Janet Smart

University of Oxford | OX · Saïd Business School

This paper uses a multiple case-study methodology to investigate complexity transfer (CT) in manufacturing supplier-customer systems, leading to a new model of complexity transfer. An entropic-related complexity measure is applied to three supplier-customer systems, internally within each organisation and at their supplier-customer interface. The r...

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the theoretical and applied understanding of complexity transfers in supply chains through cross-case analysis of seven in-depth case studies conducted in UK manufacturing companies in the last ten years. An informationtheoretic methodology was followed in all cases, using entropy as a measure of comple...

Within the supply chain context, schedule instability is caused by revisions to forecast demand from customers, problems with scheduled deliveries from suppliers, and disruptions to internal production. Supply chain partners attempt to address schedule instability by regular exchanges of information flows on current demand and delivery forecasts. H...

This paper proposes a method for analysing the operational complexity in supply chains by using an entropic measure based on information theory. The proposed approach estimates the operational complexity at each stage of the supply chain and analyses the changes between stages. In this paper a stage is identified by the exchange of data and/or mate...

This paper considers the issues around managing large scientific projects, and draws conclusions for the governance and management of FuturICT, based on previous experience of Big Science projects, such as CERN and ATLAS. We also consider the legal and ethical issues of the FuturICT project as the funding instrument moves from the Seventh Framework...

A review of the Mass Customization literature shows that there are the beginnings of research activity on operationalising Mass Customization. The main objective of this paper is therefore to explore the issues and interactions governing an enterprise's ability to mass customize. The aim is to identify the key competencies of a manufacturing enterp...

This paper presents the findings of a study with a Unilever bottle-filling plant and its key bottle supplier, ALPLA. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complexity associated with before and after integration. The nature of the complexity alters as the supplier-customer relationship changes, in this case from pre-integration to post-int...

This paper revisits and extends the structural and dynamic complexity measures of manufacturing systems, which are based on an information-theoretic interpretation of the amount of information that is needed to describe the state of a manufacturing system. In this paper, a generic manufacturing system is modelled as a set of interacting resources a...

The main contribution of this paper is the demonstration that, contrary to conventional thinking, a measurable increase in the operational complexity of the production scheduling function between two companies can occur following closer supply chain integration. The paper presents the practical application of previous work carried out and validated...

The primary objective of this paper is to compare five rescheduling strategies according to their effectiveness in reducing entropic-related complexity arising from machine breakdowns in manufacturing systems. Entropic-related complexity is the expected amount of information required to describe the state of the system. Previous case studies carrie...

1 Modern manufacturing supply networks are challenged by demands for flexible responses to demanding customers who require rapid delivery of customized products. Traditional methods of simulation and optimization do not capture enough of the complexity of information flow and agent behaviour to provide adequate means of meeting the challenges to un...

This paper reports on the application of the operational complexity index [Frizelle, G., Woodcock, E., 1995. Measuring complexity as an aid to developing operational complexity. International Journal of Operations and Production Management 15(5), 26–39]. The aim is to address what is the relationship between costs and the complexity index. The inve...

Supply chains are complex, dynamic organisations that may have undesirable properties, such as the Bullwhip effect. Attempts to map supply networks have been frustrated by the dynamic nature of these organizations. A multi- disciplinary research project at the University of Oxford is integrating researchers from the life and social sciences with en...

An agent-based dynamic routing strategy for a generic automated material handling systems (AMHS) is developed. The strategy employs an agent-based paradigm in which the control points of a network of AMHS components are modelled as cooperating node agents. With the inherent features of route discovery a set of shortest and near-shortest path, an av...

We present a methodology for calculating the information-theoretic complexity of a mass customization (MC) manufacturing system, under various inventory management strategies, and identify the parameters of the whole system that are likely to be the most significant in determining overall system complexity. We apply the methods of the information-t...

We analyse the structure and behaviour of a specific voting network using a dynamic structure-based methodology which draws on Q-Analysis and social network theory. Our empirical focus is on the Eurovision Song Contest over a period of 20 years. For a multicultural contest of this kind, one of the key questions is how the quality of a song is judge...

Even structurally simple supplier–customer systems can be operationally complex. This operational complexity can be colloquially defined as the uncertainty associated with managing the dynamic variations, in time or quantity, across information and material flows at the supplier–customer interface. This paper proposes a means of measuring the infor...

Although the word complexity is often used by engineers who are trying to re-design or re-organize a system, a formal definition of the term is often lacking. This paper introduces and extends the application of the concept of entropy to the quantitative analysis of complexity in the design and study of manufacturing systems. Sequence disorder comp...

We investigate the complex relationships between countries in the Eurovision Song Contest, by recasting past voting data from 1992–2003 in terms of a dynamical network. Our analysis shows that the UK is remarkably compatible, or ‘in tune’, with other European countries during the period of study. Equally surprising is our finding that some other co...

Complex dynamic systems are wide spread in many industrial sectors such as manufacturing systems, queuing systems and supply chain systems. How to measure the complexity of dynamic decision processes in a complex system is an important issue but yet remains to be solved. In this paper, we apply Shannon's entropy as well as other entropic indices to...

With the prevalence of the Web, most decision-makers are likely to use the Web to support their decision-making. Web-based technologies are leading a major stream of researching decision support systems (DSS). In this paper, we propose a formal definition and a conceptual framework for Web-based open DSS (WODSS). The formal definition gives an over...

The paper analyses non-cooperative behaviour in a two-echelon decentralized supply chain, composed of one supplier and n retailers. For sufficient supply from the supplier, we build the approximate decision model of their base stock level, in which the suppliers' reactions are not considered, and its non-cooperative behaviour is obtained. For insuf...

This chapter identifies and reviews the issues for the mass- customizing manufacturing organization, in terms of quality and flexibility of processes, design of products, customization within the supply chain, performance measures, inventory strategies and ICT. We present a discussion on the competencies that an organization is likely to need for s...

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If you are looking to integrate a supply chain, do not be fooled by the hype. Supply chain integration is only one of a range of options to get a chain to operate more effectively. The authors examine the desirability of integrated supply chains.

This chapter presents a methodology for characterizing a manufacturing enterprise’s mass customization (MC) capability. The methodology is essentially a case study that emphasizes the collection and analysis of quantitative as well as qualitative data. A key component of the methodology is the use of a field workbook to collect triangulated data. T...

Information-theoretic modelling of manufacturing organizations and their supply chains has led to the development of measures of manufacturing complexity. The measures include assessment of the structural, dynamic and decision-making complexity associated with the processing and movement of material and information around a manufacturing system. A...

The author presents a simple model of how a manufacturing system, under human management, evolves over time. Such a system shows cycles of simple, regular operations, alternating with stressful, difficult behaviour

In a dynamic environment such as the supply chain, even basic supplier-customer systems with structurally simple information and material flow formations have a tendency to exhibit operational complexity. The operational complexity of supplier-customer systems is primarily characterised by the uncertainty of the system. As the operational complexit...

The operational complexity of supply chains can vary with the volatility of customer demands, reliability of material supply, predictability of internal performance, and the effectiveness of management and control policies in place. Based on insights from real- life case studies, this paper explores some practical policies available to organisation...

Information variety and uncertainty are the key elements of complexity in manufacturing systems. An information-theoretic model based on entropy is proposed here. The model shows the interaction between the scheduling function and the production function, which provides a realistic framework for the control of complexity in manufacturing systems. T...

Manufacturing facilities may simplify their operations by converting from a process-based layout to manufacturing cells. Mathematically, many possible configurations of cells exist, so it may prove computationally infeasible to analyse them all. Also, some current methods of cell design do not take account of the pattern of demand of the existing p...

The theory `keep it simple' is universally known, but too many companies apply it by exporting their complexity and costs to their own suppliers and customers. In the days of supply-chain competition, this has become a dangerous strategy. Effective management of information flows allows control of the passing of information complexity through the s...

Information transfer within supply chains is often complex. The static and dynamic characteristics as well as the level of predictability and control of supply chain information contribute to the overall level of complexity within the system. This paper reports on the progress of a project in collaboration with a major UK company and one of its sup...

Previous work in manufacturing has identified complexity as a relevant topic in this field. However, there is a high diversity of opinions on what complexity is, why it should be measured and how this can be done. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of manufacturing complexity and of the relationship between the system’s complex...

Manufacturers are under many pressures to change the way they do things. There are the pressures to reduce product development times, to provide customised products within a volume manufacturing environment, to make frequent deliveries and hold low levels of stock. All these are laudable aims, but achieving them in an orderly manner is not easy. Wh...

This paper describes how modelling and simulation are used in a case study which assesses the complexity of a manufacturing system and its effect on planning and scheduling reliability in order to identify directions for improvement. The approach chosen, the real system and the structure of the model are briefly presented. A direct relationship bet...

This paper describes the approach adopted in a case-study involving the modelling and simulation of a process-based manufacturing system. The results presented are part of an on-going project on assessing manufacturing complexity and its effect on schedule reliability in manufacturing. We emphasise the importance of a thorough knowledge and underst...

Today’s manufacturing environment is characterised by ever shorter product life cycles, greater product variety and quicker response to customers’ demands. To satisfy these requirements, manufacturers introduce greater flexibility to their process, which may lead to higher levels of complexity and uncertainty. Planning and scheduling are affected b...

The need to have high integrity, structurally bonded adhesive and sealant joints throughout many industries, such as the automotive and aerospace industries, is increasing. To ensure process integrity, strict process control of the automated dispensing cell is essential. Many industries require the use of continuous beads of adhesive or sealant in...

The generation and repair of schedules in the dynamic environment of a major UK automobile manufacturer provided challenging a testbed for real-time tools to support the schedulers. A tool was developed, described in the paper, featuring a distinction between schedule assessment and amendment, together with heuristic methods for dynamic iterative s...

Although optimal schedules may be produced, the conditions under which those schedules remain optimal are unlikely to last for long, given the highly dynamic nature of the factory and the complexity of the informal, short-lived objectives and constraints which arise in practice, together with the shifting market conditions and the prevailing goal o...

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The need for having high-integrity, structurally bonded adhesive and sealant joints throughout many industries such as automotive and aerospace is increasing. To ensure process integrity, strict process control of the automated dispensing cell is essential. Many industries require the use of continuous beads of adhesive or sealant in applications w...

Artificial Intelligence has been applied in process control, using a range of AI techniques, such as rules, fuzzy logic and neural nets, and architectures, including blackboards, layered architectures and, most recently, distributed and multi-agent architectures. In the early days, expert systems in process control were seen as a way of possibly re...

Artificial Intelligence has been applied in process control, using a range of AI techniques, such as rules, fuzzy logic and neural nets, and architectures, including blackboards, layered architectures and, most recently, distributed and multi-agent architectures. In the early days, expert systems in process control were seen as a way of possibly re...

A project is underway to construct an IKBS for fault diagnosis in a process control system able to cope with both single and multiple faults, and which generate explanation describing the reasoning underlying a particular diagnosis. The diagnosis system here uses qualitative modelling and deep knowledge techniques in which a behavioural and structu...

Fault diagnosis is one of the largest application domains in expert systems. But most of diagnostic systems concentrated on constructing systems for simulation and diagnosis, and neglected the user’s (operator) need for explanations for the reasoning. The objective of this work is to build an expert system for fault diagnosis of a process control s...

New techniques are becoming available to control and manage manufacturing plant, including rule-based systems, knowledge-based systems, fuzzy logic, etc. This paper will describe briefly what the terms mean and how they interrelate. It is argued that expert, rule-based systems for control differ fundamentally from traditional control systems becaus...

An intelligent knowledge based system is being developed in Queen Mary College for the tasks of monitoring, fault diagnosis and safety action in process control. The problem considered is to monitor the process behaviour and diagnose any of the following faults in the system. component faults; sensor faults; and controller faults. The authors discu...

To improve the performance of expert systems a deep knowledge approach is recommended, whereby the process is understood in terms of the underlying physical principles and theories. This is important in process control since industrial processes are composed of physical processes. An intelligent knowledge based system is being developed in Queen Ma...

A project is underway to construct an IKBS for fault diagnosis in a process control system, able to cope with both single and multiple faults, and which generates explanations describing the reasoning underlying a particular diagnosis. The authors identify the styles of interaction. They discuss a prototype diagnosis system and a problem involving...

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Artificial intelligence can assist in industrial control in many ways, but this paper concentrates on the role of knowledge-based systems in the areas of control, detection and diagnosis of faults, scheduling and planning. The paper argues that the application of knowledge-based techniques can provide a unification of these and other activities, an...

The purpose of this article is to examine the role of fuzzy sets research from the specific point of view of its application to expert systems. Many research workers in fuzzy sets have suggested that their work is ideally suited to application in expert systems and have directed their research to this end. Within the artificial intelligence communi...

We present an outline of rule-based decision theory where decision knowledge is represented and handled as logical rules, with probability and/or fuzziness. The theory is based on the fundamental belief that people are able to express their opinion on preferences using rules. The paper presents some practical results on obtaining, representing, agg...

We argue that the current performance of expert systems is being limited by their capacity to cope with uncertainty. Probabilistic logics alone are not enough to cope with the many kinds of uncertainty that can occur. We show how modal and quantified logics have been devised to express different types of knowledge and are each a partial solution to...

The paper will present a review of research in fuzzy logic controllers, starting with the initial motivation for this work and going on to present some further developments. Cement kiln control remains one important area where the approach is now being applied, but other applications are appearing from the many research workers who have contributed...

Logic plays an important role within expert systems of enabling inference and representing meaning. We analyse and compare several logics in terms of their topic-neutral items, emphasizing the importance of semantic, as well as syntactic, validity. Fuzzy logic and PRUF are assessed for mechanizability. It is concluded that the existing logics are l...

Some preliminary results with a new approach to the problem of ranking fuzzy sets are reported. It is argued that previous attempts are inadequate since they rely on numerical representations of the essential features of the problem and therefore de-fuzzify it. A linguistic representation is preferred and it is shown how traditional concepts such a...

We examine the inconsistencies in the current notion of fuzzy truth values and show how these have arisen from an attempt to equate two separate concepts. We argue that any approximate reasoning system based on truth functional modification is redundnat and inefficient.

A report is presented on some preliminary results with a new approach to the problem of ranking fuzzy sets. The authors argue that previous methods are inadequate since they rely on numerical representations of the essential features of the problem and, therefore, defuzzify it. The authors prefer a linguistic representation and show how traditional...

Multi-attribute decision-making is treated in this paper as a special kind of structured human problem solving. Emphasis is placed on the use of the available knowledge about utilities, which is obtained by combining heuristics and traditional aggregation methods. In this way, the problem of partial utilities and their interdependence may be solved...

Multiattribute decisionaking (DM) is treated as a special kind of structured human problem solving. Emphasis is placed on the use of the available knowledge about utilities, which is obtained by combining heuristics and traditional aggregation methods. In this way, the problem of partial utilities and their interdependence may be solved. A fuzzy ap...

In the evaluation of complex systems, many different performance criteria must be considered. The usual ways of doing this, by assessing partial utilities and aggregating them, have some theoretical and practical problems, which are discussed. To overcome these problems, a new approach to system evaluation is proposed, which introduces some concept...

Mass customization (MC) aims to satisfy customers’ diverse demands with attractive product prices and short customer waiting time by adopting advanced management and manufacturing technologies. Theoretically, mass customization does not permit any stock of finished goods (FG). This optimal target can be achieved if there is a rapid and efficient su...

Researchers have been analyzing network robustness by two approaches, namely network modelling and network analysis. However, there are no consensuses on the use of the network metrics. This paper studies two commonly used network metrics on the study of network robustness, namely average shortest path and diameter, and tries to develop a general p...

1. ABSTRACT Manufacturing systems are reorganizing and re-engineering themselves to respond to the rapidly changing market. Systems are required to modify frequently to meet the uncertain demand. Modifications could be adding or removing processes, reallocation of working resources and changes to buffer sizes. However, due to the lack of understand...

With increasing responsiveness demanded of manufacturers, enhanced flexibility of operations is often advocated. However, the trade-off between costs and benefits of providing flexibility remains little understood. As a prerequisite for establishing this trade-off the implications for management and the control system to ensure that potential flexi...

This paper reports the progress on a project to investigate the information complexity of industrial supply chains. Information complexity, in terms of larger varieties of supply network structure, information characteristics, order characteristics, and control policies within the supply system, can increase the difficulty of co-ordination and infl...

While manufacturers are urged to achieve higher standards of complexity and flexibility, few methods exist to guide them on how to measure these qualities, never mind achieve them. An information theoretic measure of complexity has been developed, extending the work of Frizelle, and is introduced briefly in this paper. This measure forms the basis...

In order to obtain and maintain a competitive advantage in today's marketplace, manufacturing firms must overcome hidden constraints to achieve optimal use of Computer Integrated Manufacturing Information Systems (CIMIS). This calls for an analysis of the enterprise with respect to goals, objectives and capabilities of manufacturing and information...