A strategy formulation process for the delivery of technology enabled service delivery systems

The Product Service Systems, servitization, and Service Science literature continues to grow as organisations seek to protect and improve their competitive position. The potential of technology applications to deliver service delivery systems facilitated by the ability to make real time decisions based upon ‘in the field’ performance is also significant. Research identifies four key questions to be addressed. Namely: how far along the servitization continuum should the organisation go in a single strategic step? Does the organisation have the structure and infrastructure to support this transition? What level of condition monitoring should it employ? Is the product positioned correctly in the value chain to adopt condition monitoring technology? Strategy consists of three dimensions, namely content, context, and process. The literature relating to PSS, servitization, and strategy all discuss the concepts relative to content and context but none offer a process to deliver an aligned strategy to deliver a service delivery system enabled by condition based management. This paper presents a tested iterative strategy formulation methodology which is the result of a structured development programme.

Drug delivery strategies for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common pathogenic bacterial infections, colonising an estimated half of all humans. It is associated with the development of serious gastroduodenal disease - including peptic ulcers, gastric lymphoma and acute chronic gastritis. Current recommended regimes are not wholly effective and patient compliance, side-effects and bacterial resistance can be problematic. Drug delivery to the site of residence in the gastric mucosa may improve efficacy of the current and emerging treatments. Gastric retentive delivery systems potentially allow increased penetration of the mucus layer and therefore increased drug concentration at the site of action. Proposed gastric retentive systems for the enhancement of local drug delivery include floating systems, expandable or swellable systems and bioadhesive systems. Generally, problems with these formulations are lack of specificity, limited to mucus turnover or failure to persist in the stomach. Gastric mucoadhesive systems are hailed as a promising technology to address this issue, penetrating the mucus layer and prolonging activity at the mucus-epithelial interface. This review appraises gastroretentive delivery strategies specifically with regard to their application as a delivery system to target Helicobacter. As drug-resistant strains emerge, the development of a vaccine to eradicate and prevent reinfection is an attractive proposition. Proposed prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines have been delivered using a number of mucosal routes using viral and non-viral vectors. The delivery form, inclusion of adjuvants, and delivery regime will influence the immune response generated. © 2005 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.

An empirical study of the imperatives for a supply chain implementation project in Seagate Technology International

Singapore's electronics manufacturers are facing many questions. In the computer hard-drive industry, where the problem of obsolescence is common and where a product's lifecycle may be only six months, manufacturers are anxious to know what the next order-winning criteria will be. Since low labour costs are no longer a key factor, many organisations are developing their competencies in research and development, sales and marketing, logistics and supply chain management in order to maintain competitiveness. This paper illustrates how Seagate has envisaged a climate of cooperation and collaboration to better serve its customers in the areas of technology, cost and delivery. The paper is based on observations and findings following a longitudinal case study approach at the Seagate Storage Product Group (SPG) in Singapore. The seven-stage implementation framework adopted by Seagate in their SCM project is discussed, together with the process of how Seagate has created a paradigm shift towards a new culture of teamwork-based collaboration.

Managing healthcare technology in quality management framework

Healthcare services available these days deploy high technology to satisfy both internal and external customers by continuously improving various quality parameters. Quality improvement in healthcare services is a complex and multidimensional task. Although various quality management tools are routinely deployed for identifying quality issues in healthcare delivery, there is absence of an integrated approach, which can identify and analyse issues, provide solutions to resolve those issues and develop a project management framework to implement and evaluate those solutions. This study introduces an integrated and uniform quality management framework for healthcare services. This study uses the Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) to improve the performance of healthcare services. LFA has three major steps - problem identification, solution derivation and formation of a planning matrix for implementation and evaluation. LFA has been applied in a case study environment to three acute healthcare services (Operating Room (OR) utilisation, Accident and Emergency (A&E) and intensive care) in order to demonstrate its effectiveness. Copyright © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Spray-dried powders for pulmonary drug delivery

Powders for inhalation are traditionally prepared using a destructive micronization process such as jet milling to reduce the particle size of the drug to 2-5 μm. The resultant particles are typically highly cohesive and display poor aerosolization properties, necessitating the addition of a coarse carrier particle to the micronized drug to improve powder flowability. Spray-drying technology offers an alternative, constructive particle production technique to the traditional destructive approach, which may be particularly useful when processing biotechnology products that could be adversely affected by high-energy micronization processes. Advantages of spray drying include the ability to incorporate a wide range of excipients into the spray-drying feedstock, which could modify the aerosolization and stability characterizations of the resultant powders, as well as modify the drug release and absorption profiles following inhalation. This review discusses some of the reasons why pulmonary drug delivery is becoming an increasingly popular route of administration and describes the various investigations that have been undertaken in the preparation of spray-dried powders for pulmonary drug delivery. © 2007 by Begell House, Inc.

Amino acid-modified spray-dried powders with enhanced aerosolisation properties for pulmonary drug delivery

In this study, the amino acids arginine, aspartic acid, leucine, phenylalanine and threonine were investigated as 'dispersibility enhancers' in spray-dried powders for inhalation. Parameters such as spray-dried yield, tapped density, and Carr's Index were not predictive of aerosolisation performance. In addition, whilst the majority of amino acid-modified powders displayed suitable particle size distribution for pulmonary administration and potentially favourable low moisture content, in vitro particle deposition was only enhanced for the leucine-modified powder. In summary, leucine can be used to enhance the dispersibility and aerosolisation properties of spray-dried powders for pulmonary drug delivery. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction: improving manufacturing performance through technology diffusion, implementation and management

The role of technology management in achieving improved manufacturing performance has been receiving increased attention as enterprises are becoming more exposed to competition from around the world. In the modern market for manufactured goods the demand is now for more product variety, better quality, shorter delivery and greater flexibility, while the financial and environmental cost of resources has become an urgent concern to manufacturing managers. This issue of the International Journal of Technology Management addresses the question of how the diffusion, implementation and management of technology can improve the performance of manufacturing industries. The authors come from a large number of different countries and their contributions cover a wide range of topics within this general theme. Some papers are conceptual, others report on research carried out in a range of different industries including steel production, iron founding, electronics, robotics, machinery, precision engineering, metal working and motor manufacture. In some cases they describe situations in specific countries. Several are based on presentations made at the UK Operations Management Association's Sixth International Conference held at Aston University at which the conference theme was 'Achieving Competitive Edge: Getting Ahead Through Technology and People'. The first two papers deal with questions of advanced manufacturing technology implementation and management. Firstly Beatty describes a three year longitudinal field study carried out in ten Canadian manufacturing companies using CADICAM and CIM systems. Her findings relate to speed of implementation, choice of system type, the role of individuals in implementation, organization and job design. This is followed by a paper by Bessant in which he argues that a more a strategic approach should be taken towards the management of technology in the 1990s and beyond. Also considered in this paper are the capabilities necessary in order to deploy advanced manufacturing technology as a strategic resource and the way such capabilities might be developed within the firm. These two papers, which deal largely with the implementation of hardware, are supplemented by Samson and Sohal's contribution in which they argue that a much wider perspective should be adopted based on a new approach to manufacturing strategy formulation. Technology transfer is the topic of the following two papers. Pohlen again takes the case of advanced manufacturing technology and reports on his research which considers the factors contributing to successful realisation of AMT transfer. The paper by Lee then provides a more detailed account of technology transfer in the foundry industry. Using a case study based on a firm which has implemented a number of transferred innovations a model is illustrated in which the 'performance gap' can be identified and closed. The diffusion of technology is addressed in the next two papers. In the first of these, by Lowe and Sim, the managerial technologies of 'Just in Time' and 'Manufacturing Resource Planning' (or MRP 11) are examined. A study is described from which a number of factors are found to influence the adoption process including, rate of diffusion and size. Dahlin then considers the case of a specific item of hardware technology, the industrial robot. Her paper reviews the history of robot diffusion since the early 1960s and then tries to predict how the industry will develop in the future. The following two papers deal with the future of manufacturing in a more general sense. The future implementation of advanced manufacturing technology is the subject explored by de Haan and Peters who describe the results of their Dutch Delphi forecasting study conducted among a panel of experts including scientists, consultants, users and suppliers of AMT. Busby and Fan then consider a type of organisational model, 'the extended manufacturing enterprise', which would represent a distinct alternative pure market-led and command structures by exploiting the shared knowledge of suppliers and customers. The three country-based papers consider some strategic issues relating manufacturing technology. In a paper based on investigations conducted in China He, Liff and Steward report their findings from strategy analyses carried out in the steel and watch industries with a view to assessing technology needs and organizational change requirements. This is followed by Tang and Nam's paper which examines the case of machinery industry in Korea and its emerging importance as a key sector in the Korean economy. In his paper which focuses on Venezuela, Ernst then considers the particular problem of how this country can address the problem of falling oil revenues. He sees manufacturing as being an important contributor to Venezuela's future economy and proposes a means whereby government and private enterprise can co-operate in development of the manufacturing sector. The last six papers all deal with specific topics relating to the management manufacturing. Firstly Youssef looks at the question of manufacturing flexibility, introducing and testing a conceptual model that relates computer based technologies flexibility. Dangerfield's paper which follows is based on research conducted in the steel industry. He considers the question of scale and proposes a modelling approach determining the plant configuration necessary to meet market demand. Engstrom presents the results of a detailed investigation into the need for reorganising material flow where group assembly of products has been adopted. Sherwood, Guerrier and Dale then report the findings of a study into the effectiveness of Quality Circle implementation. Stillwagon and Burns, consider how manufacturing competitiveness can be improved individual firms by describing how the application of 'human performance engineering' can be used to motivate individual performance as well as to integrate organizational goals. Finally Sohal, Lewis and Samson describe, using a case study example, how just-in-time control can be applied within the context of computer numerically controlled flexible machining lines. The papers in this issue of the International Journal of Technology Management cover a wide range of topics relating to the general question of improving manufacturing performance through the dissemination, implementation and management of technology. Although they differ markedly in content and approach, they have the collective aim addressing the concepts, principles and practices which provide a better understanding the technology of manufacturing and assist in achieving and maintaining a competitive edge.

The sustained delivery of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides using biodegradable polymer microspheres

Antisense technology is a novel drug discovery method, which provides an essential tool for directly using gene sequence information to rationally design specific inhibitions of mRNA, to treat a wide range of diseases. The efficacy of naked oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) is relatively short lived due to rapid degradation in vivo. The entrapment of ODNs within biodegradable sustained-release delivery systems may improve ODN stability and reduce dose required for efficacy. Biodegradable polymer microspheres were evaluated as delivery devices for ODNs and ribozymes. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) polymers were used due to their biocompatibility and non toxic degradation products. Microspheres were prepared using a double emulsion-deposition method and the formulations characterised. In vitro release profiles were characterised by an initial burst effect during the first 48 hours of release followed by a more sustained release. The release profiles were influenced by microsphere size, copolymer molecular weight, copolymer ratio, ODN loading, ODN length, and ODN chemistry. The serum stability of ODNs was significantly improved when entrapped within polymer microspheres. The cellular association of ODNs entrapped within small spheres (1-2μm) was improved by approximately 20-fold in A431 carcinoma cells compared with free ODNs. Fluorescence microscopy studies showed a more diffuse subcellular distribution when delivered as a microsphere formulation compared with free ODNs, which exhibited the characteristic punctate periplasmic distribution. For in vivo evaluation, polymer microspheres containing fluorescently-labelled ODNs were stereo-taxically administered to the neostriatum of the rat brain. Free ODN resulted in a punctate cellular distribution after 24 hours. In comparison ODN delivered using polymer microspheres were intensely visible in cells 48 hours post administration, and fluorescence appeared to be diffuse covering both cytosolic and nuclear regions. Whole-body autoradiography was also used to evaluate the biodistribution of free tritium labelled ODN and ODN entrapped microspheres, following subcutaneous administration to Balb-C mice. Polymer entrapped ODN gave a similar biodistribution to free ODN. Free ODN was distributed within 24 hours, whereas polymer released ODN was observed still presented in organs and at the site of administration seven days post administration.

Engineering liposomal systems to develop solubility enhancing technology

This research primarily focused on identifying the formulation parameters which control the efficacy of liposomes as delivery systems to enhance the delivery of poorly soluble drugs. Preliminary studies focused on the drug loading of ibuprofen within vesicle systems. Initially both liposomal and niosomal formulations were screened for their drug-loading capacity: liposomal systems were shown to offer significantly higher ibuprofen loading and thereafter lipid based systems were further investigated. Given the key role cholesterol is known to play within the stability of bilayer vesicles. the optimum cholesterol content in terms of drug loading and release of poorly soluble drugs was then investigated. From these studies a concentration of 11 total molar % of cholesterol was used as a benchmark for all further formulations. Investigating the effect of liposomc composition on several low solubility drugs, drug loading was shown to be enhanced by adopting longer chain length lipids. cationic lipids and. decreasing drug molecular weight. Drug release was increased by using cationic lipids and lower molecular weight of drug; conversely, a reduction was noted when employing longer chain lipids thus supporting the rational of longer chain lipids producing more stable liposomes, a theory also supported by results obtained via Langmuir studies· although it was revealed that stability is also dependent on geometric features associated with the lipid chain moiety. Interestingly, reduction in drug loading appeared to be induced when symmetrical phospholipids were substituted for lipids constituting asymmetrical alkyl chain groups thus further highlighting the importance of lipid geometry. Combining a symmetrical lipid with an asymmetrical derivative enhanced encapsulation of a hydrophobic drug while reducing that of another suggesting the importance of drug characteristics. Phosphatidylcholine liposornes could successfully be prepared (and visualised using transmission electron microscopy) from fatty alcohols therefore offering an alternative liposomal stabiliser to cholesterol. Results obtained revealed that liposomes containing tetradecanol within their formulation shares similar vesicle size, drug encapsulation, surface charge. and toxicity profiles as liposomes formulated with cholesterol, however the tetradecanol preparation appeared to release considerably more drug during stability studies. Langmuir monolayer studies revealed that the condensing influence by tetradecanol is less than compared with cholesterol suggesting that this reduced intercalation by the former could explain why the tetradecanol formulation released more drug compared with cholesterol formulations. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was used to analyse the morphology and stability of liposomes. These investigations indicated that the presence of drugs within the liposomal bilayer were able to enhance the stability of the bilayers against collapse under reduced hydration conditions. In addition the presence of charged lipids within the formulation under reduced hydration conditions compared with its neutral counterpart. However the applicability of using ESEM as a new method to investigate liposome stability appears less valid than first hoped since the results are often open to varied interpretation and do not provide a robust set of data to support conclusions in some cases.

Skin adhesive hydrogels for the topical delivery of active agents

This thesis illustrates the development of tailor-made, partially hydrated skin adhesive hydrogels as a vehicle for the topical delivery of moisturising agents. Maintaining an optimum hydration level of the stratum corneum ensures that the barrier properties of the skin are preserved. An unsaturated ionic monomer 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid sodium salt, glycerol, water, a photoinitiator Irgacure 184 and crosslinker Ebacryl II facilitated the production of monophasic sheet skin adhesives using photopolymerisation. The exploration and modification of the hydrogel components coupled with their influence on the adhesive and dynamic mechanical behaviour led to the development of novel monophasic and biphasic hydrogels. Biphasic pregels comprising of a hydrophobic monomer (epoxidised soybean oil acrylate, lauryl acrylate or stearyl acrylate) micellised with a non ionic surfactant Tween 60 allowed a homogeneous distribution throughout a predominantly hydrophilic phase (2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid sodium salt, 4-acryloylmorpholine, glycerol and water). Further development of biphasic hydrogel technology led to the incorporation of preformed commercial O/W emulsions (Acronal, Flexbond 150, DM137 or Texicryl 13056WB) allowing the hydrophobic component to be added without prior stabilisation. The topical release of moisturising agents 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid, lactobionic acid and d-calcium pantothenate results in the deposition onto the skin by an initial burst mechanism. The hydration level of the stratum corneum was measured using a Comeometer CM 825, Skin Reader MY810 or FT-ATR. The use of hydrophilic actives in conjunction with lipophilic agents for example Vitamin E or Jojoba oil provided an occlusive barrier, which reduced the rate of transepidermal water loss. The partition coefficients of the release agents provided invaluable information which enabled the appropriate gel technology to be selected. In summary the synthetic studies led to the understanding and generation of transferable technology. This enabled the synthesis of novel vehicles allowing an array of actives with a range of solubilities to be incorporated.

Improving “last mile” delivery performance to retailers in hub and spoke distribution systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the “last mile” delivery link between a hub and spoke distribution system and its customers. The proportion of retail, as opposed to non-retail (trade) customers using this type of distribution system has been growing in the UK. The paper shows the applicability of simulation to demonstrate changes in overall delivery policy to these customers. Design/methodology/approach – A case-based research method was chosen with the aim to provide an exemplar of practice and test the proposition that simulation can be used as a tool to investigate changes in delivery policy. Findings – The results indicate the potential improvement in delivery performance, specifically in meeting timed delivery performance, that could be made by having separate retail and non-retail delivery runs from the spoke terminal to the customer. Research limitations/implications – The simulation study does not attempt to generate a vehicle routing schedule but demonstrates the effects of a change on delivery performance when comparing delivery policies. Practical implications – Scheduling and spreadsheet software are widely used and provide useful assistance in the design of delivery runs and the allocation of staff to those delivery runs. This paper demonstrates to managers the usefulness of investigating the efficacy of current design rules and presents simulation as a suitable tool for this analysis. Originality/value – A simulation model is used in a novel application to test a change in delivery policy in response to a changing delivery profile of increased retail deliveries.

Investigating local delivery by road to retail and non-retail customers in the UK logistics sector

Over recent years, hub-and-spoke distribution techniques have attracted widespread research attention. Despite there being a growing body of literature in this area there is less focus on the spoke-terminal element of the hub-and-spoke system as being a key component in the overall service received by the end-user. Current literature is highly geared towards discussing bulk optimization of freight units rather than to the more discrete and individualistic profile characteristics of shared-user Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight. In this paper, a literature review is presented to review the role hub-and-spoke systems play in meeting multi-profile customer demands, particularly in developing sectors with more sophisticated needs, such as retail. The paper also looks at the use of simulation technology as a suitable tool for analyzing spoke-terminal operations within developing hub-and spoke systems.

Servitization of manufacture:exploring the deployment and skills of people critical to the delivery of advanced services

Purpose - This "research note" sets out to fuel the debate around the practices and technologies within operations that are critical to success with servitization. It presents a study of four companies which are delivering advanced services and reports on the organisation and skill-sets of people within these. Design/methodology/approach - This has been case-based research at four manufacturers leading in their delivery of services. Findings - It describes the desirable behaviour of people in the front-line of service delivery, identifies the supporting skill-sets, how these people are organised, and explains why all these factors are so important. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the understanding of the servitization process and, in particular, the implications to broader operations of the firm. © 2013 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Consideration of the efficacy of non-ionic vesicles in the targeted delivery of oral vaccines

The fundamentals of this research were to exploit non-ionic surfactant technology for delivery and administration of vaccine antigens across the oral route and to gain a better understanding of vaccine trafficking. Using a newly developed method for manufacture of non-ionic surfactant vesicles (niosomes and bilosomes) lower process temperatures were adopted thus reducing antigen exposure to potentially damaging conditions. Vesicles prepared by this method offered high protection to enzymatic degradation, with only ~10 % antigen loss measured when vesicles incorporating antigen were exposed to enzyme digestion. Interestingly, when formulated using this new production method, the addition of bile salt to the vesicles offered no advantage in terms of stability within simulated gastro-intestinal conditions. Considering their ability to deliver antigen to their target site, results demonstrated that incorporation of antigen within vesicles enhanced delivery and targeting of the antigen to the Peyer's Patch, again with niosomes and bilosomes offering similar efficiency. Delivery to both the Peyer's patches and mesentery lymphatics was shown to be dose dependent at lower concentrations, with saturation kinetics applying at higher concentrations. This demonstrates that in the formulation of vaccine delivery systems, the lipid/antigen dose ratio is not only a key factor in production cost, but is equally a key factor in the kinetics of delivery and targeting of a vaccine system. © 2013 Controlled Release Society.

Consideration of the efficacy of non-ionic vesicles in the targeted delivery of oral vaccines

The fundamentals of this research were to exploit non-ionic surfactant technology for delivery and administration of vaccine antigens across the oral route and to gain a better understanding of vaccine trafficking. Using a newly developed method for manufacture of non-ionic surfactant vesicles (niosomes and bilosomes) lower process temperatures were adopted thus reducing antigen exposure to potentially damaging conditions. Vesicles prepared by this method offered high protection to enzymatic degradation, with only ~10 % antigen loss measured when vesicles incorporating antigen were exposed to enzyme digestion. Interestingly, when formulated using this new production method, the addition of bile salt to the vesicles offered no advantage in terms of stability within simulated gastro-intestinal conditions. Considering their ability to deliver antigen to their target site, results demonstrated that incorporation of antigen within vesicles enhanced delivery and targeting of the antigen to the Peyer's Patch, again with niosomes and bilosomes offering similar efficiency. Delivery to both the Peyer's patches and mesentery lymphatics was shown to be dose dependent at lower concentrations, with saturation kinetics applying at higher concentrations. This demonstrates that in the formulation of vaccine delivery systems, the lipid/antigen dose ratio is not only a key factor in production cost, but is equally a key factor in the kinetics of delivery and targeting of a vaccine system. © 2013 Controlled Release Society.