A supply network configuration perspective on international supply chain development

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of configuration on supply network capability. It was believed that a configuration perspective might provide new insights on the capability and performance of supply networks, a gap in the literature, and provide a basis for the development of tools to aid their analysis and design. Design/methodology/ approach - The methodology involved the development of a configuration definition and mapping approach extending established strategic and firm level constructs to the network operational level. The resulting tools were tested and refined in a series of case studies across a range of sectors and value chain models. Supply network capability assessments, from the perspective of the focal firm, were then compared with their configuration profiles. Findings - The configuration mapping tools were found to give new insights into the structure of supply networks and allow comparisons to be made across sectors and business models through the use of consistent and quantitative methods and common presentation. They provide the foundations for linking configuration to capability and performance, and contribute to supply network design and development by highlighting the intrinsic capabilities associated with different configurations. Research limitations/implications - Although multiple case networks have been investigated, the configuration exemplars remain suggestive models. The research suggests that a re-evaluation of operational process excellence models is needed, where the link between process maturity and performance may require a configuration context. Practical implications - Advantages of particular configurations have been identified with implications for supply network development and industrial policy. Originality/value - The paper seeks to develop established strategic management configuration concepts to the analysis and design of supply networks by providing a robust operational definition of supply network configuration and novel tools for their mapping and assessment. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Workspace comparisons of setup configurations for human-robot interaction

In virtual assembly verification or remote maintenance tasks, bimanual haptic interfaces play a crucial role in successful task completion. This paper proposes a method for objectively comparing how well a haptic interface covers the reachable workspace of human arms. Two system configurations are analyzed for a recently introduced haptic device that is based on two DLR-KUKA light weight robots: the standard configuration, where the device is opposite the human operator, and the ergonomic configuration, where the haptic device is mounted behind the human operator. The human operator directly controls the robotic arms using handles. The analysis is performed using a representation of the robot arm workspace. The merits of restricting the comparisons to the most significant regions of the human workspace are discussed. Using this method, a greater workspace correspondence for the ergonomic configuration was shown. ©2010 IEEE.

Comparisons between gigabit NRZ, CAP and optical OFDM systems over FEC enhanced POF links using LEDs

Simulations have been performed to compare the link power budget and power dissipation of carrierless amplitude and phase modulation-64 (CAP-64) and 64-quadrature amplitude modulation-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (64-QAM-OFDM) systems over feedforward error correction (FEC) enhanced plastic optical fibre (POF) links using light emitting diodes (LEDs). It is shown that CAP-64 outperforms 64-QAM-OFDM and supports record high 2.1Gb/s over 50m POF transmission. The CAP-64 and 64-QAM-OFDM links consume similar powers which are 2 (2.5) times of that of NRZ for the single POF link (twin POF links) case. © 2012 IEEE.

Low-cost high-efficiency GaN LED on large-area si substrate

The use of large size Si substrates for epitaxy of nitride light emitting diode (LED) structures has attracted great interest because Si wafers are readily available in large diameter at low cost. In addition, such wafers are compatible with existing processing lines for the 6-inch and larger wafer sizes commonly used in the electronics industry. With the development of various methods to avoid wafer cracking and reduce the defect density, the performance of GaN-based LED and electronic devices has been greatly improved. In this paper, we review our methods of growing crack-free InGaN-GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) LED structures of high crystalline quality on Si(111) substrates. The performance of processed LED devices and its dependence on the threading dislocation density were studied. Full wafer-level LED processing using a conventional 6-inch III-V processing line is also presented, demonstrating the great advantage of using large-size Si substrates for mass production of GaN LED devices.