Exploring the Willingness-to-Share Data of Digitized Products in B2B Manufacturing Industries

In the digital age, physical products of all kind become infiltrated by technology. Especially for the sophisticated manufacturing industries manifold opportunities, yet in the same way defiances originate. While academia and practice on the one hand show that the value of digitized products for an ecosystem participant increases with the access to data from the surrounding ecosystem, on the other hand research to understand and manage this willingness-to-share data is limited. Accordingly, the Research-in-Progress Paper at hand explores the willingness-to-share data of digitized products in B2B manufacturing industries. In particular, an exploratory case study research design in the Swiss B2B manufacturing industries is carved out. Considering the inherent limitations of this qualitative research approach, preliminary findings show that highly different aspects influence the willingness-to-share data of digitized products in these environments

Defining Archetypes of E-Collaboration for Product Development in The Automotive Industry

The automotive industry represents one of the most relevant industrial sectors of the global economy. In response to a plethora of challenges, e-collaboration for product development has become a nexus of competitive advantage in the automotive world. Since new dynamics in organizational forms on the one hand and advancements in engineering information systems on the other hand have led to increased complexity, a classification model to organize and structure the manifold manifestations seems analytically useful. Hence, the paper at hand (1) proposes, (2) describes, and (3) validates archetypes of e-collaboration for product development in the automotive industry. Anchored in (1) a structured literature review and (2) rich empirical evidence from a multiple-case study in the automotive ecosystem, we organize our research study along a well-established, two-stage research method on archetypes adopting a socio-technical systems perspective. Key findings include the archetypes (1) mechanical development-dominant, (2) software development-dominant, (3) systems engineering-oriented, and (4) non-development-focused e-collaborations for product development as basic patterns. Thereby, “importance of mechanical development” and “importance of software development” act as essential classification dimensions. Keeping the inherent limitations of the qualitative research tradition in mind, this paper offers theoretical, methodological, managerial, and cross-disciplinary contributions

An e-mail embedded software prototype for knowledge management

Against the backdrop of today’s knowledge economy and a strong pervasion of e-mail in enterprises, the paper at hand presents an e-mail embedded software prototype for knowledge management. Although information systems literature esteems the research field of e-mail- related knowledge management as phenomenon, few contributions have been made in artifact- based and problem-oriented research. As existing software applications lack in specificity and currency, a tailored information technology artifact grounded on the unique characteristics of e- mail has been developed in a joint university-industry project following the design science research methodology. “Memoro” facilitates knowledge capture/creation and knowledge sharing/dissemination. Core functionality is the lightweight storage and extraction of e-mail- related information to and from a central repository. With the limitation of a customized prototype, first evaluation results indicate that integrating knowledge management into the daily e-mail routine enables knowledge-intensive businesses to deal with their knowledge in more effective and efficient ways. From a research perspective, “Memoro” might serve scholars as origin for further research. We contribute to the body of knowledge by providing (1) an early version of an innovative design artifact and (2) a concept-centric literature review

Challenges in Product Lifecycle Management - Evidence from the Automotive Supply Industry

Against the backdrop of a steady shift in value added from the automotive original equipment manufacturers to the automotive suppliers, product lifecycle management in the automotive supply industry gains importance. Prior literature has acknowledged product lifecycle management as paradigm for manufacturing industries, yet little is known about the specific characteristics and boundary conditions in this emerging industry branch. Grounded on extensive empirical evidence from a typical and revelatory case study at a global leader for mechatronic assemblies, this exploratory paper identifies, visualizes, and discusses challenges in product lifecycle management in the automotive supply industry. With the limitation of an exploratory and interpretive single-case study approach, we (1) supply scholars and practitioners with grounded, stakeholder-related insights and (2) link the field of product lifecycle management with information systems

The Evolution of IS Projects in Manufacturing Industries: The Case of Product Lifecycle Management

In this paper, we explore the evolution of product lifecycle management information systems projects in manufacturing industries over time. There is critical need because initiated projects routinely fail in terms of time, budget, or quality to which the academic discourse has not given adequate consideration. Therefore, we build up on an in-depth case study within the project setting of a leading European automotive supplier kicked-off in January 2016. As central results, the paper provides insights (1) how product lifecycle management information systems projects develop over time, (2) what may be underlying causes, and (3) which implications on project management may be deduced. In view of the limitations by the applied case study research strategy, we illumine the specifics of these information systems projects for scholars. For project managers, an overview on essential developments and their implications supports the successful project execution

Tomographic reconstruction of a three-dimensional magnetization vector field

Using x-ray magnetic nanotomography the internal magnetization structure within extended samples can be determined with high spatial resolution and element specificity, without the need for assumptions or prior knowledge of the magnetic properties of a sample. Here we present the details of a new algorithm for the reconstruction of a three-dimensional magnetization vector field, discussing both the mathematical description of the problem, and details of the gradient-based iterative reconstruction routine. To test the accuracy of the algorithm the method is demonstrated for a complex simulated magnetization configuration obtained from micromagnetic simulations. The reconstruction of the complex three-dimensional magnetic nanostructure, including the surroundings of magnetic singularities (or Bloch points), exhibits an excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with the simulated magnetic structure. This method provides a robust route for the reconstruction of internal three-dimensional magnetization structures obtained from x-ray magnetic tomographic datasets, which can be acquired with either hard or soft x-rays, and can be applied to a wide variety of three-dimensional magnetic systems

Three-dimensional magnetization structures revealed with X-ray vector nanotomography

In soft ferromagnetic materials, the smoothly varying magnetization leads to the formation of fundamental patterns such as domains, vortices and domain walls<sup>1</sup>. These have been studied extensively in thin films of thicknesses up to around 200 nanometres, in which the magnetization is accessible with current transmission imaging methods that make use of electrons or soft X-rays. In thicker samples, however, in which the magnetization structure varies throughout the thickness and is intrinsically three dimensional, determining the complex magnetic structure directly still represents a challenge<sup>1, 3</sup>. We have developed hard-X-ray vector nanotomography with which to determine the three-dimensional magnetic configuration at the nanoscale within micrometre-sized samples. We imaged the structure of the magnetization within a soft magnetic pillar of diameter 5 micrometres with a spatial resolution of 100 nanometres and, within the bulk, observed a complex magnetic configuration that consists of vortices and antivortices that form cross-tie walls and vortex walls along intersecting planes. At the intersections of these structures, magnetic singularities—Bloch points—occur. These were predicted more than fifty years ago<sup>4</sup> but have so far not been directly observed. Here we image the three-dimensional magnetic structure in the vicinity of the Bloch points, which until now has been accessible only through micromagnetic simulations, and identify two possible magnetization configurations: a circulating magnetization structure<sup>5</sup> and a twisted state that appears to correspond to an ‘anti-Bloch point’. Our imaging method enables the nanoscale study of topological magnetic structures<sup>6</sup> in systems with sizes of the order of tens of micrometres. Knowledge of internal nanomagnetic textures is critical for understanding macroscopic magnetic properties and for designing bulk magnets for technological applications<sup>7</sup>

Towards Understanding closed-loop PLM: The Role of Product Usage Data for Product Development enabled by intelligent Properties

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is a strategy of managing a company’s products all the way across their lifecycles. Empowered by new capabilities, intelligent products enable seamless information flow and thus enable closed-loop PLM. Hence, one phenomenon of particular interest is the appreciation of beginning of life activities through middle of life information. Grounded on empirical data from a multiple-case study in three distinct manufacturing industries, we explore this emergent role of product usage data for product development. In detail, we address rationales, opportunities, conditions, and obstacles. Findings indicate that (1) heterogeneous motives drive the exploitation, (2) a positive impact on every product development stage is perceivable, (3) some products and industry ecosystems are more suitable than others, and (4) technical, economic, and social obstacles challenge the exploitation. With the limitation of an interpretive, qualitative research design, our work represents a first step to understand the role of closed-loop PLM

Digital Product Innovation in Manufacturing Industries - Towards a Taxonomy for Feedback-driven Product Development Scenarios

In the light of pervasive digitalization, traditional physical products get augmented with digital components that create the potential of making the whole product lifecycle visible for product developers. As numerous opportunities sketch out how feedback such as sensor data might be leveraged for future products, a comprehensive model to describe, particularly a classification model to organize and structure these opportunities seems analytically useful. Hence, this paper pursues a scenario-based approach and proposes a taxonomy for feedback-driven product development scenarios in manufacturing industries. Grounded on (1) empirical data from case studies and focus groups and (2) a systematic literature review, we follow an established taxonomy development method employing the general systems theory as meta-characteristic. With the limitation of a (1) qualitative, interpretive empirical research design and a (2) representative literature review, we contribute to the body of knowledge by shedding light on feedback-driven product development from a classification perspective which may act as structuring and creativity fostering tool

Understanding the Business Value: Towards a Taxonomy of Industrial Use Scenarios enabled by Cyber-Physical Systems in the Equipment Manufacturing Industry

The trend of digitalization provides new opportunities for industrial equipment manufactures as sensor technology and ubiquitous connectivity become part of the equipment. In particular, cyber-physical systems (CPSs) enable digital innovation for the industrial product and service business by improving operational efficiencies, facilitating innovative hybrid business models, and fuelling servitization in manufacturing. Despite the new opportunities, so far no research has been conducted to investigate and classify configurations and affordances of this new technology. To gain both a broad and in-depth understanding of use scenarios and added-value of CPSs for the service business in the equipment industry, a multi-method approach is chosen: a systematic literature review as well as case study research are conducted. Grounded in existing literature and based on empirical data of 45 use scenarios, we propose a taxonomy to classify use scenarios enabled by CPSs in the equipment industry. This work contributes to the theoretical body of knowledge by proposing a taxonomy of use scenarios enabled by CPSs. The taxonomy can be (1) leveraged to categorize use scenarios of CPSs in the equipment manufacturing industry and (2) used as a framework for further research. Practitioners can use the taxonomy to classify and compare use scenarios as well as identify business model archetypes