Integrated product relationships management : a model to enable concurrent product design and assembly sequence planning

The paper describes a novel approach to product relationships management in the context of concurrent engineering and product lifecycle management (PLM). Current industrial practices in product data management and manufacturing process management systems require better efficiency, flexibility, and sensitivity in managing product information at various levels of abstraction throughout its lifecycle. The aim of the proposed work is to manage vital yet complex and inherent product relationship information to enable concurrent product design and assembly sequence planning. Indeed, the definition of the product with its assembly sequence requires the management and the understanding of the numerous product relationships, ensuring consistency between the product and its components. This main objective stresses the relational design paradigm by focusing on product relationships along its lifecycle. This paper gives the detailed description of the background and models which highlight the need for a more efficient PLM approach. The proposed theoretical approach is then described in detail. A separate paper will focus on the implementation of the proposed approach in a PLM-based application, and an in-depth case study to evaluate the implementation of the novel approach will also be given

tiphys an open networked platform for higher education on industry 4 0

Abstract Objective of Tiphys project is building an Open Networked Platform for the learning of Industry 4.0 themes. The project will create a Virtual Reality (VR) platform, where users will be able to design and create a VR based environment for training and simulating industrial processes but they will be able to study and select among a set of models in order to standardize the learning and physical processes as a virtual representation of the real industrial world and the required interactions so that to acquire learning and training capabilities. The models will be structured in a modular approach to promote the integration in the existing mechanisms as well as for future necessary adaptations. The students will be able to co-create their learning track and the learning contents by collaborative working in a dynamic environment. The paper presents the development and validation of the learning model, built on CONALI learning ontology. The concepts of the ontology will be detailed and the platform functions will be demonstrated on selected use cases

Reference ontologies to support the development of global production network systems

In competitive and time sensitive market places, organisations are tasked with providing product lifecycle management (PLM) approaches to achieve and maintain competitive advantage, react to change and understand the balance of possible options when making decisions on complex multi-faceted problems, global production networks (GPN) is one such domain in which this applies. When designing and configuring GPN to develop, manufacture and deliver product–service provision, information requirements that affect decision making become more complex. The application of reference ontologies to a domain and its related information requirements can enhance and accelerate the development of new product-service systems with a view towards the seamless interchange of information or interoperability between systems and domains. This paper presents (i) preliminary results for the capture and modelling of end-user information, (ii) an initial higher level reference core ontology for the development of reference ontologies and (iii) the formal logical modelling of Level 1 of the FLEXINET reference ontology using a Common Logic based approach

Current trends on ICT technologies for enterprise information s²ystems

The proposed paper discusses the current trends on ICT technologies for Enterprise Information Systems. The paper starts by defining four big challenges of the next generation of information systems: (1) Data Value Chain Management; (2) Context Awareness; (3) Interaction and Visualization; and (4) Human Learning. The major contributions towards the next generation of information systems are elaborated based on the work and experience of the authors and their teams. This includes: (1) Ontology based solutions for semantic interoperability; (2) Context aware infrastructures; (3) Product Avatar based interactions; and (4) Human learning. Finally the current state of research is discussed highlighting the impact of these solutions on the economic and social landscape

Exploring the motivation behind cybersecurity insider threat and proposed research agenda

Cyber exploitation and malicious activities have become more sophisticated. Insider threat is one of the most significant cyber security threat vector, while posing a great concern to corporations and governments. An overview of the fundamental motivating forces and motivation theory are discussed. Such overview is provided to identify motivations that lead trusted employees to become insider threats in the context of cyber security. A research agenda with two sequential experimental research studies are outlined to address the challenge of insider threat mitigation by a prototype development. The first proposed study will classify data intake feeds, as recognized and weighted by cyber security experts, in an effort to establish predictive analytics of novel correlations of activities that may lead to cyber security incidents. It will also develop approach to identify how user activities can be compared against an established baseline, the user’s network cyber security pulse, with visualization of simulated users’ activities. Additionally, the second study will explain the process of assessing the usability of a developed visualization prototype that intends to present correlated suspicious activities requiring immediate action. Successfully developing the proposed prototype via feeds aggregation and an advanced visualization from the proposed research could assist in the mitigation of malicious insider threat

Ontoloji tabanlı çok-etmenli sanal fabrika sisteminin tasarımı ve geliştirilmesi.

Major developments in computers and information technologies, enable industrial and mechanical engineers to establish new net based, virtual collaboration platforms for enterprises. Benefiting from virtual enterprise platform enterprises will be able to combine their resources and capabilities on project based collaborations meanwhile protect their independent mainstream policies and secure their secret information. This concept is called virtual enterprise(VE). Virtual Enterprise (VE) is a collaboration model between multiple business partners in a value chain. The VE model is particularly feasible and appropriate for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and industry parks containing multiple SMEs that have different vertical competencies. One of the main targets of this research is to create an Ontology based Multi Agent Virtual Enterprise (OMAVE) System to prepare an appropriate platform for collaboration between technology start-ups in techno-parks and SMEs in Organized Industrial Zones in order to produce high value added high-tech products. OMAVE aims to help SMEs to shift from classic trend of manufacturing part pieces towards high-tech, innovative and research based products. In this way and to reach this goal a new semantic data infrastructure to enhance Re-Configurability and Flexibility of virtual enterprise systems has been developed. In order to support flexibility in Virtual Enterprise business processes and enhance its integration to enterprises' available manufacturing systems (e.g. MRP) an ontology based domain model of VE system has been established. OWL DL semantic data structure of VE by defining concepts, axioms, rules and functions in VE system has been developed. TDB data store to keep VE data and information in form of triples developed. SPARQL semantic RDF query language is used to handle and manipulate data on developed system data store. This architecture supports structure flexibility for developed VE infrastructure and improve reusability of data and knowledge in VE life cycle. To establish a multi agent based partner selection platform different agent types have been developed. These agents collaborate and compete with each other to select the most appropriate partner for the forthcoming VE project consortium. The agent based auctioning platform is coupled with a Fuzzy-AHP-TOPSIS multi criteria decision making algorithm to evaluate incoming bids from agents and rank proposals in each iteration. It is also important to notice that here, agents interaction's semantic is provided by an agent ontology. This agent ontology provides concepts, properties and all message formats for agents to settle a common language in interactions between agents. Implementing concurrent engineering, collaborative design and Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) concepts by integrating Dassault systems web based CATIA/ENOVIA V6 design and PLM tools to OMAVE system. To test and verify these achievements a case study to produce a test product by using developed OMAVE tools is established. This test product manufactured by contributions of SMEs from OSTIM organized Industrial Zone Aviation and Defense Cluster.Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra

An investigation of the mirroring of supply chain configuration modularity, and product modularity in contemporary supply chains

The introduction of new to market products is a challenge, in high technology markets, where speed and product variation are key considerations. High technology companies require the ability to simultaneously combine operational excellence, customer intimacy and product leadership. A lack of coordination between new product development (NPD), product planning and supply chain configuration (SCC) is a recognised cause of many early-life product failures. This research has one objective: to increase our understanding of the role of modularity in linking SCC and NPD decisions. The research incorporates general systems theory (GST) and knowledge-based theory (KBT), in mirroring product modularity (PM) and SCC modularity (SCCM) within contemporary supply networks. A systematic literature review (SLR) advocates the use of modular design, in linking these concepts and boosting the rate of innovation. The literature indicates that product architecture (PA) and SCC tend to be mirrored in modularity levels, post product launch, and this mirroring is desirable. The literature identified a gap in how SCCM is conceptualised, and how this mirroring manifests itself. These gaps are addressed in the empirical research conducted in project two, where the SCCM construct was developed and used to assess the manifestation and benefits of PM and SCCM mirroring across ten products (UoA) in five case companies across four industry sectors. Mirroring is evident, in six of the UoA, the remaining four UoA exhibit a medium level of mirroring, post product launch. The contribution to theory is a conceptualisation of SCCM where supply chain tiering is a main indicator. Propensity for modules to decouple; early supplier involvement, and a mirrored product and SCC life cycle perspective are the three causal linkages which enable mirroring of PM and SCCM post product launch. The SLR identified the use of co-development (CD), feedback (FC) and feedforward anticipatory control (FAC) at concept design to increase the mirroring of PM and SCCM, post product launch. In project three hypotheses were tested which advocate the use of these mechanisms, and the associated underlying mechanisms were investigated. The findings indicate use of CD and FAC, but a lack of FC, and mirroring support for platform design. The contribution to practice is an intervention framework applied at the concept stage that improves the coordination between NPD, SCC and product planning for new to market products

Corporate Venture Management in SMEs : evidence from the German IT consulting industry

Nowadays, there is a continuous need for many corporations to renew their business portfolio strategically in anticipation of changes in the business environment (e.g., technological change). The ongoing booming of founding international start-ups suggests that small entrepreneurial teams are an effective means to develop new businesses. Corporations should be able to benefit from this form of self-organized innovation when entering novel business domains for strategic renewal. However, corporations that establish small entrepreneurial teams (corporate ventures) are facing two obstacles. First, corporate ventures often fail for reasons that are not well explored. Second, it remains unclear how the partial successes may be improved to large successes. Although the key success factors remain ambiguous, there is little hope that corporate ventures will be successful without effective management. Since an empirical model for corporate venture management does not exists so far, the thesis formulates and answers the following problem statement: How can corporate management effectively manage corporate ventures? Building on qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, a model for effective corporate venture management is developed and tested statistically in the German IT consulting industry. The research results reveal some of the essential management principles through which corporate management can increase corporate venture success systematically.Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog