Digital Servitization and Business Model Innovation in SMEs: A Model to Escape From Market Disruption

The progress and the adoption of digital technologies can rapidly make products, processes, and business models obsolete, until disrupting entire markets. In this context, small–medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in manufacturing are especially challenged due to their limited resources and smallness liabilities. Firms can implement, design, and deliver new smart and connected products that change the way they compete and trigger the provision of services—until redesigning the entire business model. However, little knowledge is available on how SMEs may effectively trigger and catalyze such transition. Using an interpretative research approach inspired by the design research methodology, in this article, we explore how SMEs may leverage digital servitization to escape from a disrupted market. Based on our findings, an original digital servitization model tailored for SMEs is proposed. Finally, the study provides a set of research and managerial implications on how SMEs can overcome market disruption in the manufacturing context through digital servitization and business model innovation

Risk-Informed design process of the IRIS reactor

Westinghouse is currently conducting the pre-application licensing of the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS). The design philosophy of the IRIS has been based on the concept of Safety-by-DesignTM and within this framework the PSA is being used as an integral part of the design process. The basis for the PSA contribution to the design phase of the reactor is the close iteration between the PSA team and the design and safety analysis team. In this process the design team is not only involved in the initial phase of providing system information to the PSA team, allowing in this way the identification of the high risk scenarios, but it is also receiving feedback from the PSA team that suggests design modification aimed at reaching risk-related goals. During the first iteration of this process, the design modifications proposed by the PSA team allowed reducing the initial estimate of Core Damage Frequency (CDF) due to internal events from 2E-6/ry to 2E-8/ry. Since the IRIS design is still in a development phase, a number of assumptions have to be confirmed when the design is finalized. Among key assumptions are the success criteria for both the accident sequences analyzed and the systems involved in the mitigation strategies. The PSA team developed the initial accident sequence event trees according to the information from the preliminary analysis and feasibility studies. A recent coupling between the RELAP and GOTHIC codes made possible the actual simulation of all LOCA sequences identified in the first draft of the Event Trees. Working in close coordination, the PSA and the safety analysis teams developed a matrix case of sequences not only with the purpose of testing the assumed success criteria, but also with the perspective of identifying alternative sequences developed mainly by relaxing the extremely conservative assumptions previously made. The results of these simulations, bounded themselves with conservative assumptions on the Core Damage definition, suggested two new versions of the LOCA Event Tree with two possible configurations of the Automatic Depressurization System. The new CDF has been evaluated for both configurations and the design team has been provided with an additional and risk-related perspective that will help choosing the design alternative to be implemented

Interface Analysis of MOCVD Grown GeTe/Sb2Te3 and Ge-Rich Ge-Sb-Te/Sb2Te3 Core-Shell Nanowires

Controlling material thickness and element interdiffusion at the interface is crucial for many applications of core-shell nanowires. Herein, we report the thickness-controlled and conformal growth of a Sb2Te3 shell over GeTe and Ge-rich Ge-Sb-Te core nanowires synthesized via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), catalyzed by the Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) mechanism. The thickness of the Sb2Te3 shell could be adjusted by controlling the growth time without altering the nanowire morphology. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were employed to examine the surface morphology and the structure of the nanowires. The study aims to investigate the interdiffusion, intactness, as well as the oxidation state of the core-shell nanowires. Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was applied to investigate the surface chemistry of the nanowires. No elemental interdiffusion between the GeTe, Ge-rich Ge-Sb-Te cores, and Sb2Te3 shell of the nanowires was revealed. Chemical bonding between the core and the shell was observed

Time efficiency and efficacy of a centralized computer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing workflow for implant crown fabrication: A prospective controlled clinical study

OBJECTIVE To assess time efficiency and the efficacy of the prosthetic manufacturing for implant crown fabrication in a centralized workflow applying computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM). MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-nine patients with one posterior implant each, were randomly allocated to either a centralized digital workflow (c-DW, test) or a laboratory digital workflow (l-DW, control). Patients were excluded from efficiency and efficacy analyses, if any additional restoration than this single implant crown had to be fabricated. A customized titanium abutment and a monolithic zirconia crown were fabricated in the c-DW. In the l-DW, models were digitalized for CAD-CAM fabrication of a monolithic zirconia crown using a standardized titanium base abutment. Time for impression, laboratory operating and delivery time were recorded. The efficacy of the prosthetic manufacturing was evaluated at try-in and at delivery. Data was analyzed descriptively. Statistical analyses using student's unpaired t- and paired Wilcoxon were performed (p < 0.05). RESULTS At impression taking, 12 patients (c-DW) and 19 patients (l-DW) were included. The impression time was 9.4±3.5 min (c-DW) and 15.1 ± 4.6 min (l-DW) (p < 0.05). The laboratory operating time was 130 ± 31 min (c-DW) and 218.0±8 min (l-DW) (p < 0.05). The delivery time was significantly longer in the c-DW (5.9 ± 3.5 1 days) as compared to the l-DW (0.5±0.05 days). At try-in and at delivery, efficacy of prosthetic manufacturing was similar high in both workflows. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The c-DW was more time efficient compared to the lab-DW and rendered a similar efficacy of prosthetic manufacturing

Sign-time distribution for a random walker with a drifting boundary

We present a derivation of the exact sign-time distribution for a random walker in the presence of a boundary moving with constant velocity.Comment: 5 page

Morphometric analysis of hepatocellular nodular lesions in HCV cirrhosis

Background and aims. We generated a computerized morphometric model to evaluate and quantify the morphological features in large regenerative nodules (LRN), high-grade dysplastic nodules (HGDN) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. Sixteen LRN, 10 HGDN and 16 HCC in HCV-cirrhotic livers, were stained with H&E, smooth muscle actin, CD34, CD31 and reticulin to evaluate volume and surface fractions. Results. On H&E stains, the features most discriminatory between LRN, HGDN and HCC were volume fraction and number of hepatocytes nuclei in unit volume, and hepatocyte nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. On immunohistochemistry, volume fractions of capillarised sinusoids, capillary units and isolated arteries were significantly different among all groups and highest in HCC; surface fraction of reticulin was markedly decreased in HCC. Conclusions. Our morphometric model is an objective method of quantification of the morphological changes of the nodular lesions and it could be applied in studies involving histological evaluation of the spectrum of nodular lesions arising in the cirrhotic liver