An architecture design with data model for product recovery management systems

Due to concerns about environmental protection and resource utilization, product lifecycle management for end-of-life (EOL) has received increasing attention in many industrial sectors including manufacturing, maintenance/repair, and recycling/refurbishing of the product. To support these functions, crucial issues are studied to realize a product recovery management system (PRMS), including: (1) an architecture design for EOL services, such as remanufacturing and recycling; (2) a product data model required for EOL activity based on international standards; and (3) an infrastructure for information acquisition and mapping to product lifecycle information. The presented works are illustrated via a realistic scenario. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of architectural uncertainty on product introduction in dispersed environments

This research addresses product introduction dispersed across locations and companies. Mechanisms appropriate to integrate activities in collocated teams may not serve dispersed teams well. A semiconductor design licensor was studied in depth to explore how dispersed product introduction varies with uncertainty. We found that autonomous teams focused on sub-products (micro-products) were used rather than cross-functional teams in departments with high architectural uncertainty. Both types of teams were effectively dispersed across locations and companies. This suggests that small high-technology companies may find it easier to expand into new geographies and product lines than was previously believed.