A Supply Chain Management view from ICPR – Innovation in Product and Production

This Special Issue of the Brazilian Journal of Operations and Production Management (BJOPM) features six papers selected from the supply chain management (SCM) track of the 21st International Conference on Production Research (ICPR), which conference theme was “Innovation in Product and Production”. This introduction paper evaluates and summarizes the selected contributions characterizing SCM with a leading role in innovation management. The research presented here focuses on supply chain design and cultural influences on supply chain performance, bridges the gap between basic research and industrial application and provides approaches to effectively design supply networks and processes. Some of the dominate key topics emphasized in the six papers contained in this special issue are countertrade in supply chains, types of contracts in supply chains, value stream mapping (VSM), process management, supply chain performance measurement, order penetration points and inventory policies for distribution systems. The main research tools used are analytical hierarchy process (AHP), simulation, SCM logistic scorecard and Markov chains

Intelligent support mechanisms in adaptable human-computer interfaces

Advanced production technology is not only characterized by higher automation of production flow and control, but more and more measured at the level of the ergonomics of man-machine interaction. Although much effort has been devoted to user fiiendly design and improved interface techniques, today's systems do not take into account their individual user's problems and tasks. One possible answer to this problem is the design of "cooperative", adaptable or adaptive user interfaces. The idea proposed is to adapt interface behavior (presentation and dialog control) on account of individual user differences or user problems, by reasoning about user intensions in situational work contexts. This paper presents the theory behind and an approach for design of adaptable/adaptive human-computer interfaces for software applications in the tield of production technology, exemplified by a shop floor technology planning tool

Grundlagen der Organisationsgestaltung

In diesem Kapitel werden Grundlagen der Organisationsgestaltung dargestellt. Im Gegensatz zu einem klassischen Lehrbuchtext ist dieser Abschnitt stärker für Verantwortliche in Unternehmen geschrieben und weniger wissenschaftlich geprägt. Das „Lehrbuchwissen“ wird daher bewusst knapp gehalten. Das betrifft z. B. die Klärung des Organisationsbegriffes und die Fragen nach den Zielsetzungen und den Gestaltungsbereichen von Organisation. Stattdessen widmet sich das Kapitel ausführlicher den Fragen, ob es Trends in der Organisationsgestaltung gibt, welche wichtigen Einflussgrößen existieren und welche übergeordneten und beständigen Leitlinien es gibt. Somit bildet es einen Rahmen der Unternehmensorganisation für das vorliegende Sammelwerk, in den sich punktuell die weiteren Beiträge einordnen

The industrial Internet : business models as challenges for innovations

Internet of things innovations and the industrial internet these days become more and more decisive factors of future success for companies. Especially manufacturing oriented SME will face the challenge to develop innovative technology driven business models alongside technology innovations in this field which will be essential for future competitiveness. Failing in developing these technology driven business models in an internationally highly competitive environment will have a serious impact both on companies and on the society. Hence, securing economic stability and success of these technology driven business models is an indispensable task. To identify challenges for innovative industrial internet business models first it is necessary to understand what the industrial internet means to the leading parties and applying companies and start-ups in the field. Second, challenges from general business model development will be outlined. In a third step risks and challenges in business model development will be discussed with regard to the special characteristics of technology driven business models in the context of the industrial internet and the important role of the technological key component of the business model. Especially the capability to deal with an integrated consideration of the indivisible linked dimensions of economic and technological aspects of these business models is questioned. In the fourth place the specific challenges for industrial internet business models are derived. On the basis of these results it is also discussed what might be done to handle these challenges successfully with the goal to turn them into chances. The need for future research on the integration of the risk management perspective into the development of these technology driven business models is derived. This will help established companies and start-ups to realize great technological innovations for the industrial internet in sound and successful innovative business models