Manufacturing in the 1990s - productivity, flexibility and innovation

The article outlines the evolution of large multinationals as a result of the appearance of new market demands. Companies having to meet specific market demands, are shown to possess certain characteristics, related to the market demands concerned. The analysis shows that innovativeness will, in all probability, be the new market demand in the 1990s, in addition to the already existing ones of efficiency, quality and flexibility. Descriptions of ideal types illustrate the evolution of companies as they move from the Efficient Firm to the Quality Firm on to the Flexible Firm to, finally, the Innovative Firm. The phase model also includes the symptoms of crisis, when moving from one phase to another. Skipping phases appears to be difficult, if not impossible. The same holds true for moving to the next phase, while the organization has not finished with the preceding phase

Toward the innovative firm - challenge for R&D management

An analysis of the changing character of international competition shows how and why success is increasingly dependent upon the R&D function

Manufacturing: the new case for vertical integration

The article argues that the solid corporation will continue to view vertical integration as a critical part of manufacturing reform. Manufacturing reform and backward integration are related in insidious ways to the three stages of production over which the big manufacturers preside. Without integration, technology-based corporations may wind up pauperizing upstream components producers in order to earn premiums for downstream assembly and distribution operations, businesses that are comparatively flush. The authors elaborate on the production process which are divided into three stages: the assembly stage, the sub-assembly stage, and the component stage; at each there is a separate tier of factories and businesses. They also discuss the implications of the Western companies' leaning toward less integration

Point Clouds As A Geometric Data Basis For Factory Planning - Comparison Of Several Mapping Techniques

This article examines the use of point clouds as a geometric data basis for factory planning and compares different mapping techniques for generating these point clouds. Data and information acquisition is a crucial step in factory planning and thus in developing efficient production processes. In this context, different mapping techniques are analysed: photogrammetry (using drones and action cameras) and lidar scans (performed both from drones and from the ground). The methodology and results of this investigation are discussed in detail, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each mapping technique. The focus is on comparing the generated point clouds in terms of completeness, recognisability and geometric tolerance. This comparison provides valuable insights into which technique is best suited for the data acquisition of factory planning. The outlook of this paper includes the further development of recording techniques, particularly with regard to autonomously flying drones. In the future, these could enable more efficient and precise data acquisition for factory planning and thus further strengthen the basis for optimising production processes

Metamodels and Transformations for Software and Data Integration

Metamodels define a foundation for describing software system interfaces which can be used during software or data integration processes. The report is part of the BIZYCLE project, which examines applicability of model-based methods, technologies and tools to the large-scale industrial software and data integration scenarios. The developed metamodels are thus part of the overall BIZYCLE process, comprising of semantic, structural, communication, behavior and property analysis, aiming at facilitating and improving standard integration practice. Therefore, the project framework will be briefly introduced first, followed by the detailed metamodel and transformation description as well as motivation/illustration scenarios

Towards the Creation of Wiser Futures: Sino-Africa Relations and Futures of African Development

[[abstract]]Elaborating on previous wisdom discourse of futurist scholars, this paper identifies humility, flexibility, teachability, and morality as the major characteristics of wisdom. What sets wisdom as the highest form of knowledge apart from knowledge with human significance is that it is not only academically understood knowledge but also connotes that the possessor of wisdom has the ability to apply that knowledge to experience. The application of wisdom becomes the prerequisite for moving towards wiser futures. Following the wisdom discourse, the article then focuses on the delineation of scholarship and expertise on Sino-African relations which present knowledge with human significance on the characteristics of Sino-African relations with its inherent threats and opportunities. Scenarios for the creation of wiser futures are derived for African development. Putting together the expertise provides an operational basis for the function of wisdom and the creation of wiser futures.[[journaltype]]國際[[booktype]]電子版[[countrycodes]]TW