The challenges for sustainable skills development in the UK automotive supply sector: policy and implementation

Original paper can be found at: http://www.gerpisa.univ-evry.fr/rencontre/16.rencontre/GERPISAJune2008/home.htmlThe European Automotive industry is a key strategic player in the European Union with an estimated 10 million workers. The majority of these work in the supply chain (CLEPA 2005). As a major employer, the sector must work to maintain its competitive edge if it is to keep that workforce engaged.Final Accepted Versio

Training: an inhibitor of innovation in the automotive supply chain?

Have training programmes become the new Taylorism: allowing OEMs to exercise control over their smaller suppliers and unconsciously preventing these SMEs from innovating, diversifying and growing to become competitive rivals? At the Lisbon Council in March 2000, European government leaders set themselves the target of making the European Union the “most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustained economic growth …” within ten years. Human resources are central to the creation and transmission of knowledge and a determining factor in the European automotive industry's potential for innovation. This research seeks to clarify whether the new skills that are being promoted across the supply chain are truly enablers for competitiveness and innovation. As currently practised they may be providing a less effective response to the Lisbon Agenda, i.e. increasing the distribution of skills without the depth that allows companies to become potentially innovative. For SMEs to be encouraged to grow, to be innovative and so be truly competitive, they need training support. The training may be designed just to tackle short term skills needs. It may be designed to instil the demonstrable best practice of its customer and lean manufacturing is an eminent example of this type. Training must also be designed in the context of where the SME aspires to be, to allow the SME to mature and develop. This research has highlighted the risk when externally promoted and funded training potentially constrains the potential for innovation and the Lisbon goals.Peer reviewe

Networking innovation in the European car industry: does the open innovation model fit?

The demands of transportation have driven the automobile industry into an innovation race. Uncertain technological trends, long development cycles, highly capital-intensive product development, saturated markets, and environmental and safety regulations have subjected the sector to major transformations. The technological and organisational innovations related to these transformations necessitate research that can enhance our understanding of the characteristics of the new systems. The study investigates the applicability of the Open Innovation concept to a mature capital-intensive asset-based industry - the European automobile industry, which is preparing for a radical technological discontinuity. Purposely selected knowledgeable respondents were interviewed across seven European countries. The findings contribute to the understanding of the OI concept by identifying key obstacles to the wider adoption of the OI model in the European car industry, and signalling the importance of intermediaries and large incumbents for driving network development and OI practices as well as the need of new competencies to be developed by all players

Automotive Regions: Present and Future, Final Report of the Network

Automotive Regions - Present and Future has been produced to provide an insight into the work carried out by the Network of Automotive Regions, a project part funded by Interreg IIIC European Funding. There are 16 partners in this network from regions in Belgium, The Netherlands, UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. By its very nature this report has had to be just an introduction and summary. The work presented here is the culmination of the research and deliberation of a benchmarking exercise to identify good practice in partner regions plus the work of the contributing thematic work groups that have been set up to investigate the implications of the supply chain; process innovation; intelligence on policy and diversification; and labour market issues and training

Crustal Shortening Rates in Correlation to Structural Geology in the Sub-Andean Zone of Bolivia

The fold and thrust belt of the Bolivian Sub-Andes has been a topic of much discussion and debate for the past twenty years. Varying ideas regarding the Sub-Andean zone (SAZ) structural geology have been published, documenting conflicting ideas on the evolution of this complex region. Variations in balanced cross-sections result in a wide range of shortening estimates, thus highlighting the need for accuracy and precision when constructing balanced cross-sections.Shell Oil Corp

Interactions of Cosmic Superstrings

We develop methods by which cosmic superstring interactions can be studied in detail. These include the reconnection probability and emission of radiation such as gravitons or small string loops. Loop corrections to these are discussed, as well as relationships to $(p,q)$-strings. These tools should allow a phenomenological study of string models in anticipation of upcoming experiments sensitive to cosmic string radiation.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures; v2: updated reference

Scaling in a SU(2)/Z_3 model of cosmic superstring networks

Motivated by recent developments in superstring theory in the cosmological context, we examine a field theory which contains string networks with 3-way junctions. We perform numerical simulations of this model, identify the length scales of the network that forms, and provide evidence that the length scales tend towards a scaling regime, growing in proportion to time. We infer that the presence of junctions does not in itself cause a superstring network to dominate the energy density of the early Universe.Comment: 12pp, 3 fig

Wavelet domain Bayesian denoising of string signal in the cosmic microwave background

An algorithm is proposed for denoising the signal induced by cosmic strings in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). A Bayesian approach is taken, based on modeling the string signal in the wavelet domain with generalized Gaussian distributions. Good performance of the algorithm is demonstrated by simulated experiments at arcminute resolution under noise conditions including primary and secondary CMB anisotropies, as well as instrumental noise.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures. Version 2 matches version accepted for publication in MNRAS. Changes include substantial clarifications on our approach and a significant reduction of manuscript lengt

Integrated compounding and injection moulding of short fibre reinforced composites

Composites of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and carbon fibre (C fibre) were compounded and moulded into tensile test bars in compounding injection moulding (CIM) equipment that combines a twin-screw extruder and an injection moulding unit. Two HDPE grades exhibiting different rheological behaviours were used as matrices. The mechanical properties of the moulded parts were assessed by both tensile and impact tests. The respective morphologies were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the semicrystalline structures of the matrices investigated by X-ray diffraction. The final fibre length distribution and fibre orientation profiles along the part thickness were also quantified. The composites with lower viscosity exhibit higher stiffness, higher strength and superior impact performance. Both composites exhibit a three layer laminated morphology, featuring two shell zones and a core region. Interfacial interaction is favoured by a lower melt viscosity that enhances the wetting of the fibre surfaces and promotes mechanical interlocking. The composites display a bimodal fibre length distribution that accounts for significant fibre length degradation upon processing. The dimensions of the transversely orientated core differ for the two composites, which is attributed to the dissimilar pseudoplastic behaviour of the two HDPE grades and the different thermal levels of the compounds during injection moulding. Further improvements in mechanical performance are expected through the optimisation of the processing conditions, tailoring of the rheological behaviour of the compound and the use of more adequate mould design