124 research outputs found
A Case Investigation of Product Structure Complexity in Mass Customization using a Data Mining Approach
No full textThis paper presents a data mining method for analyzing historical configurationdata providing a number of opportunities for improving mass customizationcapabilities. The overall objective of this paper is to investigate how specificquantitative analyses, more specifically the association rule Apriori, can support thedevelopment within the three fundamental mass customization capabilities. Theresults of the Apriori analysis can be utilized for improving the configuration process by introducing soft constraints and consolidating the product structure by joining components or modules and finally for improving production planning and control
Exploring a Data-Augmented Approach for Improved Module Driver Analysis
No full textSince the invention of the modular function deployment (MFD) method in the 1990s, the amount and volume of available data in manufacturing companies has increased substantially. This paper explores the possibility of augmenting the analysis of module drivers using data commonly available in manufacturing companies to provide decision support to managers and analysts during design or re-design of modular product platforms. This is achieved by analyzing the 12 module drivers of the MFD method against available data in a case company to propose novel metrics for evaluation. It is found that while some module drivers lend themselves favorably towards data-based analysis, others are inherently more complicated to quantify through available data. Utilizing a data-driven approach to augment the module driver analysis provides a less subjective estimate of the module drivers and presents analysts with an improved decision foundation for modular product platform design
Impact of Dough Property Characterization on Industrial Bread Production
No full textGlobal markets are moving towards increased product variety and shorter product lifespan, and this also applies to bakery products from large industrial bakeries. Application of the business strategy mass customization could potentially counter this, as this strategy aims for offering customized products at near mass production cost. However, today the production is characterised by experienced-based adjustments of the processes and long product development time, which is partly caused by lack of knowledge of the dough properties and analysis of the dough at industrial settings. To address this, a protocol for analysis of large deformation properties for yeasted wheat dough samples from industrial bakeries has been established. Test of the new protocol revealed that it was able to differentiate between some variables such as different dough types, while some other variables were not possible to detect with this protocol. The perspectives for the analysis protocol may be to develop a range of industrial applicable analysis methods, which can be used for predictable, reliable and objective measurements of the dough. However, before the industrial dough analyses can be fully utilised, it is necessary to make a model of the correlations between all the variable relevant for the final product, including ingredient properties and process parameters. This is a prerequisite before mass customization can be implemented.</p
Product Architecture Mining: Identifying Current Architectural Solutions
No full textModular product architectures are for many manufacturing companies seen as one of the solutions to an ever-increasing demand for more customized products. However, the transition from a non-modular to a modular product portfolio can be difficult and hard to realize. Previous research has focused on creating ontologies and data models in order to create new knowledge to be used during this transformation process. However, these models require extensive information and data and are therefore difficult to incorporate in today’s industry. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to present an approach to create a data model in which it is possible to use data mining technics to generate valuable knowledge for the transition process and the continuous management of a portfolio of modular product architectures. The approach and techniques are presented through a company case and a discussion is made on the usability of the result
Methods and Models to Evaluate the Investment of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems:Literature Review and Research Directions
No full textReconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS) have been proposed as a means to accommodate today’s dynamic requirements in a rapid and cost-efficient way. However, the industrial transition towards RMS is limited as it is perceived to be uneconomic due to an increased initial investment, yet desirable for the ability to respond to uncertainty and co-evolve with life-time requirements. This ability makes economic evaluation of RMS concepts inherently complex, which is not supported by traditional approaches. Nevertheless, concept evaluation remains critical during development as the majority of the life-time cost is determined by initial design decisions. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review state-of-the-art literature to provide an overview of methods and models to evaluate the investment of RMS. Papers were retrieved from a structured subject search and screening, then classified according to seven characteristics, and mapped in a decision tree to aid practitioners in the selection of suitable evaluation approaches. Based on the review, there is a lack of quantitative models for comparative investment evaluation which is validated in industry and consider network implications, uncertainty and life-time requirements. To mitigate this gap, aforementioned is proposed as viable directions for further research
Implementing Virtual Prototyping for the Production of Customized Products:An SME Study
No full textA virtual prototype which enables the configuration and validation of a customized product is a vital component when handling complexity in mass customization. Developing virtual prototypes for the configuration, validation and production of customized products is, however, often resource consuming and therefore challenging. It can be especially resource-consuming for SMEs as they are smaller than traditional companies that perform mass customization. This study focuses on SMEs and aims to identify and investigate the barriers to implementing virtual prototypes in the design process. It is assumed that a deeper understanding of these barriers will help companies overcome these challenges. On the basis of empirical data from 16 Danish SMEs, this study starts by identifying the barriers to implementing virtual prototypes in the design process. Next, some of these barriers are investigated in detail by means of a case study of a successful implementation of virtual prototypes at a Danish SME. As the case study focuses on a single, successful implementation and investigates only some of the identified barriers in detail, a broader perspective remains a topic for future work.A virtual prototype which enables the configuration and validation of a customized product is a vital component when handling complexity in mass customization. Developing virtual prototypes for the configuration, validation and production of customized products is, however, often resource consuming and therefore challenging. It can be especially resource-consuming for SMEs as they are smaller than traditional companies that perform mass customization. This study focuses on SMEs and aims to identify and investigate the barriers to implementing virtual prototypes in the design process. It is assumed that a deeper understanding of these barriers will help companies overcome these challenges. On the basis of empirical data from 16 Danish SMEs, this study starts by identifying the barriers to implementing virtual prototypes in the design process. Next, some of these barriers are investigated in detail by means of a case study of a successful implementation of virtual prototypes at a Danish SME. As the case study focuses on a single, successful implementation and investigates only some of the identified barriers in detail, a broader perspective remains a topic for future work
Applying Modular Function Deployment for Non-assembled Products in the Process Industry
No full textIncreased product variety, shorter product life cycles and smaller production batches are market conditions faced by manufacturers in both discrete and process industries. Consequently, attention has been given to complexity management techniques, such as product platforms and product modularity. Nevertheless, literature examples of product platforms are almost exclusively provided for discrete products, indicating a lacking body of knowledge on the subject for process industrial products. This study, therefore, applies existing methods for platform-based development in the process industry, which have previously only been demonstrated for discrete products. The methodology used in this paper is Modular Function Deployment developed by Erixon in the 1990s and is applied on a product group in a Danish company in the process industry. The evidence presented suggests that there may be value in investigating the applicability of existing methods for designing product platforms in the process industry, and that these methods may prove a starting ground for further development of methods tailored to this industry.</p
Applying and developing mass customization in construction industries – A multi case study
Get PDFMass customization as a strategy has been utilised successfully in the manufacturing industrymeeting customers’ idiosyncratic needs in a cost-efficient way. The productivity of the Danishmanufacturing industry has increased six times over the last 50 years, whereas the Danishconstruction industry has only doubled. Mass customization has not been extensively exploredin the construction industry; therefore, the theoretical background is currently limited. Nevertheless, utilization of mass customization as a strategy might have potentials in the constructionindustry. This research is a multi-case study of 11 companies in the construction industry focusing on how the cases apply the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization 1)solution space development, 2) choice navigation and 3) robust process design, and how theirimprovement initiatives effect performance, and how the cases plan to develop the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization. The outset is an analysis of project phases and critical success factors characterizing the cases followed by an analysis of how the cases applyand plan to develop the nine tools and approaches supporting the development of the threefundamental capabilities of mass customization. The data are collected through interview as atwo-way communicative approach providing holistic and in-depth explanations of the 18 variables of the analysis. The results are that all 11 cases aim at increasing all nine tools andapproaches, which strengthen the utilization of the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization in the sense of improving the productivity. This research put forward a definition ofmass customization intending to make the concept more visible and accessible for the construction industry.Mass customization as a strategy has been utilised successfully in the manufacturing industry meeting customers’ idiosyncratic needs in a cost-efficient way. The productivity of the Danish manufacturing industry has increased six times over the last 50 years, whereas the Danish construction industry has only doubled. Mass customization has not been extensively explored in the construction industry; therefore, the theoretical background is currently limited. Nevertheless, utilization of mass customization as a strategy might have potentials in the construction industry. This research is a multi-case study of 11 companies in the construction industry focusing on how the cases apply the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization 1) solution space development, 2) choice navigation and 3) robust process design, and how their improvement initiatives effect performance, and how the cases plan to develop the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization. The outset is an analysis of project phases and critical success factors characterizing the cases followed by an analysis of how the cases apply and plan to develop the nine tools and approaches supporting the development of the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization. The data are collected through interview as a two-way communicative approach providing holistic and in-depth explanations of the 18 variables of the analysis. The results are that all 11 cases aim at increasing all nine tools and approaches, which strengthen the utilization of the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization in the sense of improving the productivity. This research put forward a definition of mass customization intending to make the concept more visible and accessible for the construction industry
Danish Public Construction Counselling Selection and Assignment Criteria in European Tendering
No full textOne of the largest customers in the Danish construction industry ispublic agencies that own and develop projects. For some of the counselling services, they recur to be put out in European tendering. The aim is to find which selection and assignment criteria are used most in public tendering. How projects use selection and assignment criteria for counselling services and finally if there is significant use of selection and assignment methods in public counselling. The method is based on 74 public counselling tenders from the European Tenders Electronic Daily database from January 2010 to March 2013. A following standard error and Fisher’s exact test were conducted to test if there were any significant relations. Results indicate that invited tender with pre-qualification and most economically advantageous offer in 57.1 % of the tenders are the most used selection and assignment criteria in public counselling services
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