Process Integration and Web Services: A Case of Evolutional Development in a Supply Chain

Many situations of rapid emergence of a phenomenon are characterised by the fact that a lot of what is written and said is based on ideas, though the discussion may be flavoured by hype rather than anchored in reality - at least in the beginning. Still, there are also situations that constitute real changes. Extensive experiences from spare parts logistics at Volvo are the basis for an up-to-date view of development and use of web services. This paper provides results and experiences from implementations of advanced web service solutions. The origin of these solutions is a desire to improve process integration between supply chain actors. Therefore, the context for business-to-business process integration between suppliers, manufacturers, dealers and customers is also presented. Focus is made on how the usage of IS/IT and management concepts can give extended reach and create closer customer relationships. It is an evolutional development that has often exploited existing strengths and timing of opportunities provided by linking technology and organisational conditions between different actors. The case gives a perspective of Volvos global supply chain, aspects of its evolution and findings concerning timing, culture, installed base and stakeholder relations. The paper provides a general case to the discussion of process integration and in particular, it shares experiences and results from implementation of advanced web services

Increased Risk of Recurrence After Hormone Replacement Therapy in Breast Cancer Survivors

Background Hormone replacement therapy (HT) is known to increase the risk of breast cancer in healthy women, but its effect on breast cancer risk in breast cancer survivors is less clear. The randomized HABITS study, which compared HT for menopausal symptoms with best management without hormones among women with previously treated breast cancer, was stopped early due to suspicions of an increased risk of new breast cancer events following HT. We present results after extended follow-up. Methods HABITS was a randomized, non-placebo-controlled noninferiority trial that aimed to be at a power of 80% to detect a 36% increase in the hazard ratio (HR) for a new breast cancer event following HT. Cox models were used to estimate relative risks of a breast cancer event, the maximum likelihood method was used to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and χ2 tests were used to assess statistical significance, with all P values based on two-sided tests. The absolute risk of a new breast cancer event was estimated with the cumulative incidence function. Most patients who received HT were prescribed continuous combined or sequential estradiol hemihydrate and norethisterone. Results Of the 447 women randomly assigned, 442 could be followed for a median of 4 years. Thirty-nine of the 221 women in the HT arm and 17 of the 221 women in the control arm experienced a new breast cancer event (HR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.3 to 4.2). Cumulative incidences at 5 years were 22.2% in the HT arm and 8.0% in the control arm. By the end of follow-up, six women in the HT arm had died of breast cancer and six were alive with distant metastases. In the control arm, five women had died of breast cancer and four had metastatic breast cancer (P = .51, log-rank test). Conclusion After extended follow-up, there was a clinically and statistically significant increased risk of a new breast cancer event in survivors who took H

Runoff dynamic in five small catchments. Water balance, recession, storage coefficient and dynamic groundwater storage.

Avrinningens förändring i tid och rum beror av såväl klimat och årstid som av avrinningsområdets fysikaliska egenskaper. Kunskap om förändringar i avrinningsdynamiken är av stor vikt vid konstruktion av hydrologiska modeller. Avrinningsområdena i denna studie ligger inom NOPEX-projektets försöksregion. Regionen är ungefär 50 x 100 km2 och ligger till största delen nordväst om Uppsala. Områdena varierade i storlek från 0,45 till 11,5 km2. Tre av områdena var rena skogsavrinningsområden. De övriga två områdena var avsevärt större och utgjordes till största delen av skogs- respektive jordbruksmark. Den studerade perioden sträcker sig från juli 1994 till juli 1995. Avrinningsdynamiken studerades genom jämförelser av hydrogram, vattenbalanser, fördröjning snösmältning – avrinning, förändringen av avrinningens andel av det till området tillförda vattnet och analys av recessionskurvor. Dynamiska vattenmagasin har uppskattats genom integration av recessionsekvationer och magasinskoefficienter har uppskattats. Skillnaderna i avrinningsdynamik mellan områdena var i vissa fall avsevärda trots likartade fysikaliska egenskaper. Det minsta skogdominerade avrinningsområdet uppvisade en mycket avvikande avrinningsdynamik med stora avrinningstoppar under tidig höst, en vattenbalans med mycket hög avrinning, liten fördröjning snösmältning – avrinning och snabb recession. De övriga tre skogsdominerade områdena hade inte lika accentuerade skillnader i avrinningsdynamiken. Det av jordbruksmark dominerade området intog även det en särställning med litet och långsamt gensvar på nederbörd och en recessionskurva vars form inte liknade något annat område. Analysresultaten i detta arbete gav fingervisningar om vilka processer och förlopp som är av stor vikt vid beskrivning av avrinningsdynamiken i hydrologiska avrinningsmodeller. Den ibland mycket stora rumsliga variationen i avrinningsdynamik tydliggör de representativitetsproblem som är förknippade med användandet av regionala modellparametrar.Changes of runoff in time and space are dependent on climate and season as well as on the physical properties of the catchment. Knowledge of changes in runoff dynamics in time and space is of great importance in the construction of hydrological models. The five catchments in this study were located in the NOPEX region. The region is approximately 50 x 100 km2 and it is located northwest of Uppsala. The studied catchments varied in size from 0.45 to 11.5 km2. Three small catchments were forested. The other catchments were larger and were dominated by woodlands and farmlands. The studied period extended from July 1994 to July 1995. The runoff dynamics were studied through comparisons of hydrographs, water balances, delays between snowmelt and runoff, variations in the runoff fraction of the water input to the area and analysis of recession curves. The dynamic groundwater storage was estimated by integrating the recession equations. The storage coefficient was also estimated. The differences in runoff dynamics between the catchments were considerable in some cases despite physical similarities. The smallest wooded catchment showed very different runoff dynamics with large runoff peakflows during early fall, a very large runoff in the waterbalance, a short delay between snowmelt and runoff and a quick recession rate. The differences in runoff dynamics between the remaining three wooded catchments were not as accentuated. The catchment dominated by farmland held a unique position with a slow runoff response to precipitation and a recession curve with a different shape. The results of this study gave pointers to the processes that are of great importance in describing the runoff dynamics in hydrologic runoff models. The sometimes large variation in runoff dynamics in space elucidates the problems with representativity associated with the use of regional model parameters

Runoff dynamic in five small catchments. Water balance, recession, storage coefficient and dynamic groundwater storage.

Avrinningens förändring i tid och rum beror av såväl klimat och årstid som av avrinningsområdets fysikaliska egenskaper. Kunskap om förändringar i avrinningsdynamiken är av stor vikt vid konstruktion av hydrologiska modeller. Avrinningsområdena i denna studie ligger inom NOPEX-projektets försöksregion. Regionen är ungefär 50 x 100 km2 och ligger till största delen nordväst om Uppsala. Områdena varierade i storlek från 0,45 till 11,5 km2. Tre av områdena var rena skogsavrinningsområden. De övriga två områdena var avsevärt större och utgjordes till största delen av skogs- respektive jordbruksmark. Den studerade perioden sträcker sig från juli 1994 till juli 1995. Avrinningsdynamiken studerades genom jämförelser av hydrogram, vattenbalanser, fördröjning snösmältning – avrinning, förändringen av avrinningens andel av det till området tillförda vattnet och analys av recessionskurvor. Dynamiska vattenmagasin har uppskattats genom integration av recessionsekvationer och magasinskoefficienter har uppskattats. Skillnaderna i avrinningsdynamik mellan områdena var i vissa fall avsevärda trots likartade fysikaliska egenskaper. Det minsta skogdominerade avrinningsområdet uppvisade en mycket avvikande avrinningsdynamik med stora avrinningstoppar under tidig höst, en vattenbalans med mycket hög avrinning, liten fördröjning snösmältning – avrinning och snabb recession. De övriga tre skogsdominerade områdena hade inte lika accentuerade skillnader i avrinningsdynamiken. Det av jordbruksmark dominerade området intog även det en särställning med litet och långsamt gensvar på nederbörd och en recessionskurva vars form inte liknade något annat område. Analysresultaten i detta arbete gav fingervisningar om vilka processer och förlopp som är av stor vikt vid beskrivning av avrinningsdynamiken i hydrologiska avrinningsmodeller. Den ibland mycket stora rumsliga variationen i avrinningsdynamik tydliggör de representativitetsproblem som är förknippade med användandet av regionala modellparametrar.Changes of runoff in time and space are dependent on climate and season as well as on the physical properties of the catchment. Knowledge of changes in runoff dynamics in time and space is of great importance in the construction of hydrological models. The five catchments in this study were located in the NOPEX region. The region is approximately 50 x 100 km2 and it is located northwest of Uppsala. The studied catchments varied in size from 0.45 to 11.5 km2. Three small catchments were forested. The other catchments were larger and were dominated by woodlands and farmlands. The studied period extended from July 1994 to July 1995. The runoff dynamics were studied through comparisons of hydrographs, water balances, delays between snowmelt and runoff, variations in the runoff fraction of the water input to the area and analysis of recession curves. The dynamic groundwater storage was estimated by integrating the recession equations. The storage coefficient was also estimated. The differences in runoff dynamics between the catchments were considerable in some cases despite physical similarities. The smallest wooded catchment showed very different runoff dynamics with large runoff peakflows during early fall, a very large runoff in the waterbalance, a short delay between snowmelt and runoff and a quick recession rate. The differences in runoff dynamics between the remaining three wooded catchments were not as accentuated. The catchment dominated by farmland held a unique position with a slow runoff response to precipitation and a recession curve with a different shape. The results of this study gave pointers to the processes that are of great importance in describing the runoff dynamics in hydrologic runoff models. The sometimes large variation in runoff dynamics in space elucidates the problems with representativity associated with the use of regional model parameters

Mobile RFID, A Case from Volvo on Innovation in SCM

Today, the interest of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology have resulted in various development and implementation activities at Volvo and other companies. Frequently the technology only substitutes the traditional bar-code and is not used in an innovative solution in order to improve supply chain performance and collaboration.RFID is emerging as a technology that is utilized for automatic identification of products and load units in different logistics contexts. The supply chain management context of today is increasingly complex, with global flows, just-in-time deliveries, customer demands for real-time track and trace capabilities, etc. Complexity and uncertainty is prevailing and a better understanding can be gained through research that provides contextualisations in areas such as aftermarket logistics. The large numbers of stakeholders in the supply chain, the desire to manage and control these complex supply chains demand better possibilities for data capture and increase of data capacity. The current developments are increasing the usage of advanced IS/IT solutions for logistics functions (Bowersox and Daugherty 1995, Stefansson 2004, Holmqvist & Pessi 2004). IS/IT development and implementation is considered as a critical issue. At the same time, logistics operations exist in a competitive environment and must secure fast and healthy return on each investment. Consequently, important considerations need to be made to how to manage this context.The implementation of new technologies and switch over from already established solutions, for example bar-codes, does not come free of charge. Baskerville et al. are addressing the need of agility from both business and IT perspectives while implementing and using new technology (Baskerville et al 2005). Most RFID solutions involve fixed and costly infrastructure installations where reading antennas and related equipment, network and communication systems as well as integration towards legacy systems need to be established. Such RFID solutions are only financially justified in setups with high volumes and high value items. Consequently, most implementations are based on closed-loop systems (Finkenzeller 2003; Fasth et al. 2005). Closed-loop systems refer to a intra company set-up where there is only one actor developing, implementing and utilizing the benefits of RFID, for example controlling assembly racks within a manufacturing plant without interaction between supply chain actors (actors are here used to describe both general participants in the supply chain as well as partners). An inhibiting factor for collaboration and more open systems is that the standardization of applying RFID is emerging but there are still implications since the standards are not (yet) widely used. An open system refers to a set-up in which several actors are collaborating and raping the benefits of a RFID implementation, for example assurance of delivery along the supply chain.The motivation behind the research presented in this paper is to explore how RFID can be utilized in more mobile and innovative ways and by that create new opportunities. In focus is a case including a setup of a mobile RFID solution using cellular networks (GSM/GPRS) together with web technology, has been evaluated from the perspectives of operational reliability, usability and productivity. A goal is that development and implementation of a mobile RFID solution that may leverage existing infrastructure, reduce integration needs and enable smooth collaboration can facilitate learning, usage and simplify implementations. By using the RFID tag as carrier of data, instead of other integration/data transfer it is possible to give the goods identification ‘smart’ features. ‘Smart goods’ is characterized by a higher level of sophistication than traditional goods identification. ‘Smart goods’ enhance supply chain performance through collaboration by enabling improved access, capture, usage, modification, dissemination and verification of information. The ‘smart goods’ capability is derived from utilization of RFID, cellular networks and web service technology. This paper is part of several years of collaborative research between academia and industry, based on in-depth access to characteristics of Volvo and their aftermarket supply chain. The objective is to explore the business value in a new RFID setup. The results may assist practitioners concerned with RFID initiatives and nurture the academic discussion in logistics and IS/IT in general and evaluation of ‘smart goods’ and mobile RFID in particular.This paper will now present the research method followed by a frame of reference. The focus is then made on the case study by describing the setup and characteristics. An analysis and evaluation of results is then made, with advantages and disadvantages, design constrains and business values, before concluding comments are presented

‘SMART GOODS’ AND MOBILE RFID A CASE WITH INNOVATION FROM VOLVO

This paper presents a case from Volvo that explores an innovative RFID solution that leverages the exiting infrastructures of mobile usage. ‘Smart goods’ is used to explain features applied through Radio Frequency IDentification, utilization of cellular networks (GSM/GPRS) and web technology together with collaboration among supply chain actors. This has reduced traditional barriers of entry. An empirical case provides the basis for evaluation from the perspectives of operational reliability, usability and productivity