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Introduction
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Publications
Publications (212)
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology for rapidly and reliably capturing, representing and analysing process systems to facilitate the potential for operations performance improvement within a complex product design and manufacturing facility operating in a high‐performance business environment.
Design/methodology/approach...
The selection and implementation of good operations practice cannot be undertaken in isolation; it must consider the enterprise context. The aim of this paper is to describe a robust process for the development of specific environment good operations practice role profiles for supervisors, and illustrate this through a case study within a complex c...
Purpose
– The techniques that help organisations implement leading edge cost and quality practices in manufacturing operations management are typically disparate and generic in nature. There is a need to identify integrated practices at the right level of granularity, based on a clear definition of the existing operations practices. This paper prop...
Asian-based enterprises providing high-technology mass market products to developed countries are competing in a marketplace where customers are demanding the highest standards of service. To develop successful product service capabilities, including technological change, product differentiation, timing, contingency planning, marketing and financia...
Electronic publishing, which is the production of a book or an e-book electronically, encompasses all processes involved in the production such as electronic communication, production, authoring, submission, reviewing, transfer and output. This study examines a radical transformation process to turn a conventional sector into an electronic sector....
Data visualization now benefits from developments in technologies that offer innovative ways of presenting complex data. Potentially these have widespread application in communicating the complex information domains typical of manufacturing sequence management environments for global enterprises. In this paper the authors review the visualization f...
Many complex products are now developed collaboratively across enterprises in a geographically extended and time-extended process. High-frequency changes to the initial design requirements are typically requested; this is due to service needs, legislative directives, and market feedback. Responding to these requirement changes requires a cost impac...
The authors identify determinants for successful product innovation strategy management. The importance of a flexible and dynamic strategy is illustrated through case studies in 4 large manufacturing companies. A framework is proposed to guide effective management of product innovation strategy.
The authors present a structure for identifying and linking the important criteria for success in critical outsourcing. Characteristics of activities have been widely outsourced are mapped to business metrics. The result provides guidelines and frameworks for both researchers and practitioners to craft and develop appropriate outsourcing relationsh...
Defining and agreeing the product requirements is especially important when the design and manufacture of a system is part of an Extended Enterprise. To realize an all-inclusive concurrent engineering process, tools for the upstream design activities are needed. In practice, it is often difficult for the companies to have a shared understanding of...
The evolution of product requirements in an automotive extended enterprise often involves numerous time consuming interactions
between the vehicle manufacturer and their suppliers. It is necessary to manage these interactions and the associated design
information in order to ensure transparency such that engineering designers are informed about any...
Requirements engineering is a distinctive discipline. It makes use of a systematic methodology to identify, document, formalize, manage, maintain, verify, validate and disseminate the requirements related to a particular project, system, product or service during its whole life cycle. The increase in the complexity means the relevance of
this recen...
The specification activity is a critical enabler for collaborative product development through an extended enterprise. Often this activity involves numerous iterations before a shared understanding of the product requirements is achieved since various omissions, ambiguities and assumptions have to be resolved. This paper will present a framework fo...
Potential crisis situations are all around us; often we just adopt coping tactics and viable mitigating technologies. These strategies may not be the best solution to a crisis state.
The author illustrates this by example of some coping tactics and technologies adopted to deal with a macro crisis situation arising from a business driven technology...
Customer service expectations are crucially important challenges presenting a crisis level challenge for the maintenance service industry. This paper describes and defines the crisis and presents a mechanism to deliver customer driven maintenance service in an advanced technology industry.
The authors present the Requirements Driven Maintenance Se...
The authors provide a structured differentiation of the maintenance service across product sector types. It is shown that fast moving, high function consumer products have special service requirements. A case study in a global, mass market, high end electronic consumer products illustrates the special opportunities for the application of Requiremen...
This paper describes a methodology to identify the different types of stakeholders in the high technology product market and to identify their requirements. The methodology presented provides a basis for sustainable competition that exploits global market opportunities and enables ultra fast to market products to be supported at a level that meets...
The authors describe a research and applications gap in Requirements Management for the service and maintenance sectors. An example is provided in the context of electronic products for the consumer market.
Companies in major aerospace, automotive and electronics consumer products industries now consider Requirements Management important in realizing business performance. As companies review and enhance their product development processes they will increasingly demand various types of requirement management capabilities. There is lack of clarify on ho...
This paper presents a case study on how Requirement change costs can be estimated by a Tier One supplier within a collaborative design environment. Cost estimates developed from algorithmic and non algorithmic cost models can be highly inaccurate. These models are not able to capture the rationale behind the assumptions made during the cost estimat...
The e-enabling of Requirements Management is proposed as a means to enhance transparent collaboration between OEMs and their system suppliers in the design chain.
The paper presents a case study in the automotive industry to illustrate the process via a new perspective.
The authors describe 3 components that together form the framework for the e-en...
In the context of high technology products offered to a global market place demanding the highest standard of service, this paper describes a methodology to identify the different types of stakeholder and their Requirements.
The case study electronic product requirements are classified and ranked by a requirements analysis matrix and managed by a r...
The emerging challenge of custom manufacturing service is the globalised service network. Globalisation has been accompanied by the strengthening of international organizations and regulations to facilitate the internationalization of trade, finance, production and service. The 'anti-globalisation' movement and many environmental concerns challenge...
The phases of the outsourcing process and the actions required are discussed. The most difficult and the most important phase of o a successful outsourcing process is to know what activities to outsource. The criteria for suppliers selection must be developed and should cover the reasons why the activity is being outsourced, the expected benefits a...
The phases of the outsourcing process and the actions required are discussed. The most difficult and the most important phase of o a successful outsourcing process is to know what activities to outsource. The criteria for suppliers selection must be developed and should cover the reasons why the activity is being outsourced, the expected benefits a...
This paper describes an Automotive Industry Requirements Management Workflow Model. The model embraces the virtual and extended enterprise, combining OEM and Tier One supplier activities. Requirements embraced include: Creation, Translation, Manipulation, Verification and Validation and the Design Solution Verification and Validation.
The workflow...
This paper develops a model describing the management of a service outsourcing with high strategic and financial impact to the client company. Through an exploratory case study of maintenance outsourcing in a pulp for paper company it is proposed that the outsourcing management has three levels. The main management activities of each level are pres...
First tier suppliers are responsible for a high degree of the design and development of automotive systems. The initial specification is normally incomplete as suppliers conduct benchmarking activities and respond with alternative design options. This paper presents a case study on a seating system for a new vehicle showing how the documentation an...
Organizations cannot manage all their outsourcing needs with a "one size fits all" design. Some outsourcing are important because of the volume of business they represent and others because they affect the future of the company. During the phase when outsourcing first become a fad, many companies saw it as a simple and effective prescription for su...
This paper presents a prototype tool for the electronic - enabling of product specifications founded on ontology constructs. This tool provides a shared conceptualisation of the knowledge needed to define the product specification in an automotive supply chain system.
The tool provides a high specification, coherent and consistent structuring of th...
A systematic approach to the management of the outsourcing supplier can magnify the potential for outsourcing success. This paper identifies and examines the gaps - inefficiencies / disturbances - that cause lack of alignment and linear continuation between client and supplier.
Inclusive concurrent engineering in a contracted out environment requires the unambiguous definition of product requirements. Through a case study in the automotive sector the authors present an application ontology to address this issue.
A model of a requirements management tool is presented showing how the product systems and associated levels o...
The KaryaNet is an ebook portal to gather all Malaysian scholars and writers in a virtual production house across all Malay speaking nations. This paper describes the vision, experience, and challenges in developing and implementing this ambitious higher learning e-books project.
Extensive collaboration through the Supply Chain offers significant competitive advantage. The Specification Management challenge is to create and maintain agreement of the design requirements of contracted out system modules throughout the Supply Chain.
The authors discuss the problems and issues associated with specification activities. Specifica...
This paper presents a case study on how an automotive OEM and their Tier 1 suppliers create and maintain agreement of the engineering design requirements together with the decision making and communications during new product development.
The competitive advantage of e-enabling the process and for integration with existing engineering environments...
Suppliers to the automotive industry need to be able to readily accommodate design changes from the original equipment supplier. This paper presents current practice of a strategic system in a Tier 1 supplier dealing with evolving OEM requirements. The means by which the supplier manages the OEM requests, assesses the resulting impacts on cost and...
The aim of this paper is to present and discuss a case study on how an Original Equipment Manufacturer's technical design center translates and integrates legislative environmental requirements into their product range. The integration of these environmental requirements during the conceptual design phase, where the significant proportion of resour...
In the automotive industry the activities of documenting the design options and generating the necessary request for quotations, for Tier 1 system suppliers to be awarded contracts for design and development, is complex and time-consuming since these activities are predominately manual and paper-based. Thus, a knowledge-based tool is being develope...
A knowledge-based requirements management tool is being developed for the automotive industry to aid in the specification of modular systems whose development is contracted out to the supply chain. The aim of this tool is to allow the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and their system suppliers to have a shared conceptualization of the product...
Adherence to planned sequence is critical in Just-In-Time Lean Manufacturing (JITLM) environments such as that of the high volume automotive industry. The production efficiencies that Just-In-Time Lean Manufacturing provides are maximized where delivery of components and assemblies to production is matched by assembly of those components to a finis...
Outsourcing needs a good monitoring and management system; in the case of strategic outsourcing the risks associated are potentially large. This paper presents a framework for a performance management system to manage both contractor and the outsourcing in a strategic outsourcing situation. The framework was developed during a case study of mainten...
The integration of automotive product design and production information between the OEM and the Tier1 suppliers can confer competitive advantage. The scope of current PDM systems to handle the large and complex data sets in this domain are considered through a case study in a leading European automotive supply chain.
A framework is proposed that th...
This Blue Book introduces Cost Engineering concepts, techniques, current status and issues. We discuss the need for Cost Engineering and introduce various cost-estimating methods. Cost management, cost reduction approaches and state-of-the-art practices in hardware and software cost estimating are reported. The work focuses on the aerospace, automo...
The authors describe the creation of a customised airline cabin product through the relation between brand, offering and consumer perception. This is achieved through the integration of brand essence via all possible communication channels of the human senses available between airline and consumer.
The techniques presented enable the understanding...
This paper presents a framework for a performance management system to manage both the supplier and outsourcing in a strategic, competitive advantage and ongoing situation. It is argued that the system presented, based in a cause and effect structure of measures, can effectively manage strategic outsourcing and its provision. It provides a common l...
Website within the voluntary sector provide a platform for groups to access information, share opinion, catalogue links to other site. Group knowledge is more difficult to access and exchange. There is a need to release and exploit knowledge within voluntary groups and to balance the preservation of ownership and power of individual groups so they...
The authors present an investigation into methodologies to integrate branding into the product design process. This is distinct from subsequent application of brand identity elements into the product for consumer perception.
A study map provides a summary of techniques that might link brand and product values. This can provide significant business...
A new framework with an implementation methodology for viable operation and sustained growth in start up and Small Medium Sized Enterprises is presented. The Framework embraces all the Business Processes needed for successful operation. The business process attributes identified as management drivers for quality are described.
The framework and im...
This paper describes the innovative generic business process set (GBPS) model and how this may be used as a functional template for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participating in a virtual enterprise. The authors provide specific emphasis on the use of information communication and technology (ICT) in business applications and show how...
In response to increased levels of global competition, organisations are improving the effectiveness of core-competences by outsourcing the responsibilities for non-core functions to specialised organisations; for example, maintenance of equipment. In process industries, maintenance is very closely linked to the company's core-competence, productio...
A number of brand positioning activities cause consumer confusion in delivering brand satisfaction, often resulting in brand rejection; the real evidence of brand dissatisfaction. Academic theory and industrial practice is used to identify factors that formulate consumer satisfaction culture. In the context of the Airline industry this study contri...
A conventional scatter plot representation of actual and planned manufacturing sequence is difficult to interpret without significant background knowledge of both local conditions and the generic manufacturing process. Visualisation can remove these barriers and promote understanding of the underlying manufacturing conditions that contribute to a g...
In evaluating brands, consumer perceptions are the bottom line. Peter Sackett and Efstathios Kefallonitis note that problems arise from lack of differentiation, too much or confusing information, dysfunctional products and services, uncoordinated brand media, and the failure to temper global approaches with an understanding of local or regional cul...
This paper specifically addresses fast Time-To-Market for newly created entrepreneurial businesses. Start up companies are an increasing feature of the economic landscape. These experience high failure rates in the first 3 years of operation often apart of the problem is slow Time-To-Market.
Digital technology has enabled rapid product development....
Core functional capability of Requirements Management is described and developed through Requirements management tools. This paper outlines the current research on Requirements Management and identifies a gap in the Maintenance and Service Requirements Management System domain, particularly in the context of complex electro mechanical consumer prod...
A framework and methodology for the integration of culture and technology illustrated via real business processes.
Following a fast introduction of quality standards in the UK in the 1980s and early 1990s the take up of formal quality management systems in Small & Medium Sized manufacturing Companies has been disappointing. The authors suggest a process based system for SME application.
Requirements Management with product definition across an enterprise is difficult. The authors describe how proposed changes are managed, impacts of change are determined, and individual impacts are ranked. In the context of a major automotive company a framework is presented using existing product information to drive product change impact analysi...
This paper explores how an enterprise model can be used as a template for the delivery of, for example, the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative, SFEDI, standards for small business and as a medium for lifelong learning and workforce development.
A new small enterprise model is introduced that identifies and describes 52 specific business...
This paper describes the Global Business process Set Model and how this may be used a a functional template for Small and medium Sized Enterprises participating in a virtual enterprise.
The model introduces, identifies and describes 52 validated specific business processes: the Global Business process Set. A framework and methodology for the appli...
The challenges facing SMEs that have growth as a strategic business objective are identifies and characterised via the EFQM excellence model. These challenges are translated to identify the key deficiencies in SME business management.
The authors present a framework for SME sustained growth by removing the gaps in business management. This framewor...
The company web site is the most popular e-business application; establishing and maintaining these sites is expensive and the business benefits are often not clear. There is little empirical research concerning the best and most cost effective practice.
This paper investigates use of the web as a primary investment choice for market channel.
This...
This paper presents a methodology for cost assessment of Product Data Management by the impact on product design quality and process design quality. The engineering process is seen as a system and the output of the system is the design quality.
The impact of Product Data Management is first identified qualitatively and a method of quantification of...
The key management deficiencies preventing the realisation of the Smart Organisation in Small and Medium sized enterprises are investigated. A solution is formulated based upon the use of proven and internationally recognised methods.
A framework is presented built upon 6 internationally accepted standards. A method of implementation of the integra...
The chapter outlines the evolving nature of the definition and adoption of Knowledge Management in manufacturing business. A distinction is made between the manufacturing information streams of e business and commerce and the technical engineering information.
The importance of Knowledge Management and its direction is discussed particularly in the...
Small companies face an increasingly turbulent business environment. They are traditionally ‘power’ cultures, with informal, chaotic, communication flows. This has enabled them to maintain flexibility. However, informal information is no longer enough in the face of complexity. These companies need to concentrate onformal information for traceabili...
This paper investigates empowerment within manufacturing production. Empowerment is multidimensional. Understanding the implications of operationalising empowerment requires an appreciation of all its dimensions. These dimensions are captured in Empowerment Profiles, which are incorporated within a conceptual framework. A sample of the Empowerment...
We present Accurate Response Manufacturing as a means for realising cooperative competition in discrete product manufacturing industries serving volatile industries. New technology means these sectors can exploit supply chain management techniques.
The manufacturing business domain for Accurate Response Manufacturing is identified by further devel...
Technology transfer has been largely undertaken as an isolated, an individual, a geographically local, and a sequential process. The global interest in technology transfer has led to substantial practitioner experience and the emergence of alternative structures to support the process. Currently it is hard to exploit the available diverse and dispe...
The authors describe an advanced application of Benchmaking, implemented through a structured Knowledge Transfer Framework that can lead to Win-Win Benchmarking where both the enterprises displaying better practices and the under performers can secure benefits.
The framework has been realised in eleven Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Unit...
Barriers to company growth from an examination of 90 case studies demonstrates that Business Process understanding is crucial.
The benefits of Product Data Management most frequently arise from intangibles. This paper presents a framework for cost assessing investment in Product Data Management that enables the intangible benefits to be included within a conventional cost justification process.
Existing models for justifying PDM are reviewed. The development of a new model, based on the review and the input from practitioners, is described in detail. Particular attention is paid to performance metrics to be adopted these include Labour, Engineering Change, Time to Market/ Lead Time, Quality. Example calculations of reduction in Time to Ma...
Increasingly automotive manufacturers are aiming for mass customisation, providing such a variety of products that nearly everyone can find what they want. More product variety is causing escalating costs and complexity in the manufacturing system. It is not clear how the manufacturing system engendered by lean production will respond to this chall...
In this paper the 'Technology Transfer Operations Envelope' is presented. Good Practice for selected zones of the envelope is described in regional, large company, and small and medium sized enterprise domains. Critical success factors in these domains are identified. By recognising the characteristics of the Technology Transfer environment and rel...
This paper explores strategies for managing the supply of material to vehicle assembly. A Decision Support Model is used to demonstrate the implications of moving from one supply strategy to another, and specifically moving to System Supply. Approaches for costing analysis are reviewed to define the theoretical basis of the Decision Support Model....
The authors argue that the mapping of Benchmarking as a Knowledge Transfer and improvement process provides the baseline for a business improvement tool, providing task specific solutions embracing better practices and innovative advances. The analysis connects to business performance and is supplemented by a process to re-calibrate the company tow...
The impact of globalization on manufacturing affects all aspects of the operational systems. The authors outline the key issues in Globalization, in particular the process of knowledge development and exploitation and look at where this is heading.
The importance of time to market for new knowledge is shown related to the CASA/SME enterprise model.
The Virtual Corporation , composed of several autonomous temporary alliances add significant capability to individual SME ability to respond to business opportunities. This paper illustrates a Virtual Corporation model, showing the interaction between SMEs workflow management coalitions and how advanced technologies can assist SMEs maintain their c...
Small manufacturing companies are always under pressure from market drift. This effect is heightened by global competition, and these companies are finding it harder to satisfy the demands of customers higher up the supply chain. They also at risk from the increasing tendency for companies to reduce their supplier base. They need to be agile, with...
Lean systems and mass customisation are common objectives. The authors describe a total cost modelling approach to inform decisions on management of supply modes and the implications of cascading assembly activity down the supply chain.
This research focuses on business processes within intense customer-supplier relationships. The authors map experiences from the ESPRIT AITEAR project to make comparisons between models of the Extended Enterprise and changes that are taking place in the textile and garment industry. Barriers to the operation of the Extended Enterprise are described...
This paper presents a pilot study undertaken in a Small Manufacturing Company to identify the Information resources required for the company to be Customer-Focused.
The importance of Customer-Focus, the methodology and the role of Information Resource Management is discussed. The application of the methodology and how it can be further developed to...
This work describes Accurate Response Manufacturing as a strategic reaction to the challenge of satisfying unpredictable short term customer demand.
The application and the importance of ARM is addressed and illustrated by case study example.
The future direction of ARM is considered and the significance of organisational change such as decentral...
Knowledge Management has been characterised by creative opportunities for a personal definition and a lack of a clear definition. In this text the context is manufacturing and Knowledge Management is defined as the process of crating and delivering new customer value. The work emphasises Knowledge management as a process and a way of thinking. Seve...
The cost implications of custom option capability can be severe. To adopt mass customisation in the automotive context well established and excellent core capabilities are required. Conflicts in design / marketing/ manufacturing must be strategically co-ordinated.
This paper develops and illustrates an intelligent manufacturing decision support tool based on Diagnostic Benchmarking.
We show the potential to enhance company performance beyond current Best Practice. The diagnostic model assists small companies in business improvement. The model prioritises areas for improvement and shows how best or better pra...
This paper considers what information resources are needed to become Customer focussed. The work is related to the emerging information intensive small manufacturing enterprise.
The Burke and Horton approach is expanded to accommodate the complexity of the company domain under consideration where unstable products and markets leads to complexity an...
In response to European business pressures, an innovation-mediated model of production is emerging with an emphasis on the integration of the physical and intellectual capabilities of employees. Empowerment underpins the basis of competition in the emerging business environment. The authors develop a rigorous definition of empowerment that encompas...
This paper describes the development of the RapidPDM project: an ESPRIT project designed to facilitate the rapid implementation of Product Data Management in the discrete parts manufacturing industry.
The first trials and initial results are presented. The goal of the project is to reduce the time, cost, effort and risk of implementation of PDM ac...
Manufacturing industry’s success in reducing time-to-market, costs, environmental impact; and improving quality, and flexibility, has exposed an underlying factor limiting further significant improvement in competitive performance - the effective management of production data. This article identifies the business benefits of product data management...
This paper covers a recent pilot study undertaken in a small manufacturing company. The purpose was to identify the information resources which the company required to be Customer-Focused, and to test whether the methodology used is appropriate. The reasons why Customer-Focus in small companies is considered a relevant area and why the particular m...
Draws on the convergence in enterprise and manufacturing strategies apparent in the established theories and models. Develops this form through enterprise-wide competitive dimensions into a customizable business environment and manufacturing technology/programme-specific support framework. This generic framework links the competitive dimensions, th...
The symptoms of poor product data management (PDM), data
visibility, accessibility and reliability, are evident in many
engineering environments. Data discipline has been lost in the
proliferation of computer-based tools in a fragmented product
development lifecycle. In this paper the authors try to isolate the
golden rules of PDM. Process manageme...
Accurate Response involves the re-evaluation of business processes. The authors outline an infrastructure to support the implementation of a manufacturing strategy to counter the competitive pressures facing the garment and textile sectors in Europe and world-wide.
The research focuses on intense customer supplier relationships and articulates th...
Global business pressures have forced manufacturers to restructure design and production processes, adopting radically different management practices to gain competitive advantage. Employee empowerment continues to receive attention as a means of effectively appropriating and deploying human skills and knowledge. Employees are seen as critical comp...
Manufacturing industry's success in reforming itself has exposed
an underlying factor limiting further significant gains in competitive
performance; the effective management of product data. The growth of
computer-based systems has led to the existence of a large amount of
product definition data, stored in various locations and formats. To
achieve...