Understanding manufacturing companies' environmental decision making structures

This paper provides an understanding of the current environmental decision structures within companies in the manufacturing sector. Through case study research, we explored the complexity, robustness and decision making processes companies were using in order to cope with ever increasing environmental pressures and choice of environmental technologies. Our research included organisations in UK, Thailand, and Germany. Our research strategy was case study composed of different research methods, namely: focus group, interviews and environmental report analysis. The research methods and their data collection instruments also varied according to the access we had. Our unity of analysis was decision making teams and the scope of our investigation included product development, environment & safety, manufacturing, and supply chain management. This study finds that environmental decision making have been gaining importance over the time as well as complexity when it is starting to move from manufacturing to non,manufacturing activities. Most companies do not have a formal structure to take environmental decisions; hence, they follow a similar path of other corporate decisions, being affected by organizational structures besides the technical competence of the teams. We believe our results will help improving structures in both beginners and leaders teams for environmental decision making across the different departments.

Place-renewing leadership:trajectories of change for mature manufacturing regions in Europe

The forces of globalisation now impacting on local economies pose threats to the existing paradigm of competences and routines, yet simultaneously offer opportunities to integrate new knowledge and learning. This is particularly pertinent with respect to Europe’s ‘mature regions’, which are undergoing a major economic restructuring by trying to shift from traditional manufacturing activities to hybrid activities that comprise a combination of manufacturing and a higher component of intangible inputs and related knowledge service activities. The objective of the article is to discuss the concept of ‘place leadership’ by looking at how the embedded skills, knowledge and cumulated learning of a place can be used by its institutional infrastructure to identify sustainable growth trajectories. In other words, its aim is to explore how the economic, social, institutional and cultural aspects of places shape the opportunities for upgrading and renovation drawing upon their historical specialisation. The conceptual contribution of the article draws on two case studies, in the West Midlands, UK and in Prato, Tuscany, where we study the processes of decision-making, forms of leadership and ultimately the nature of local leadership.

Servitization of the manufacturing firm:exploring the operations practices and technologies that deliver advanced services

Purpose: This paper aims to explore practices and technologies successfully servitised manufacturers employ in the delivery of advanced services. Design/methodology/approach: A case study methodology is applied across four manufacturing organisations successful in servitization. Through interviews with personnel across host manufacturers, their partners, and key customers, extensive data are collected about service delivery systems. Analyses identify convergence in their practices and technologies. Findings: Six distinct technologies and practices are revealed: facilities and their location, micro-vertical integration and supplier relationships, information and communication technologies (ICTs), performance measurement and value demonstration, people deployment and their skills, and business processes and customer relationships. These are then combined in an integrative framework that illustrates how operations are configured to successfully deliver advanced services. Research limitations/implications: The analyses are reductive and rationalising. Future studies could identify other technologies and practices. Case study as a method is inherently limited in the extent to which findings can be generalised. Practical implications: Awareness and interest in servitization is growing, yet adoption of a servitization strategy requires particular organisational capabilities on the part of the manufacturer. This study identifies technologies and practices that underpin these capabilities. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the understanding of the servitization process and, in particular, the implications to broader operations of the firm. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Modelling in the evaluation of a manufacturing strategy

This thesis describes research that has developed the principles of a modelling tool for the analytical evaluation of a manufacturing strategy. The appropriate process of manufacturing strategy formulation is based on mental synthesis with formal planning processes supporting this role. Inherent to such processes is a stage where the effects of alternative strategies on the performance of a manufacturing system must be evaluated so that a choice of preferred strategy can be made. Invariably this evaluation is carried out by practitioners applying mechanisms of judgement, bargaining and analysis. Ibis thesis makes a significant and original contribution to the provision of analytical support for practitioners in this role. The research programme commences by defining the requirements of analytical strategy evaluation from the perspective of practitioners. A broad taxonomy of models has been used to identify a set of potentially suitable techniques for the strategy evaluation task. Then, where possible, unsuitable modelling techniques have been identified on the basis of evidence in the literature and discarded from this set. The remaining modelling techniques have been critically appraised by testing representative contemporary modelling tools in an industrially based experimentation programme. The results show that individual modelling techniques exhibit various limitations in the strategy evaluation role, though some combinations do appear to provide the necessary functionality. On the basis of this comprehensive and in-depth knowledge a modelling tool ' has been specifically designed for this task. Further experimental testing has then been conducted to verify the principles of this modelling tool. Ibis research has bridged the fields of manufacturing strategy formulation and manufacturing systems modelling and makes two contributions to knowledge. Firstly, a comprehensive and in-depth platform of knowledge has been established about modelling techniques in manufacturing strategy evaluation. Secondly, the principles of a tool that supports this role have been formed and verified.

Modelling in the evaluation of a manufacturing strategy

This thesis describes research that has developed the principles of a modelling tool for the analytical evaluation of a manufacturing strategy. The appropriate process of manufacturing strategy formulation is based on mental synthesis with formal planning processes supporting this role. Inherent to such processes is a stage where the effects of alternative strategies on the performance of a manufacturing system must be evaluated so that a choice of preferred strategy can be made. Invariably this evaluation is carried out by practitioners applying mechanisms of judgement, bargaining and analysis. Ibis thesis makes a significant and original contribution to the provision of analytical support for practitioners in this role. The research programme commences by defining the requirements of analytical strategy evaluation from the perspective of practitioners. A broad taxonomy of models has been used to identify a set of potentially suitable techniques for the strategy evaluation task. Then, where possible, unsuitable modelling techniques have been identified on the basis of evidence in the literature and discarded from this set. The remaining modelling techniques have been critically appraised by testing representative contemporary modelling tools in an industrially based experimentation programme. The results show that individual modelling techniques exhibit various limitations in the strategy evaluation role, though some combinations do appear to provide the necessary functionality. On the basis of this comprehensive and in-depth knowledge a modelling tool ' has been specifically designed for this task. Further experimental testing has then been conducted to verify the principles of this modelling tool. Ibis research has bridged the fields of manufacturing strategy formulation and manufacturing systems modelling and makes two contributions to knowledge. Firstly, a comprehensive and in-depth platform of knowledge has been established about modelling techniques in manufacturing strategy evaluation. Secondly, the principles of a tool that supports this role have been formed and verified.

Research on rework strategies for reconfigurable manufacturing system considering mission reliability

Rework strategies that involve different checking points as well as rework times can be applied into reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) with certain constraints, and effective rework strategy can significantly improve the mission reliability of manufacturing process. The mission reliability of process is a measurement of production ability of RMS, which serves as an integrated performance indicator of the production process under specified technical constraints, including time, cost and quality. To quantitatively characterize the mission reliability and basic reliability of RMS under different rework strategies, rework model of RMS was established based on the method of Logistic regression. Firstly, the functional relationship between capability and work load of manufacturing process was studied through statistically analyzing a large number of historical data obtained in actual machining processes. Secondly, the output, mission reliability and unit cost in different rework paths were calculated and taken as the decision variables based on different input quantities and the rework model mentioned above. Thirdly, optimal rework strategies for different input quantities were determined by calculating the weighted decision values and analyzing advantages and disadvantages of each rework strategy. At last, case application were demonstrated to prove the efficiency of the proposed method.

Manufacturing process challenges when machining superalloys

The implementation of advanced manufacturing systems with high process capability is an essential requirement for the high value manufacturing industries. To ensure high process capability, industry needs to deal with the requirement for tight tolerances and the unavoidable variations in materials, and manufacturing and inspection processes. In the case of machining superalloys, such variations result in the need to change the machine parameters for producing different batches of materials from different suppliers. This is required in order to get the process under control and reduce waste and defects, leading to better competitiveness. This papers discuss the variability in materials and the corresponding process requirements when machining superalloys, and highlights the impact of metrology in achieving manufacturing process improvement.

Manufacturing and assembly automation by integrated metrology systems for aircraft wing fabrication

Discrepancies of materials, tools, and factory environments, as well as human intervention, make variation an integral part of the manufacturing process of any component. In particular, the assembly of large volume, aerospace parts is an area where significant levels of form and dimensional variation are encountered. Corrective actions can usually be taken to reduce the defects, when the sources and levels of variation are known. For the unknown dimensional and form variations, a tolerancing strategy is typically put in place in order to minimize the effects of production inconsistencies related to geometric dimensions. This generates a challenging problem for the automation of the corresponding manufacturing and assembly processes. Metrology is becoming a major contributor to being able to predict, in real time, the automated assembly problems related to the dimensional variation of parts and assemblies. This is done by continuously measuring dimensions and coordinate points, focusing on the product's key characteristics. In this paper, a number of metrology focused activities for large-volume aerospace products, including their implementation and application in the automation of manufacturing and assembly processes, are reviewed. This is done by using a case study approach within the assembly of large-volume aircraft wing structures.

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.

Understanding and improving the manufacturing and changeover process in Saudi Arabian business - a multiple case study approach

The importance of the changeover process in the manufacturing industry is becoming widely recognised. Changeover is a complete process of changing between the manufacture of one product to manufacture of an alternative product until specified production and quality rates are reached. The initiatives to improve changeover exist in industry, as better changeover process typically contribute to improved quality performance. A high-quality and reliable changeover process can be achieved through implementation of continuous or radical improvements. This research examines the changeover process of Saudi Arabian manufacturing firms because Saudi Arabia’s government is focused on the expansion of GDP and increasing the number of export manufacturing firms. Furthermore, it is encouraging foreign manufacturing firms to invest within Saudi Arabia. These initiatives, therefore, require that Saudi manufacturing businesses develop the changeover practice in order to compete in the market and achieve the government’s objectives. Therefore, the aim of this research is to discover the current status of changeover process implementation in Saudi Arabian manufacturing businesses. To achieve this aim, the main objective of this research is to develop a conceptual model to understand and examine the effectiveness of the changeover process within Saudi Arabian manufacturing firms, facilitating identification of those activities that affect the reliability and high-quality of the process. In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of this area, this research first explores the concept of quality management and its relationship to firm performance and the performance of manufacturing changeover. An extensive body of literature was reviewed on the subject of lean manufacturing and changeover practice. A research conceptual model was identified based on this review, and focus was on providing high-quality and reliable manufacturing changeover processes during set-up in a dynamic environment. Exploratory research was conducted in sample Saudi manufacturing firms to understand the features of the changeover process within the manufacturing sector, and as a basis for modifying the proposed conceptual model. Qualitative research was employed in the study with semi-structured interviews, direct observations and documentation in order to understand the real situation such as actual daily practice and current status of changeover process in the field. The research instrument, the Changeover Effectiveness Assessment Tool (CEAT) was developed to evaluate changeover practices. A pilot study was conducted by examining the CEAT, proposed for the main research. Consequently, the conceptual model was modified and CEAT was improved in response to the pilot study findings. Case studies have been conducted within eight Saudi manufacturing businesses. These case studies assessed the implementation of manufacturing changeover practice in the lighting and medical products sectors. These two sectors were selected based on their operation strategy which was batch production as well as the fact that they fulfilled the research sampling strategy. The outcomes of the research improved the conceptual model, ultimately to facilitate the firms’ adoption and rapid implementation of a high-quality and reliability changeover during the set-up process. The main finding of this research is that Quality’s factors were considering the lowest levels comparing to the other factors which are People, Process and Infrastructure. This research contributes to enable Saudi businesses to implement the changeover process by adopting the conceptual model. In addition, the guidelines for facilitating implementation were provided in this thesis. Therefore, this research provides insight to enable the Saudi manufacturing industry to be more responsive to rapidly changing customer demands.

Szolgáltatásmenedzsment Magyarországon a termelő- és a szolgáltatóvállalatoknál (Service management at the manufacturing and service companies in Hungary)

A szolgáltatási tevékenységek ma már döntő szerepet játszanak a gazdaságok működésében, nemcsak az egyre nagyobb arányt képviselő szolgáltatószektorban, hanem a termelővállalatoknál is. Ez a tanulmány – a szolgáltatásmenedzsment néhány elfogadott tételének felhasználásával – azt vizsgálja, hogy a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem Versenyképesség Kutató Központja által szervezett versenyképesség-kutatás 3. fordulójának adatai alapján mit tudunk mondani ma Magyarországon a szolgáltatásokról. Fő megállapításai szerint hazánkban a termelővállalatok ma felkészültebbek a szolgáltatások nyújtása terén, mint maguk a szolgáltatók. Erőfeszítéseiket nemcsak a szolgáltatásminőség javítására, hanem a szolgáltatásnyújtási folyamat fejlesztésére is fordítják. A nagyobb erőfeszítés pedig erőteljesebb hatást gyakorol a vállalatok jövedelmezőségére és a vevői érték növekedésére egyaránt. ______ Service activities nowadays play a crucial role in developed economies. This statement is true not only in the ever increasing service sector, but also at manufacturing companies. This study gives a picture about services in the Hungarian economy on the basis of the 3rd round competitiveness survey organized by the Competitiveness Research Centre of Corvinus University of Budapest. Some hypotheses based on classical service management issues are tested. According to the most important conclusions, manufacturing companies in Hungary are more prepared today to provide services than the service sector itself. Manufacturing companies put efforts both into improving service quality and processes. And these efforts appear in increasing profitability and customer value.

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.

Subtractive and additive manufacturing technology in moulding industry

This report is a review of additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques. This approach (additive manufacturing) has resided largely in the prototyping realm, where the methods of producing complex freeform solid objects directly from a computer model without part-specific tooling or knowledge. But these technologies are evolving steadily and are beginning to encompass related systems of material addition, subtraction, assembly, and insertion of components made by other processes. Furthermore, these various additive processes are starting to evolve into rapid manufacturing techniques for mass-customized products, away from narrowly defined rapid prototyping. Taking this idea far enough down the line, and several years hence, a radical restructuring of manufacturing could take place. Manufacturing itself would move from a resource base to a knowledge base and from mass production of single use products to mass customized, high value, life cycle products, majority of research and development was focused on advanced development of existing technologies by improving processing performance, materials, modelling and simulation tools, and design tools to enable the transition from prototyping to manufacturing of end use parts.

Process Monitoring and Defect Detection of Additive Manufacturing Using Inline Coherent Imaging

With applications ranging from aerospace to biomedicine, additive manufacturing (AM) has been revolutionizing the manufacturing industry. The ability of additive techniques, such as selective laser melting (SLM), to create fully functional, geometrically complex, and unique parts out of high strength materials is of great interest. Unfortunately, despite numerous advantages afforded by this technology, its widespread adoption is hindered by a lack of on-line, real time feedback control and quality assurance techniques. In this thesis, inline coherent imaging (ICI), a broadband, spatially coherent imaging technique, is used to observe the SLM process in 15 - 45 $\mu m$ 316L stainless steel. Imaging of both single and multilayer builds is performed at a rate of 200 $kHz$, with a resolution of tens of microns, and a high dynamic range rendering it impervious to blinding from the process beam. This allows imaging before, during, and after laser processing to observe changes in the morphology and stability of the melt. Galvanometer-based scanning of the imaging beam relative to the process beam during the creation of single tracks is used to gain a unique perspective of the SLM process that has been so far unobservable by other monitoring techniques. Single track processing is also used to investigate the possibility of a preliminary feedback control parameter based on the process beam power, through imaging with both coaxial and 100 $\mu m$ offset alignment with respect to the process beam. The 100 $\mu m$ offset improved imaging by increasing the number of bright A-lines (i.e. with signal greater than the 10 $dB$ noise floor) by 300\%. The overlap between adjacent tracks in a single layer is imaged to detect characteristic fault signatures. Full multilayer builds are carried out and the resultant ICI images are used to detect defects in the finished part and improve upon the initial design of the build system. Damage to the recoater blade is assessed using powder layer scans acquired during a 3D build. The ability of ICI to monitor SLM processes at such high rates with high resolution offers extraordinary potential for future advances in on-line feedback control of additive manufacturing.

Development of a knowledge sharing framework for improving the testing processes in global product development

As identified by Griffin (1997) and Kahn (2012), manufacturing organisations typically improve their market position by accelerating their product development (PD) cycles. One method for achieving this is to reduce the time taken to design, test and validate new products, so that they can reach the end customer before competition. This paper adds to existing research on PD testing procedures by reporting on an exploratory investigation carried out in a UK-based manufacturing plant. We explore the organisational and managerial factors that contribute to the time spent on testing of new products during development. The investigation consisted of three sections, viz. observations and process modelling, utilisation metrics and a questionnaire-based investigation, from which a proposed framework to improve and reduce the PD time cycle is presented. This research focuses specifically on the improvement of the utilisation of product testing facilities and the links to its main internal stakeholders - PD engineers.