International technology transfer and development of capabilities in Chinese state-owned manufacturing enterprises:lessons from 20 years of case research

Technological capabilities in Chinese manufacturing have been transformed in the last three decades. However, the extent to which domestic market oriented state owned enterprises (SOEs) have developed their capabilities is not clear. Six SOEs in the automotive, steel and machine tools sectors in Beijing and Tianjin have been studied since the mid-1990s to assess the capability levels attained and the role of external sources and internal efforts in developing them. Aided by government policies, acquisition of technology and their own efforts, the case study companies appear to be broadly following the East Asian late industrialisation model. All six enterprises demonstrate competences in operating established technology, managing investment and making product and process improvements. The evidence suggests that companies without foreign joint venture (JV) collaborations have made more progress in this respect.

Development of a risk-oriented strategic sourcing (ROSS) framework for the construction and electronics manufacturing industries

Strategic sourcing has increased in importance in recent years, and now plays an important role in companies’ planning. The current volatility in supply markets means companies face multiple challenges involving lock-in situations, supplier bankruptcies or supply security issues. In addition, their exposure can increase due to natural disasters, as witnessed recently in the form of bird flu, volcanic ash and tsunamis. Therefore, the primary focus of this study is risk management in the context of strategic sourcing. The study presents a literature review on sourcing based on the 15 years from 1998–2012, and considers 131 academic articles. The literature describes strategic sourcing as a strategic, holistic process in managing supplier relationships, with a long-term focus on adding value to the company and realising competitive advantage. Few studies discovered the real risk impact and status of risk management in strategic sourcing, and evaluation across countries and industries was limited, with the construction sector particularly under-researched. This methodology is founded on a qualitative study of twenty cases across Ger-many and the United Kingdom from the construction sector and electronics manufacturing industries. While considering risk management in the context of strategic sourcing, the thesis takes into account six dimensions that cover trends in strategic sourcing, theoretical and practical sourcing models, risk management, supply and demand management, critical success factors and the strategic supplier evaluation. The study contributes in several ways. First, recent trends are traced and future needs identified across the research dimensions of countries, industries and companies. Second, it evaluates critical success factors in contemporary strategic sourcing. Third, it explores the application of theoretical and practical sourcing models in terms of effectiveness and sustainability. Fourth, based on the case study findings, a risk-oriented strategic sourcing framework and a model for strategic sourcing are developed. These are based on the validation of contemporary requirements and a critical evaluation of the existing situation. It contemplates the empirical findings and leads to a structured process to manage risk in strategic sourcing. The risk-oriented framework considers areas such as trends, corporate and sourcing strategy, critical success factors, strategic supplier selection criteria, risk assessment, reporting, strategy alignment and reporting. The proposed model highlights the essential dimensions in strategic sourcing and guides us to a new definition of strategic sourcing supported by this empirical study.

Development of a technological innovation capability assessment model:a case study of manufacturing SMEs in Sialkot, Pakistan

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important part in the economy of any country. Initially, a flat management hierarchy, quick response to market changes and cost competitiveness were seen as the competitive characteristics of an SME. Recently, in developed economies, technological capabilities (TCs) management- managing existing and developing or assimilating new technological capabilities for continuous process and product innovations, has become important for both large organisations and SMEs to achieve sustained competitiveness. Therefore, various technological innovation capability (TIC) models have been developed at firm level to assess firms‘ innovation capability level. These models output help policy makers and firm managers to devise policies for deepening a firm‘s technical knowledge generation, acquisition and exploitation capabilities for sustained technological competitive edge. However, in developing countries TCs management is more of TCs upgrading: acquisitions of TCs from abroad, and then assimilating, innovating and exploiting them. Most of the TIC models for developing countries delineate the level of TIC required as firms move from the acquisition to innovative level. However, these models do not provide tools for assessing the existing level of TIC of a firm and various factors affecting TIC, to help practical interventions for TCs upgrading of firms for improved or new processes and products. Recently, the Government of Pakistan (GOP) has realised the importance of TCs upgrading in SMEs-especially export-oriented, for their sustained competitiveness. The GOP has launched various initiatives with local and foreign assistance to identify ways and means of upgrading local SMEs capabilities. This research targets this gap and developed a TICs assessment model for identifying the existing level of TIC of manufacturing SMEs existing in clusters in Sialkot, Pakistan. SME executives in three different export-oriented clusters at Sialkot were interviewed to analyse technological capabilities development initiatives (CDIs) taken by them to develop and upgrade their firms‘ TCs. Data analysed at CDI, firm, cluster and cross-cluster level first helped classify interviewed firms as leader, follower and reactor, with leader firms claiming to introduce mostly new CDIs to their cluster. Second, the data analysis displayed that mostly interviewed leader firms exhibited ‗learning by interacting‘ and ‗learning by training‘ capabilities for expertise acquisition from customers and international consultants. However, these leader firms did not show much evidence of learning by using, reverse engineering and R&D capabilities, which according to the extant literature are necessary for upgrading existing TIC level and thus TCs of firm for better value-added processes and products. The research results are supported by extant literature on Sialkot clusters. Thus, in sum, a TIC assessment model was developed in this research which qualitatively identified interviewed firms‘ TIC levels, the factors affecting them, and is validated by existing literature on interviewed Sialkot clusters. Further, the research gives policy level recommendations for TIC and thus TCs upgrading at firm and cluster level for targeting better value-added markets.

Az SAP-rendszer fejlesztése egy műanyag-feldolgozó vállalatnál (Development of SAP system in a plastic manufacturing company)

Az SAP-rendszernek a kontrollingszervezetek működésére gyakorolt pozitív hatása nem titok. A visszacsatolás lehetőségének biztosításával alkalom nyílik a szervezetek tevékenységének követésére, ellenőrzésére, felülbírálására. A logisztika mint az egész vállalatot átszövő rendszer, működésének nyomon követése is létfontosságúvá vált, hiszen összetettségéből kifolyólag jellegzetességei, színvonala az egész rendszerre hatást gyakorol. A logisztikai rendszer és folyamatainak figyelemmel kísérésére a logisztikai kontrollingrendszer nyújt megoldást, visszacsatolási pontjain keresztül. A műanyag-feldolgozó vállalat esetében a szervezeti SAP-rendszer logisztikai kontrollingterületének fejlesztésétől várják a szervezeti hatékonyság emelkedését és a jobb színvonal elérését. _____ Positive effect of the SAP system on the operation of controlling organisations has not been a secret. Opportunity of the feedback will be possible to track, control, override operation of the organisations. The logistic controlling system provides a solution through feedback points for monitoring the logistic system and processes. In the case of plastics manufacturing company the increasing of organisational efficiency and achievement of a better standard is anticipated from development of logistic controlling area of the organisational SAP system.

Development of a Robotic Wires Storage System for Switchgear Manufacturing Automation

Considering the great development of robotics in industrial automation, the Remodel project aims to reproduce, through the use of Cobots, the wiring activity typical of a human operator and to realize an autonomous storage work. My researches focused on this second topic. In this paper, we will see how to realize a gripper compatible with an Omron TM5X-900, able to perform a pick and place of different types of cables, but also how to compute possible trajectories. In particular, what I needed, was a trajectory going from the Komax, the cables production machine, to a Warehouse taking into account the possible entangles of cables with the robot during its motion. The last part has been dedicated to the synchronization between robot and main machine work.

Development of new rapid prototyping process

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify the key elements of a new rapid prototyping process, which involves layer-by-layer deposition of liquid-state material and at the same time using an ultraviolet line source to cure the deposited material. This paper reports studies about the behaviour of filaments, deposition accuracy, filaments interaction and functional feasibility of system. Additionally, the author describes the process which has been proposed, the equipment that has been used for these studies and the material which was developed in this application. Design/methodology/approach - The research has been separated into three study areas in accordance with their goals. In the first, both the behaviour of filament and deposition accuracy was studied. The design of the experiment is described with focus on four response factors (bead width, filament quality, deposition accuracy and deposition continuity) along with function of three control factors (deposition height, deposition velocity and extrusion velocity). The author also studied the interaction between filaments as a function of bead centre distance. In addition, two test samples were prepared to serve as a proof of the methodology and to verify the functional feasibility of the process which has been studied. Findings - The results show that the proposed process is functionally feasible, and that it is possible to identify the main effects of control factors over response factors. That analysis is used to predict the condition of process as a function of the parameters which control the process. Also identified were distances of centre beads which result in a specific behaviour. The types of interaction between filaments were analysed and sorted into: union, separation and indeterminate. At the end, the functional feasibility of process was proved whereby two test parts could be built. Originality/value - This paper proposes a new rapid prototyping process and also presents test studies related to this proposition. The author has focused on the filament behaviour, deposition accuracy, interaction between filaments and studied the functional feasibility of process to provide new information about this process, which at the same time is useful to the development of other rapid prototyping processes.

The CONCERTO methodology for model-based development of avionics SW

20th International Conference on Reliable Software Technologies - Ada-Europe 2015 (Ada-Europe 2015), 22 to 26, Jun, 2015, Madrid, Spain.

Development of sandwich panels of customized functionalities for the rehabilitation of the built patrimony

Considering that the future of the construction sector in most European countries will mainly lie in the renovation of the existing building stock, in the next coming years thousands of energy inefficient buildings will need renovation to force EU member states to reach the EU 2020 targets and implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Seeing the actual crisis in the construction sector as an opportunity, this work aims to develop a concept for prefabricated customizable sandwich panels for the multifunctional renovation of buildings, focusing also on technological innovation. More than a conventional solution, this proposal aims to combine sustainable and recycled building materials, available technologies and systems with advanced design and manufacturing tools within an integrated and mass-customizable approach of advanced building renovation prefabricated solutions. The adoption of these new proposed solutions would improve the living standards of the inhabitants of our cities, reducing energy inefficiency and other existing construction/renovation problems, while enabling some advanced features like the incorporation of technical modules that could even monitor the building performance during its full lifetime and the living conditions of its occupants.

Development of advanced cell/tissue culture systems, based on enhanced polymeric scaffolds and sophisticated bioreactors, for tissue engineering applications

Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Biomédica

Development of sandwich panels of customized functionalities for the rehabilitation of the built patrimony

Dissertação de International Master in Sustainable Built Environment

Development of Special Pumps Repair Process

Tässä diplomityössä käsitellään erikoispumppujen korjausprosessia teollisuuspumppujen korjauksiin erikoistuneessa konepajassa. Työn pääasiallinen tarkoitus on tuotantoprosessin kehittäminen ja tuotantovaiheiden esitteleminen. Tavoitteen taustalla on pyrkimys entisestään parantaa palvelukykyä ja asiakastyytyväisyyttä.Kolme eri keinoa päätavoitteen saavuttamiseksi ovat tuotannon suunnittelun ja ohjauksen kehittäminen, työssä käsiteltyjen pumpputyyppien korjausprosessien läpäisyaikojen lyhentäminen sekä korjausvaiheiden määrittely ja esittely vaihe vaiheelta. Työssä käsiteltyjä erikoispumpputyyppejä ovat imupumput, monijaksopumput sekä pysty/potkuripumput.Tuotannonsuunnittelun ja -ohjauksen kehittämiseksi sekä läpäisyaikojen lyhentämiseksi työssä etsittiin vaihtoehtoisia toimintatapoja. Kolmas tavoite, eli korjausvaiheiden määrittely, toteutettiin esittelemällä korjausprosessin vaiheet käsitellyillä pumpputyypeillä.Tuloksena saatiin keinoja tuotannon suunnittelun ja hallinnan kehittämiseksi. Useimmat keinot koskevat toimintatapojen selkiyttämistä. Myös keinoja läpäisyaikojen lyhentämiseksi löydettiin. Tietyllä imupumpputyypillä ja -koolla läpäisyajan lyheneminen oli 25 % ja osalla monijaksopumpuista jopa 75 %. Tulokset saavutetaan varastoimalla tiettyjä komponentteja, joilla on pitkä valmistus- tai korjausaika. Pysty/potkuripumppujen korjauksen läpäisyaikaa ei saatu lyhennettyä työn rajausten puitteissa Näiden tulosten lisäksi korjausprosessin toimintatavat määriteltiin.

The development of an information infrastructure for cost estimating in the automotive industry

Työn tavoitteena on luoda yleinen informaatioinfrastruktuuri autoteollisuuden valmistuskustannusten arviointiin. Nykyään tämä kustannusarviointi on laajassa käytössä oleva menetelmä. Se mahdollistaa tuotekustannusten hallitsemisen, mikä lisää autovalmistajien kilpailukykyä. Kustannusarvioinnissa tarvitaan laadukasta tietoa, mutta suoritetussa tutkimuksessa paljastui, että useat seikat haittaavat tätä arviointia. Erityisesti resurssien vähyys, tiedonhankinta ja tiedon luotettavuuden varmentaminen aiheuttavat ongelmia. Nämä seikat ovat johtaneet kokemusperäisen asiantuntemuksen laajaan käyttöön, minkä johdosta erityisesti kokemattomilla kustannusarvioijilla on vaikeuksia ymmärtää kustannusarvioiden tietovaatimuksia. Tämän johdosta tutkimus tuo esiin kokeneiden kustannusarvioijien käyttämiä tietoja ja tietolähteitä päämääränä lisätä kustannusarvioiden ymmärtämistä. Informaatioinfrastruktuuri, joka sisältää tarvittavan tiedon järkevien ja luotettavien kustannusarvioiden luontiin, perustuu tutkimuksen tuloksiin. Infrastruktuuri määrittelee tarvittavan kustannustiedon ja niiden mahdolliset tietolähteet. Lisäksi se selvittää miksi tieto on tarpeellista ja miten tiedon oikeellisuus pitäisi varmentaa. Infrastruktuuria käytetään yhdessä yleisen kustannusarvioprosessimallin kanssa. Tämä integrointi johtaa tarkempiin ja selkeämpiin kustannusarvioihin autoteollisuudessa.

Development of Servo Hydraulics of Veneer Lathe

Diplomityö tehtiin kansainväliseen, mekaanisen puunjalostusteollisuuden koneita, tuotantojärjestelmiä ja tehtaita toimittavaan yritykseen. Diplomityön tarkoituksena oli kartoittaa syitä viilusorvin teräpenkin asemoinnissa esiintyneisiin värähtelyongelmiin ja tutkia ratkaisuja niiden voittamiseksi, sekä sorvausvoimien määrittäminen. Diplomityön teoreettisessa osassa tutustuttiin viilusorvin, erityisesti sen hydraulisten servojärjestelmien rakenteeseen ja toimintaan sekä viilunsorvaukseen. Teräpenkin syötön servojärjestelmää tutkittiin teoreettisesti johtamalla suljetun piirin siirtofunktiot “asema/käsky” ja “virhe/voima” ja tulostamalla niiden taajuusvaste-kuvaajat, joista tutkittiin parametrien vaikutuksia järjestelmän toimintaan. Tulokset vahvistettiin simuloimalla. Todettiin nykyisen järjestelmän värähtelyongelmien johtuvan pääasiassa hydrauliöljyn joustosta sylinterissä. Parannuksina ehdotettiin suurempaa sylinterin halkaisijaa ja viskoosikitkakertoimen suurentamista. Diplomityön kokeellisessa osassa mitattiin viilusorvin servojärjestelmien toimilaitteissa esiintyviä voimia ja niiden perusteella laskettiin varsinaiset sorvausvoimat. Lisäksi tutkittiin teräpenkin syötön ja muiden servojärjestelmien asemointitarkkuutta sorvauksen aikana. Mittauksia varten diplomityössä suunniteltiin ja hankittiin kannettava mittausjärjestelmä.

On the development of object functions and restrictions for shapes made with a turret punch press

This study presents the information required to describe the machine and device resources in the turret punch press environment which are needed for the development of the analysing method for automated production. The description of product and device resources and their interconnectedness is the starting point for method comparison the development of expenses, production planning and the performance of optimisation. The manufacturing method cannot be optimized unless the variables and their interdependence are known. Sheet metal parts in particular may then become remarkably complex, and their automatic manufacture may be difficult or, with some automatic equipment, even impossible if not know manufacturing properties. This thesis consists of three main elements, which constitute the triangulation. In the first phase of triangulation, the manufacture occuring on a turret punch press is examined in order to find the factors that affect the efficiency of production. In the second phase of triangulation, the manufacturability of products on turret punch presses is examined through a set of laboratory tests. The third phase oftriangulation involves an examination of five industry parts. The main key findings of this study are: all possible efficiency in high automation level machining cannot be achieved unless the raw materials used in production and the dependencies of the machine and tools are well known. Machine-specific manufacturability factors for turret punch presses were not taken into account in the industrial case samples. On the grounds of the performed tests and industrial case samples, the designer of a sheet metal product can directly influence the machining time, material loss, energy consumption and the number of tools required on a turret punch press by making decisions in the way presented in the hypothesis of thisstudy. The sheet metal parts to be produced can be optimised to bemanufactured on a turret punch press when the material to be used and the kinds of machine and tool options available are known. This provides in-depth knowledge of the machine and tool properties machine and tool-specifically. None of the optimisation starting points described here is a separate entity; instead, they are all connected to each other.