ADOPTION OF DIGITAL TWIN WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

Digital twins have the potential to support the decision-makers that design, build, operate, and maintain the platforms that the Department of the Navy (DON) relies upon to conduct naval operations. However, the thin body of knowledge on digital twins presents a challenge for the DON as the range of applications and risks associated with onboarding digital twins are still unclear. This thesis conducts a qualitative technology assessment to determine the effects that adopting digital twins has on the DON’s enterprise architecture. Analysis of an enterprise-wide adoption identifies opportunities and risks of digital twins within the context of the DON’s strategy, processes, people, technology, cyber security, and risk management. The business value provided by digital twins is principally dependent upon the aggregate risk value of the physical platform and the fidelity and frequency of the digital twin’s synchronizations.Captain, United States Marine CorpsCaptain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Product lifecycle management and distributor contribution to new product development

After the initial launch of a new product, distributors are frequently among the first to learn about product-related problems through the information they get about how it is perceived and used by customers, and how it might be improved or adapted for broader market coverage. For producers, such information, which has the potential to impact new product development (NPD) activities during the product lifecycle management (PLM) phase that follows launch, can be decisive for ensuring the continued viability of the product in the medium-to-longer term. The goal of this article is to better understand how distributors contribute to producer PLM activities by engaging in product-related information processing. A typology of four distinct scenarios is developed by integrating three conceptual themes: organizational information processing, dynamic capabilities, and task complexity. Each scenario results from the interplay of the distributor’s level (low/high) of capability—specifically, a combination of information coordination and management of inter-organization relations—and of the degree (low/high) of complexity of the product-related problem. The four scenarios are analysed and described in terms of NPD-related information processing. According to the typology, distributors act as ‘problem informers’ (low capability/high complexity), ‘solution advisors’ (low capability/low complexity), ‘solution implementers’ (high capability/low complexity) or ‘solution managers’ (high capability/high complexity). 14 in-depth interviews with distributors and producers in industrial goods provide empirical evidence for the analysis, description and support of each scenario. The article contributes to NPD by shedding light on the role of distributors in terms of incremental innovation in the context of PLM. Developers of new products can use the typology in planning for distributor involvement in PLM activities; distributors can use it to map out their current and future level of engagement in PLM-related activities

Information Management in Product Development Workflows – A Novel Approach on the basis of Pseudonymization of Product Information

AbstractInformation stored in the documentation of a product constitutes in many aspects the intellectual property (IP) of an enterprise. This valuable knowledge, built over years of extensive research and development deserves special attention and protection. Especially the context of distributed product development activities and increased collaborations with external partners puts companies at a growing risk that unauthorized individuals obtain access to this prized capital. In this paper, we present a novel concept for managing and sharing sensitive information in product development processes. Product information is separated and subsequently pseudonymized into independent blocks of data fragments which can be reassembled to specific information levels depending on the requirements of the organization. Thus, a user can be given access to that level of information specifically required to complete the task. The product information itself is only available as unordered data fragments and no longer interpretable even in case of data theft. By doing so, a comprehensive protection against internal and external abuse of sensitive product information can be realized which can easily be combined with existing concepts in the field of information protection

Product portfolio management as part of product lifecycle management for configure-to-order products

Abstract. Product portfolio management (PPM) research has mainly focused on PPM practices by covering the early stage of the lifecycle and not the whole lifecycle of the product. In addition, lifecycle management has been applied to individual products rather than the entire product portfolio. In this thesis, PPM research focuses on both all lifecycle phases and the entire product portfolio rather than only individual products. The research aims to study how configurable products should be arranged in the case company’s future Product lifecycle management (PLM) system. The case company of the thesis is Valmet Flow Control Oy, which delivers flow control technologies and services for different industries. The current Product data management (PDM) system in use is no longer supported and it is seen that the PDM system does not support the company’s needs anymore. Therefore, a new PLM system is needed to cover future demands in the case company. The product portfolio is composed of a product series, which refers to a certain product type and model. This thesis focuses on configure-to-order (CTO) products, which are configured based on customers’ needs with pre-defined specifications. This thesis proposes, how to present product series level object in the PLM system and what kind of product data it contains. The main result of the research is the created product series object in the future PLM system and how to manage product series through their lifecycle in one centralized system with all internal stakeholders. The availability, traceability, and data use are also essential results. Appropriate exploitation of data allows to reveal the most critical information, enabling the management of the whole product portfolio from one PLM system. This kind of procedure creates transparency in the product portfolio.Tuoteportfolion hallinta osana tuotteen elinkaaren hallintaa tilauksesta määritettäville tuotteille. Tiivistelmä. Tuoteportfolion hallinnan (PPM) tutkimukset ovat pääasiassa keskittyneet PPM:n käytäntöihin elinkaaren alkuvaiheessa eikä tuotteen koko elinkaaren hallintaan (PLM). Lisäksi PLM:ää on sovellettu yksittäisten tuotteiden tasolla eikä niinkään koko tuoteportfolion tasolla. Tässä diplomityössä PPM:n tutkimus keskittyy sekä koko tuotteen elinkaaren vaiheisiin että koko tuoteportfolioon yksittäisten tuotteiden sijasta. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on tutkia kuinka konfiguroitavat tuotteet pitäisi järjestellä tulevaan PLM-järjestelmään tapausyrityksessä. Diplomityön tapausyrityksenä on Valmet Flow Control Oy, joka toimittaa virtauksensäätöratkaisuja ja -palveluja eri teollisuudenaloille. Nykyistä käytössä olevaa tuotetiedonhallinta järjestelmää (PDM) ei enää ylläpidetä eikä PDM-järjestelmä tue yrityksen tarpeita enää. Tästä johtuen PLM-järjestelmää tarvitaan, jotta voidaan kattaa tulevaisuuden tarpeet tapausyrityksessä. Tuoteportfolio koostuu tuotesarjoista, joilla viitataan tiettyyn tuotetyyppiin ja malliin. Tämä diplomityö keskittyy tilauksesta määritettäviin tuotteisiin eli konfiguroitaviin tuotteisiin, jossa tuote konfiguroidaan asiakkaan tarpeiden mukaisesti ennalta määrättyjen spesifikaatioiden avulla. Tässä työssä esitetään kuinka tuotesarjatason objekti kuvataan PLM-järjestelmässä ja mitä tuotetietoja sille tarvitaan. Tutkimuken päätuloksena luodaan tuotesarjaobjekti tulevaisuuden PLM-järjestelmään ja tehdään kehitysehdotus siitä, kuinka tuotesarjoja tulisi hallita niiden koko elinkaaren ajan yhdessä järjestelmässä, ja kaikkien sisäisten sidosryhmien kanssa. Tiedon saatavuus, jäljitettävyys sekä hyödyntäminen ovat myös pääasiallisia työn tuloksia. Tiedon oikeanlainen hyödyntäminen mahdollistaa kriittisimmän tiedon esittämisen ja siten mahdollistaa koko tuoteportfolion hallinnan yhdestä PLM-järjestelmästä

Maintaining systems-of-systems fit-for-purpose: a technique exploiting material, energy and information source, sink and bearer analysis

Across many domains, systems suppliers are challenged by the complexity of their systems and the speed at which their systems must be changed in order to meet the needs of customers or the societies which the systems support. Stakeholder needs are ever more complex: appearing, disappearing, changing and interacting faster than solutions able to address them can be instantiated. Similarly, the systems themselves continually change as a result of both external and internal influences, such as damage, changing environment, upgrades, reconfiguration, replacement, etc. In the event of situations unforeseen at design time, personnel (for example maintainers or operators) close to the point of employment may have to modify systems in response to the evolving situation, and to do this in a timely manner so that the system and/or System-of-Systems (SoS: a set of systems that have to interoperate) can achieve their aims. This research was motivated by the problem of designing-in re-configurability to the constituent systems of a SoS to enable the SoS and its systems to effectively and efficiently counter the effects of unforeseen events that adversely affect fitness-for purpose whilst operational. This research shows that a SoS does not achieve or maintain fitness-for-purpose because it cannot implement the correct, timely and complete transfer of Material, Energy and Information (MEI) between its constituents and with its external environment that is necessary to achieve a desired outcome; i.e. the purpose

Purchasing for a Better Future: Sustainable Procurement in the County of Santa Clara

In brief, this study aims to address sustainable procurement in SCC and its Procurement Department (PRC). A multi-varied analysis and discussion of market industries and the vendor community, present SCC policies and programs, and the overarching feasibility and environmental impact of sustainable procurement is provided to assist SCC in meeting its vision of sustainability. Procurement is a dynamic process, and for that reason, requires transformation and strategic decision-making about how to best pursue and achieve long-term sustainability aims and goals through SCC\u27s purchasing vehicles (SCC OOS, 2018c, para. 4). Today, SCC, like many other governments, is grappling with the problems and threats of a weaker economy, a growing income divide, a degraded environment, and a broken economy (Pew Research Center, 2019, p.1). This study can potentially help PRC navigate sustainability as well as guide the department as it joins SCC in its cross-collaborative efforts to prevent and mitigate costs to the social welfare of its constituents via sustainable policies, programs, and practices. Accordingly, the central research question that will direct this study is as follows: Research Question: Do SCC purchasing practices promote sustainability initiatives, support sustainability policies, and leverage sustainability practices employed by its vendor community

Implementation of a product data management system

Abstract. This thesis is made for Haltian Oy with an aim to study what needs to be taken into consideration when implementing a product data management (PDM) system. The goal of the thesis is to provide Haltian the knowledge needed for implementing the system as well as to form recommendations to improve the data flows of the order-delivery process. The research is qualitative by nature, and inductive research methods are used. This is a single case study where multiple ways of data collection are used to form a comprehensive analysis on the current state of product data management and data flows in order-delivery process of Haltian. The research is mainly based on interviews of relevant stakeholders, arranged together with consultants. Currently, there is a lot to improve in terms of product data management. The data is fragmented and managed mainly manually. Also, changes are performed manually, which is time-consuming and exposes the organization to errors. Currently the precious working hours of engineers must be used for detecting the information to ensure the data are up to date, because the availability and traceability of the data are weak. This thesis recommends Haltian to implement a PDM system called Teamcenter. It can fulfil all the requirements the organization has set for a PDM system and helps to clarify the product data management process and related responsibilities. In addition to system implementation, some adjustments to order-delivery process are recommended to be made to ensure more efficient ways of working and effortless product data flows. The recommendations of this thesis can be taken into use by implementing the system and performing the proposed process changes. The generalizability is limited, as the results are accurate only for the case company. However, product data management is a general issue in companies of similar stage, and therefore the results can be generalized to some extent to learn about product data management and PDM system’s implementation project.Tiivistelmä. Tämä diplomityö on tehty Haltian Oy:n pyynnöstä ja se pyrkii selvittämään, mitä asioita on otettava huomioon tuotetiedon hallintajärjestelmän implementoimisessa. Työn tavoite on tarjota Haltianille tarvittavat tiedot implementoinnin toteuttamiseksi sekä muodostaa kehitysehdotuksia tilaus-toimitusketjun tuotetiedon luomiseen ja hallintaan. Tutkimus on laadullinen ja käyttää induktiivisia tuktimusmetodeja. Diplomityö on toteutettu yhden yrityksen tapaustutkimuksena, jossa käytetään erilaisia tiedonkeruun menetelmiä. Tällä tavoin muodostetaan laaja käsitys tuotetiedon hallinnan nykytilasta ja siitä, miten tuotetieto tilaus-toimitusketjussa liikkuu. Tärkein tutkimuksessa käytetty tiedon keräystapa on konsulttien avulla järjestetyt haastattelut, joissa tuotetiedon kannalta keskeisimpiä työntekijöitä haastateltiin. Tällä hetkellä yrityksen tuotetiedon hallinnassa löytyy paljon kehityskohteita. Tuotetieto on hajallaan ja sitä hallitaan pääasiassa manuaalisesti. Myös datan muutokset tehdään käsin, mikä on aikaavievää ja virhealtista. Tuotetiedon saatavuus ja jäljitettävyys on heikkoa, mikä haaskaa työntekijöiden työaikaa turhaan tiedonetsintään. Tiedon löydyttyä lisää aikaa menee löydetyn tiedon paikkaansapitävyyden selvittämiseen. Tämän diplomityön tuloksena ehdotetaan Teamcenter-nimisen tuotetiedon hallintajärjestelmän implementointia, sillä se pystyy täyttämään Haltianin asettamat vaatimukset tarvittavalle järjestelmälle ja auttaa selkiyttämään tuotetiedon hallintaa ja siihen liittyviä vastuualueita. Järjestelmän implementoinnin lisäksi tämä tutkimus tarjoaa tilaus-toimitusprosessin parannusehdotuksia, jotka mahdollistavat tehokkaammat toimintatavat ja vaivattoman tuotetiedon kulun läpi prosessin. Ehdotukset voidaan tuoda käytäntöön implementoimalla tuotetiedon hallintajärjestelmä ja toteuttamalla ehdotetut muutokset tilaus-toimitusprosessiin. Tutkimuksen tulosten yleistettävyys on rajallista, koska tutkimus on toteutettu vain kyseessä olevalle yritykselle ja täten ongelmat ja niiden ratkaisuehdotukset pätevät vain tälle yritykselle. Tuotetiedon hallinta on kuitenkin yleinen ongelma monessa vastaavanlaisessa yrityksessä, joten tutkimusta ja sen tuloksia voi käyttää tietyin varauksin hyväksi myös muiden organisaatioiden tuotetiedon hallinnan ongelmiin