The Virtual Factory: Discontinuous Work in a Virtual Organization

The Virtual Factory is an organized network for regional cooperation in the manufacturing industry in the region around Lake Constance, on the border between Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The network was developed through a collaborative action research project started by the Institute for Technology Management, University of St. Gallen2. Project leadership (the core partners) came from entrepreneurs and senior managers from companies in the region and four researchers from the Institute

Discrete event simulation and virtual reality use in industry: new opportunities and future trends

This paper reviews the area of combined discrete event simulation (DES) and virtual reality (VR) use within industry. While establishing a state of the art for progress in this area, this paper makes the case for VR DES as the vehicle of choice for complex data analysis through interactive simulation models, highlighting both its advantages and current limitations. This paper reviews active research topics such as VR and DES real-time integration, communication protocols, system design considerations, model validation, and applications of VR and DES. While summarizing future research directions for this technology combination, the case is made for smart factory adoption of VR DES as a new platform for scenario testing and decision making. It is put that in order for VR DES to fully meet the visualization requirements of both Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet visions of digital manufacturing, further research is required in the areas of lower latency image processing, DES delivery as a service, gesture recognition for VR DES interaction, and linkage of DES to real-time data streams and Big Data sets

Rapid prototyping 3D virtual world interfaces within a virtual factory environment

On-going work into user requirements analysis using CLIPS (NASA/JSC) expert systems as an intelligent event simulator has led to research into three-dimensional (3D) interfaces. Previous work involved CLIPS and two-dimensional (2D) models. Integral to this work was the development of the University of Massachusetts Lowell parallel version of CLIPS, called PCLIPS. This allowed us to create both a Software Bus and a group problem-solving environment for expert systems development. By shifting the PCLIPS paradigm to use the VEOS messaging protocol we have merged VEOS (HlTL/Seattle) and CLIPS into a distributed virtual worlds prototyping environment (VCLIPS). VCLIPS uses the VEOS protocol layer to allow multiple experts to cooperate on a single problem. We have begun to look at the control of a virtual factory. In the virtual factory there are actors and objects as found in our Lincoln Logs Factory of the Future project. In this artificial reality architecture there are three VCLIPS entities in action. One entity is responsible for display and user events in the 3D virtual world. Another is responsible for either simulating the virtual factory or communicating with the real factory. The third is a user interface expert. The interface expert maps user input levels, within the current prototype, to control information for the factory. The interface to the virtual factory is based on a camera paradigm. The graphics subsystem generates camera views of the factory on standard X-Window displays. The camera allows for view control and object control. Control or the factory is accomplished by the user reaching into the camera views to perform object interactions. All communication between the separate CLIPS expert systems is done through VEOS

A 3D immersive discrete event simulator for enabling prototyping of factory layouts

There is an increasing need to eliminate wasted time and money during factory layout design and subsequent construction. It is presently difficult for engineers to foresee if a certain layout is optimal for work and material flows. By exploiting modelling, simulation and visualisation techniques, this paper presents a tool concept called immersive WITNESS that combines the modelling strengths of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) with the 3D visualisation strengths of recent 3D low cost gaming technology to enable decision makers make informed design choices for future factories layouts. The tool enables engineers to receive immediate feedback on their design choices. Our results show that this tool has the potential to reduce rework as well as the associated costs of making physical prototypes

A Virtual factory data model as a support tool for the simulation of manufacturing systems

The design of a manufacturing systems is a complex and critical activity entailing decisions with an impact on a long time horizon and a major commitment of financial resources. Indeed, the modelling, simulation and evaluation of manufacturing systems are relevant activities both in the design and the operational phases of a factory. This paper grounds on the results of the Virtual Factory Framework (VFF) Project and addresses the use of an ontology based model of a production system to support the construction of a performance evaluation model

Virtual Ergonomics and Time Optimization of a Factory

This manuscript focuses on designing the virtual factory which has become a subject of paramount importance to all major manufacturing companies. Such virtual solutions enable to verify all conflict situations before real implementation of factories and to optimize the performance, productivity, timing, costs and ergonomics by using simulation and virtual reality technologies. This model sees a real factory as a combination of various sub-systems and includes them. In manufacturing, it creates a virtual simulation exercise that helps in replicating the real life scenario and helps in designing and implementation. Using ergonomics module, distance traveled from end-to-end departments to complete the entire manufacturing process is calculated. Within the virtual factory, assembly planning and manufacturing planning is demonstrated through real-life worker simulation considering the musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Awkward working postures and improper workstation design leads to MSD. In this paper, virtual representation of a shop floor activity is done by using a digital modeling tool DELMIA V6. The task is performed by the digital human (manikin) and the ergonomic analysis is carried out virtually for the tasks which includes worst working condition. Simulating the manual tasks in virtual environment, the worker postures have been evaluated using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) Analysis, Lift Lower Analysis and Biomechanics Single Action Analysis which are used to provide the level of risk for the musculoskeletal disorders

Public Debt Requirements in A Regime of Price Stability

The logic of this paper is based on a modernisation of Austrian capital theory as applied to a closed economy growing in a steady state. Here the philosophy is this: capital is time embodied in produced goods. In steady states, this philosophy works well as an aggregation device for an arbitrary number of distinct produced goods. The basic theorem of this approach (Section VII) is this: in a capital market equilibrium without public debt and hence in a general equilibrium without public debt the average period of production equals the average waiting period of households. Calibration of the parameters of the production sector and the consumption sector then leads to the result that the equilibrium risk free real rate of interest (Wicksell´s "natural rate of interest") is negative for the OECD+China area. What distinguishes the twenty-first century from earlier times is the high life expectancy of people and the ensuing extensive average pension period. These characteristics are responsible for the high average waiting period. Only with a negative real rate of interest can the average period of production catch up with the high average waiting period. Under price stability the risk free real rate of interest cannot become negative. Public debt causes the equilibrium risk free rate of interest to rise: the public debt period () plus the average period of production (DT) equal the average waiting period (Z). Thus substantial public debt is required for the goal of price stability. We thus come to a different view of public debt: it is inconsistent with the goal of a zero public debt. This different view of public debt (even apart from "Keynesian" considerations) has been introduced by Samuelson already in the year 1958. My "Austrian" capital theoretic approach allows me to show that it is the relevant view for the 21 st century.

Supporting Interoperability of Virtual Factories

The manufacturing industry is entering a new era. This emerging era starts with the integration of new ICT technologies and collaboration applications into traditional manufacturing practices and processes, such as manufacturing 2.0. Manufacturing 2.0 has been conceptualised as a system that goes beyond the factory floor, and paradigms of “manufacturing as an ecosystem” have emerged. The virtual factory is one of the important concepts and foundations central to the realization of future manufacturing. In this paper, we take a look into the current research on virtual factories and propose a new approach to improve interoperability through the integration of different proprietary, legacy and existing solutions

Sustainable development strategies for product provision and manufacturing approaches

Manufacturing firms are under many pressures both financially and competitive which focus attention on the performance of their manufacturing processes. In this paper the opportunities for improving the environmental impact of products within the constraints of existing manufacturing infrastructure are examined. Approaches which support sustainability in two aspects are proposed, firstly, the provision of products to the users in ways which extend the product life and secondly, manufacturing approaches which reduce resource usage. The provision and manufacture of products in ways that are truly sustainable are inhibited by three issues: firstly, decisions are predominantly made solely from the perspective of the “vendor” (and do not consider the wider perspective); secondly, that generally the scope of business planning is still rooted in production/manufacturing costs (and not consumption costs) and thirdly, the current performance measures (e.g. KPIs) mainly focus on profitability. The rationale for this conference paper is the argument that there is a need to raise the awareness during the earliest stages of business planning that there may be alternative approaches which are more sustainable. The concepts presented here will underpin further research into performance measures which encompass sustainability and resulting business planning implications

A Process Theory of Competency Rallying in Engineering Projects

Firms face an environment changing at an increasingly rapid pace. Market opportunities in particular can arise and disappear in a short time. Unfortunately, the speed with which organizations can adapt their strategies and competencies to meet these opportunities remains limited. We argue that firms can address these individual limitations by cooperating with others for access to market opportunities and needed competencies. In this paper, we present a process theory of how a network of firms can reliably engineering and deliver products in the face of rapid market changes. In this theory, the success of the network is predicated on 1) identification and development of competencies, 2) identification and facing of market opportunities, 3) marshalling of competencies and 4) a short-term cooperative effort. Our theory is based on the experiences of Virtual Factory, an organized network for regional cooperation in the manufacturing industry