9,140 research outputs found
Development of a Knowledge Management framework to support installed base information management practices in a servitized context
No full textIn the last decades, growing competitive pressures and increased customer expectations have pushed manufacturers to extend their offerings through the provision of value-adding services (i.e. servitization). However, this transition is challenging and risky. The current research, by adopting the lens of Knowledge Management theory, aims to shed a light on how the adoption of procedures and technologies aimed to collect, organize and exploit the information related to the use of the product and services by the customers can act as an enabler of the servitization process
Spare parts classification and demand forecasting for stock control. Investigating the gap between research and practice
No full textThis paperinvestigatesthegapbetweenresearchandpracticeinsparepartsmanagement,withspecific
referencetodurablegoodsaddressedtoprivateorprofessionalcustomers.Thepaperprovidesacritical
literaturereviewoftheoreticalcontributionsaboutsparepartsclassificationanddemandforecasting
for stockcontrol.Thediscussionoftencasestudies,then,allowstoanalyzethereasonsforthisgap,
by addressingthelimitationsofmodelsdevelopedinliterature,theroleofcontextualfactorsandthe
maturityincompanies’sparepartsmanagementpractices.Fourmaindirectionsforresearchare
proposedinordertobridgethegap,namely:todevelopintegratedapproachestospareparts
management;todefinecontingency-basedmanagerialguidelines,tofavortheknowledgeaccumula-
tion processincompanies,andtosupplementtheoreticalmodelswithpracticalrelevance
Exploring the alignment between internal and external dimensions in servitization
No full textAbstract: Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that manufacturers undertaking the path towards
servitization face several challenges, that may generate inconsistencies, e.g. between strategic intentions and
internal organizational arrangements and even more with external elements (at the customer and supplier
sides). The paper addresses the misalignments faced by companies in the servitization journey, through a
literature review and a case-based research. 16 challenges are pointed out from the literature, grouped into
five dimensions. They are reflected by the analysis of five case studies, that allow to build a framework based
on the five dimensions (strategy, offering, company, service network and customers)
Challenges and opportunities in managing spare parts for durable goods: an empirical study
No full textThe objective of the study is to point out challenges and opportunities in spare parts management practice in durable goods industries, through a case based research carried out in 10 manufacturing companies. The empirical evidence from the cases and the scientific literature, point out challenges and criticalities on three different dimensions: methods (management models and tools); organization (specific spare parts management skills and interfunctional relationships); supply chain perspective (goal setting, information sharing inter-organizational relationships)
Misura della servitizzazione e della soddisfazione della rete di vendita e assistenza tecnica: il caso Angelo Po
No full text
Enhancing the thermo-oxidative stability of PLA through the use of hybrid organic–inorganic coatings
No full textPLA samples have been coated with organic–inorganic hybrid films containing SiO2as inorganic phase and two different types of organic phase PEO or PCL. Sol–gel solutions, spin coating deposition, and mild thermal treatments have been used to form thin protective coatings. Coated and uncoated PLA samples have been submitted to accelerated thermo-oxidative stresses at 120 °C in air up to about 400 h. The extent of the damage induced by this treatment has been evaluated by different techniques. Coated samples of both compositions are able to increase the resistance to thermo-oxidation of PLA as proved by the smaller reduction of molecular weight. This effect is probably deriving from the reduced oxygen permeability, as well as from the constrained outward diffusion and recombination of the cyclic oligomers produced by intramolecular transesterification reactions of polyester chains. Data so far collected underline also a long-term stability and adherence of the hybrid coatings during the entire aging process and hint at the possibility of using PLA in more demanding applications than that of packaging (i.e., electric industry, automotive field, or housewares). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43897
Internal and external alignment in the servitization journey – overcoming the challenges
No full textResearch and anecdotal evidences indicate that manufacturers undertaking the path towards servitization face several challenges that may generate both internal inconsistencies, e.g. between the servitization strategy and the internal organisational arrangements, and external ones, e.g. with the customer needs and culture or with the service supplier network. This study provides a systematisation of 17 challenges of servitization through a literature review. Five case studies investigate empirically such challenges. A framework is developed, based on the research findings, which points out and discusses alignment areas in servitization. Two alignment directions concern internal aspects: (i) the strategic orientation and the service portfolio and (ii) the strategic orientation and the internal organisation. The other two alignment directions discussed concern: (iii) the internal dimensions with the service network and (iv) the internal dimensions with the customer one
The Role of Microstructure in Alkali–Silica Reaction Tests
No full textAlkali–silica reactions were set off in cementitious mortars in different curing conditions, simulating short-term tests on reactivity. The investigated composites differed in some of their microstructural features. The total open porosity was modulated by changing the water/cement ratio and also by adding an air-entraining additive. By keeping the mortars’ porosity as the only variable, the effect on the measured expansion was evaluated. The dependence on porosity, specifically on the microstructure, of the macroscopic expansion that was used to assess the reactivity of the aggregates was studied. In particular, the connectivity of the porous network in the material, which is the dimension of the most frequent capillary porosity, exerts an influence on the expansion rate and extent. The results obtained under different conditions underline that the microstructure, that is the porosity of a composite and its size, always plays an important role in influencing the extent of expansion, a role that should be investigated and analyzed more deeply in accelerated procedures
- …
