Conceptual Product Development in Small Corporations

The main objective of the thesis “Conceptual Product Development in Small Corporations” is by the use of a case study test the MFD™-method (Erixon G. , 1998) combined with PMM in a product development project. (Henceforth called MFD™/PMM-method). The MFD™/PMM-method used for documenting and controlling a product development project has since it was introduced been used in several industries and projects. The method has been proved to be a good way of working with the early stages of product development, however, there are almost only projects carried out on large industries which means that there are very few references to how the MFD™/PMM-method works in a small corporation. Therefore, was the case study in the thesis “Conceptual Product Development in Small Corporations” carried out in a small corporation to find out whether the MFD™/PMM-method also can be applied and used in such a corporation.The PMM was proposed in a paper presented at Delft University of Technology in Holland 1998 by the author and Gunnar Erixon. (See appended paper C: The chart of modular function deployment.) The title “The chart of modular function deployment” was later renamed as PMM, Product Management Map. (Sweden PreCAD AB, 2000). The PMM consists of a QFD-matrix linked to MIM (Module Indication Matrix) via a coupling matrix which makes it possible to make an unbroken chain from the customer domain to the designed product/modules. The PMM makes it easy to correct omissions made in creating new products and modules.In the thesis “Conceptual Product Development in Small Corporations” the universal MFD™/PMM-method has been adapted by the author to three models of product development; original-, evolutionary- and incremental development.The evolutionary adapted MFD™/PMM-method was tested as a case study at Atlings AB in the community Ockelbo. Atlings AB is a small corporation with a total number of 50 employees and an annual turnover of 9 million €. The product studied at the corporation was a steady rest for supporting long shafts in turning. The project team consisted of management director, a sales promoter, a production engineer, a design engineer and a workshop technician, the author as team leader and a colleague from Dalarna University as discussion partner. The project team has had six meetings.The project team managed to use MFD™ and to make a complete PMM of the studied product. There were no real problems occurring in the project work, on the contrary the team members worked very well in the group, having ideas how to improve the product. Instead, the challenge for a small company is how to work with the MFD™/PMM-method in the long run! If the MFD™/PMM-method is to be a useful tool for the company it needs to be used continuously and that requires financial and personnel resources. One way for the company to overcome the probable lack of recourses regarding capital and personnel is to establish a good cooperation with a regional university or a development centre.

Flood Risk Management In Small Urban River Using A Sustainable Urban Drainage System: Wortley Beck, Leeds, Uk

In the UK, urban river basins are particularly vulnerable to flash floods due to short and intense rainfall. This paper presents potential flood resilience approaches for the highly urbanised Wortley Beck river basin, south west of the Leeds city centre. The reach of Wortley Beck is approximately 6km long with contributing catchment area of 30km2 that drain into the River Aire. Lower Wortley has experienced regular flooding over the last few years from a range of sources, including Wortley Beck and surface and ground water, that affects properties both upstream and downstream of Farnley Lake as well as Wortley Ring Road. This has serious implications for society, the environment and economy activity in the City of Leeds. The first stage of the study involves systematically incorporating Wortley Beck’s land scape features on an Arc-GIS platform to identify existing green features in the region. This process also enables the exploration of potential blue green features: green spaces, green roofs, water retention ponds and swales at appropriate locations and connect them with existing green corridors to maximize their productivity. The next stage is involved in developing a detailed 2D urban flood inundation model for the Wortley Beck region using the CityCat model. CityCat is capable to model the effects of permeable/impermeable ground surfaces and buildings/roofs to generate flood depth and velocity maps at 1m caused by design storm events. The final stage of the study is involved in simulation of range of rainfall and flood event scenarios through CityCat model with different blue green features. Installation of other hard engineering individual property protection measures through water butts and flood walls are also incorporated in the CityCat model. This enables an integrated sustainable flood resilience strategy for this region.

Hydropower Energy Simulation Using Mike 11 Model; A Case Study In South Germany's Small Run-Of-River Hydropower Plants

Renewable energy production is a basic supplement to stabilize rapidly increasing global energy demand and skyrocketing energy price as well as to balance the fluctuation of supply from non-renewable energy sources at electrical grid hubs. The European energy traders, government and private company energy providers and other stakeholders have been, since recently, a major beneficiary, customer and clients of Hydropower simulation solutions. The relationship between rainfall-runoff model outputs and energy productions of hydropower plants has not been clearly studied. In this research, association of rainfall, catchment characteristics, river network and runoff with energy production of a particular hydropower station is examined. The essence of this study is to justify the correspondence between runoff extracted from calibrated catchment and energy production of hydropower plant located at a catchment outlet; to employ a unique technique to convert runoff to energy based on statistical and graphical trend analysis of the two, and to provide environment for energy forecast. For rainfall-runoff model setup and calibration, MIKE 11 NAM model is applied, meanwhile MIKE 11 SO model is used to track, adopt and set a control strategy at hydropower location for runoff-energy correlation. The model is tested at two selected micro run-of-river hydropower plants located in South Germany. Two consecutive calibration is compromised to test the model; one for rainfall-runoff model and other for energy simulation. Calibration results and supporting verification plots of two case studies indicated that simulated discharge and energy production is comparable with the measured discharge and energy production respectively.

Temperature Dynamics Investigation At Small And Shallow Lakes Using Hydrodynamic Model

A three-dimensional time-dependent hydrodynamic and heat transport model of Lake Binaba, a shallow and small dam reservoir in Ghana, emphasizing the simulation of dynamics and thermal structure has been developed. Most numerical studies of temperature dynamics in reservoirs are based on one- or two-dimensional models. These models are not applicable for reservoirs characterized with complex flow pattern and unsteady heat exchange between the atmosphere and water surface. Continuity, momentum and temperature transport equations have been solved. Proper assignment of boundary conditions, especially surface heat fluxes, has been found crucial in simulating the lake’s hydrothermal dynamics. This model is based on the Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes equations, using a Boussinesq approach, with a standard k − ε turbulence closure to solve the flow field. The thermal model includes a heat source term, which takes into account the short wave radiation and also heat convection at the free surface, which is function of air temperatures, wind velocity and stability conditions of atmospheric boundary layer over the water surface. The governing equations of the model have been solved by OpenFOAM; an open source, freely available CFD toolbox. As its core, OpenFOAM has a set of efficient C++ modules that are used to build solvers. It uses collocated, polyhedral numerics that can be applied on unstructured meshes and can be easily extended to run in parallel. A new solver has been developed to solve the hydrothermal model of lake. The simulated temperature was compared against a 15 days field data set. Simulated and measured temperature profiles in the probe locations show reasonable agreement. The model might be able to compute total heat storage of water bodies to estimate evaporation from water surface.

Post-fire succession of small mammals in the Cerrado of central Brazil

In the Cerrado savannas from Brazil fire events are common and strongly influence the vegetation structure and, consequently, the associated small mammals. In this paper, we investigate changes in the structure of small mammal communities related to sites of different post-fire ages. Mammals were captured in similar Cerrado sites that differed in time since the last burn ( 1 to 26 yr). We sampled six sites in the wet season of 1997 ( phase 1) and, three years later, six sites in the wet and dry seasons ( phase 2). Six rodent species and four marsupials were captured. Community composition changed drastically as a function of time since fire. The diversity and abundance of small mammals reached maximum values in the early successional stages. The rodent Calomys tener was present only in early seral stages. The rodent Bolomys lasiurus was more frequent in mid-successional stages and decreased in later seral stages, and the rodent Oryzomys subflavus occupied all successional stages. The marsupial Gracilinanus agilis was dominant in the area that did not burn for at least 23 yr. Changes in composition of the community of small mammals were more accelerated in early successional stages, when there are more drastic vegetational changes. The ability of small mammals to cope with Cerrado fires and the great dissimilarity among post-burning seral stages suggest that a mosaic of areas representing different post-fire seral stages could increase the regional diversity of this group.

Research on policies and institutions to support small and medium scale enterprise in the Caribbean: Trinidad adn Tobago report

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago continues to provide support to SMEs in order to enhance their international competitiveness. The increasing effects of globalization and the reality of several trade agreements require that local businesses attain and maintain a level of competitiveness which ensures their continued survival and growth. This report examines in detail the policy environment within which these enterprises operate. It also examines the role of the key implementing agencies such as the BDC and NEDCO for government’s policy on the sector and also the role of the respective line ministries. These organizations strive to deliver value added technical, financial and export promotion services to its clients on a subsidised basis. The services offered reflect five key business areas such as financing, training, technical assistance, trade assistance, business re-engineering, project management and export promotion. In the case of the BDC its services target six sectors: food and beverage, metal processing, leisure marine, including yachting, information and communication technology/electronics, printing and packaging and entertainment. These said sectors are identified by the government, on the basis of a study which was done by TIDCO, for the promotion of a cluster development strategy. In the case of NEDCO it targets the following sectors: art and craft, food and beverages, fashion and fashion accessories, culture and ecotourism, bed and breakfast operations, indigenous entertainment and light manufacturing.

THE FLUTE MUSIC OF PAUL DESENNE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYTICAL STUDY OF REPRESENTATIVE WORKS

The significance of the works by Venezuelan-born composer Paul Desenne lies in his unique compositional style that incorporates elements of Latin American folk, pop, and traditional music within the framework of the Western European tradition. His works, though easily classified as art music, nevertheless gain much of their emotional and referential meaning through this rich borrowing. This document focuses on three of Desenne’s flute pieces: the Solo Flute Sonata (2001), Gurrufío for flute orchestra (1997), and Guasa Macabra for flute and clarinet (2003). It provides an analysis of the three works, examining formal, structural, motivic, and rhythmic aspects. Scores and interviews with the composer have been employed as primary sources. Bibliographical material closely related to his music and other secondary sources support this analytical approach. This document also provides an introduction and stylistic discussion of Desenne’s other pieces that incorporate the flute. Chapter one consists of an introduction to Desenne’s life and general considerations of his musical style. Each of the following three chapters focuses on one the three aforementioned flute works, including information about the composition and premiere of each piece as well as analysis and an examination of its incorporation of traditional folk elements. The final chapter presents an introduction to and stylistic discussion of the other flute pieces by this composer. This study intends to provide a basic understanding of Desenne’s flute music, including general characteristics of his musical style, paving the way for further investigation of Desenne’s music, and flute music in particular.

High Plains Ag Lab Rotations Show Fallow Still Works in Western Nebraska

The High Plains Ag Laboratory (HPAL) in Sidney, Nebraska is the dryland research site for the University of Nebraska located in the Panhandle. In addition to the typical small plot agriculture experiment areas, there is a significant dryland production area. There are a total of 718.5 acres in production, divided into 27 individual fields, ranging from the smallest unit at 19.7 acres to the largest at 36.7 acres. Within these fields there are presently seven different crop rotations, each with winter wheat as the base crop, including everything from the traditional wheat-fallow system to a continuous cropping system.

Service Innovation: the state of the art and a proposal of a research agenda

The service sector has acquired a growing importance in every country economy, which has stimulated research in the field of service innovation, a new field in management studies. This text aimed to state a research agenda upon service innovation, based on an articulated discussion of the results of several articles that compose the state of the art of this concept. 73 empirical articles were analyzed, 33% of them exploring the innovation strategies and technology; 18% of the articles describe research on economic performance and enterprise productivity; 16% are related to antecedents and determinants of innovation; another 16% about network capacity development, alliances and collaboration among organizations; 9% of the articles explore service quality, innovation taxonomy, flexible systems and regional systems of innovation; and another 8% are related to themes such as intensive knowledge, research and development. The researches were concentrated in the Engineering & Technology and Hospitality Industries, which accounted for 31% and 24% of the texts, respectively. The remaining 45% of the articles referred to sectors such as Telecommunications, Health, Retail, Financial & Insurance and Public Services. The main gaps identified in these texts refer to the difficulties on measuring service innovation, besides the small number of researches on the public sector. At the end, a research agenda in the subject is presented, including the development of a scale for orientating the innovation and identifying the determining factors of the innovation in the public environment.

Experimental Comparison of Two Degrees-of-Freedom Vortex-Induced Vibration on High and Low Aspect Ratio Cylinders with Small Mass Ratio

Vortex-induced motion (VIM) is a specific way for naming the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) acting on floating units. The VIM phenomenon can occur in monocolumn production, storage and offloading system (MPSO) and spar platforms, structures presenting aspect ratio lower than 4 and unity mass ratio, i.e., structural mass equal to the displaced fluid mass. These platforms can experience motion amplitudes of approximately their characteristic diameters, and therefore, the fatigue life of mooring lines and risers can be greatly affected. Two degrees-of-freedom VIV model tests based on cylinders with low aspect ratio and small mass ratio have been carried out at the recirculating water channel facility available at NDF-EPUSP in order to better understand this hydro-elastic phenomenon. The tests have considered three circular cylinders of mass ratio equal to one and different aspect ratios, respectively L/D = 1.0, 1.7, and 2.0, as well as a fourth cylinder of mass ratio equal to 2.62 and aspect ratio of 2.0. The Reynolds number covered the range from 10 000 to 50 000, corresponding to reduced velocities from 1 to approximately 12. The results of amplitude and frequency in the transverse and in-line directions were analyzed by means of the Hilbert-Huang transform method (HHT) and then compared to those obtained from works found in the literature. The comparisons have shown similar maxima amplitudes for all aspect ratios and small mass ratio, featuring a decrease as the aspect ratio decreases. Moreover, some changes in the Strouhal number have been indirectly observed as a consequence of the decrease in the aspect ratio. In conclusion, it is shown that comparing results of small-scale platforms with those from bare cylinders, all of them presenting low aspect ratio and small mass ratio, the laboratory experiments may well be used in practical investigation, including those concerning the VIM phenomenon acting on platforms. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4006755]

Two-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibration of circular cylinders with very low aspect ratio and small mass ratio

The investigation of vortex-induced vibration on very short cylinders with two degrees of freedom has drawn the attention of a large number of researchers. Some investigations on such a problem are carried out in order to have a better understanding of the physics involved in vortex-induced motions of floating bodies such as offshore platforms. In this paper, experiments were carried out in a recirculating water channel over the range of Reynolds number 6000small mass ratios (m⁎=1.00; 2.62 and 4.36) and very low aspect ratios (0.3≤L/D≤2.0) were shown and the results were discussed in depth. Conversely to what would be expected for cylinders with very low aspect ratio, the results showed large motions in the transverse direction with maximum amplitudes around 1.5 diameters for cylinders with L/D=2.0, despite being smaller when the aspect ratio is reduced. Moreover, the response amplitudes presented high values around 0.4 diameters in the in-line direction. In fact, the large transverse motions were related to a strong coupling with the in-line responses, visibly identified in the plots of nondimensional frequency, as well as by the trajectories in the XY-plane, Lissajous figures, particularly in the case of m⁎=1.00 and L/D=2.0, when 8-shape trajectories were clearly observed. The case of m⁎=1.00 deserves more attention because of its smaller amplitude compared to the cases with the same aspect ratio and a larger mass ratio. This counter-intuitive behavior seems to be related to the energy transferring process from the steady stream to the oscillatory hydroelastic system. Finally, it is noteworthy that the characteristic of the “Strouhal-like” number decreases when the aspect ratio decreases, as also observed in previous works available in the literature, most of them for stationary cylinders.

Two-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibration of circular cylinders with very low aspect ratio and small mass ratio

The investigation of vortex-induced vibration on very short cylinders with two degrees of freedom has drawn the attention of a large number of researchers. Some investigations on such a problem are carried out in order to have a better understanding of the physics involved in vortex-induced motions of floating bodies such as offshore platforms. In this paper, experiments were carried out in a recirculating water channel over the range of Reynolds number 6000small mass ratios (m⁎=1.00; 2.62 and 4.36) and very low aspect ratios (0.3≤L/D≤2.0) were shown and the results were discussed in depth. Conversely to what would be expected for cylinders with very low aspect ratio, the results showed large motions in the transverse direction with maximum amplitudes around 1.5 diameters for cylinders with L/D=2.0, despite being smaller when the aspect ratio is reduced. Moreover, the response amplitudes presented high values around 0.4 diameters in the in-line direction. In fact, the large transverse motions were related to a strong coupling with the in-line responses, visibly identified in the plots of nondimensional frequency, as well as by the trajectories in the XY-plane, Lissajous figures, particularly in the case of m⁎=1.00 and L/D=2.0, when 8-shape trajectories were clearly observed. The case of m⁎=1.00 deserves more attention because of its smaller amplitude compared to the cases with the same aspect ratio and a larger mass ratio. This counter-intuitive behavior seems to be related to the energy transferring process from the steady stream to the oscillatory hydroelastic system. Finally, it is noteworthy that the characteristic of the “Strouhal-like” number decreases when the aspect ratio decreases, as also observed in previous works available in the literature, most of them for stationary cylinders.