technologies required to support those designs. Specifically required were: a parallax illumination system with sufficient brightness and control; an LCD with rapid address and pixel response; and an interface to an image generation system for creation of computer graphics. Of the possible parallax illumination system designs, we chose a design which utilizes an array of fluorescent lamps. This system creates six sets of illumination areas to be imaged behind an LCD. This controlled illumination array is interfaced to a lenticular lens assembly which images the light segments into thin vertical light lines to achieve the parallax effect. This light line formation is the foundation of DTI's autostereoscopic technique. The David Sarnoff Research Center (Sarnoff) was subcontracted to develop an LCD that would operate with a fast scan rate and pixel response. Sarnoff chose a surface mode cell technique and produced the world's first large area pi-cell active matrix TFT LCD. The device provided adequate performance to evaluate five different perspective stereo viewing zones. A Silicon Graphics' Iris Indigo system was used for image generation which allowed for static and dynamic multiple perspective image rendering. During the development of the prototype display, we identified many critical issues associated with implementing such a technology. Testing and evaluation enabled us to prove that this illumination technique provides autostereoscopic 3D multi perspective images with a wide range of view, smooth transition, and flickerless operation given suitable enabling technologies

A Hybrid Multiple Criteria Group Decision-Making Approach for Green Supplier Selection in the TFT-LCD Industry

The awareness of the need for environmental protection is increasing throughout the world. The focuses of green supplier selection are on considering environmental criteria and strengthening the competitiveness of the entire supply chain. The purpose of this study is to develop a green supplier selection procedure for the thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry using polarizer suppliers as an example. First, a decision framework for green supplier selection is developed based on literatures and the supplier audit forms provided by an anonymous flat panel display manufacturer in Taiwan. Then, a hybrid multiple criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method is proposed based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP), entropy, elimination and choice expressing the reality III (ELECTRE III), and the linear assignment method to assist the manufacturer in choosing among four polarizer suppliers. The final ranking results for green supplier selection and different opinions from each department are provided. An improvement report is suggested to enhance suppliers’ performance. For the evaluation procedure, most managers emphasize the importance of current capability and the capability of research and development. Furthermore, we found that the subsidiary supplier should improve quality control competence immediately to be considered as the potential candidate of primary supplier

A triage approach to streamline environmental footprinting : a case study for liquid crystal displays

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-69).Quantitative environmental performance evaluation methods are desired given the growing certification and labeling landscape for consumer goods. Challenges associated with existing methods, such as life cycle assessment (LCA), may be prohibitive for complex goods such as information technology (IT). Conventional LCA is resource-intensive and lacks harmonized guidance for incorporating uncertainty. Current methods to streamline LCA may amplify uncertainty, undermining robustness. Despite high uncertainty, effective and efficient streamlining approaches may be possible. A methodology is proposed to identify high-impact activities within the life cycle of a specific product class for a streamlined assessment with a high degree of inherent uncertainty. First, a screening assessment is performed using Monte Carlo simulations, applying existing activity (materials and processes), impact, and uncertainty data, to identify elements with the most leverage to reduce overall environmental impact uncertainty. This data triage is informed by sensitivity analysis parameters produced by the simulations. Targeted data collection is carried out for key activities until overall uncertainty is reduced to the point where a product classes' impact probability distribution is distinct from others within a specified error rate. In this thesis, we find that triage and prioritization are possible despite high uncertainty. The methodology was applied to the case study of liquid crystal display (LCD) classes, producing a clear hierarchy of data importance to reduce uncertainty of the overall impact result. Specific data collection was only required for a subset of processes and activities (22 out of about 50) to enable discrimination of LCDs with a low error rate (9%). Most of these priority activities relate to manufacturing and use phases. The number of priority activities targeted may be balanced with the level to which they are able to be specified. It was found that ostensible product attributes alone are insufficient to discriminate with low error, even at high levels of specificity. This quantitative streamlining method is ideal for complex products for which there is great uncertainty in data collection and modeling. This application of this method may inform early product design decisions and enable harmonization of standardization efforts.by Melissa Lee Zgola.S.M.in Technology and Polic