Event-driven multi-agent ubiquitous manufacturing execution platform for shop floor work-in-progress management

It has been reported that radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is applied to manufacturing shop floors for capturing and collecting real-time field data. Real-time information visibility and traceability allows decision makers to make better-informed shop floor decisions. It has been a great challenge to process a huge amount of RFID data into useful information for managerial uses. This paper presents an event-driven shop floor work-in-progress (WIP) management platform for creating a ubiquitous manufacturing (UM) environment. The platform aims to monitor and control dynamic production and material handling through RFID-enabled traceability and visibility of shop floor manufacturing processes. The platform provides facilities to process shop floor real-time RFID events and to aggregate actionable and meaningful operational information to support decision-making activities. An information processing mechanism based on a critical event model is proposed to organise real-time field data in various abstract levels for enterprise decisions. A case study at an air conditioner manufacturing company is used to demonstrate how the proposed platform can benefit its shop floor WIP management by showing how production and logistic operators and their supervisors accomplish their tasks.     

Management optimisation based on dynamic SKU for RFID-enabled warehouse management in the steel supply chain

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is one of the encouraging technologies to improve the productivity in warehouse management. However, the problem of how to explore the potential benefits of a RFID system and reduce the expenditure of RFID application are troubling many managers who are planning to, or have engaged in, the implementation. This paper enriches existing theory by introducing the useful and comprehensive warehouse management optimisation methods based on dynamic SKU (storage keeping unit) management in the design and development of a RFID-enabled warehouse. Based on the dynamic SKU management method proposed, cost optimisation methods are employed in the development of RFID-enabled warehouse. Furthermore, a storage area management optimisation for multi-size coils and a crane scheduling optimisation method is established for the purpose of enhancing the productivity of the warehouse. The optimisation methods are applied and verified in a coil warehouse and the result shows that the hardware investment is cut down by reducing the number of RFID cards used without any decrease in location accuracy and the warehouse productivity is improved significantly.     

Big Data Analytics for Physical Internet-based intelligent manufacturing shop floors

Physical Internet (PI, π) has been widely used for transforming and upgrading the logistics and supply chain management worldwide. This study extends the PI concept into manufacturing shop floors where typical logistics resources are converted into smart manufacturing objects (SMOs) using Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless technologies to create a RFID-enabled intelligent shop floor environment. In such PI-based environment, enormous RFID data could be captured and collected. This study introduces a Big Data Analytics for RFID logistics data by defining different behaviours of SMOs. Several findings are significant. It is observed that task weight is primarily considered in the logistics decision-making in this case. Additionally, the highest residence time occurs in a buffer with the value of 12.17 (unit of time) which is 40.57% of the total delivery time. That implies the high work-in-progress inventory level in this buffer. Key findings and observations are generated into managerial implications, which are useful for various users to make logistics decisions under PI-enabled intelligent shop floors.     

收益共享机制下航空联盟网络的决策模型

构建由两个航空公司组成的航空联盟网络的决策模型,研究了航空联盟网络的收益共享机制对其绩效的影响。首先,分析了航空联盟网络在集中决策下的均衡模型,研究发现降低运输成本不仅降低机票的价格、增加旅客运输量,还能提升联盟整体的收益。其次,研究了航空联盟网络在收益共享机制下的分散决策模型,结果表明收益共享机制不仅可以实现联盟成员个人的收益最大,同时可以达到联盟网络整体收益的最大化。研究还发现,实施收益共享机制可以提高联盟成员的绩效水平,绩效水平提升的幅度与收益共享系数、航空公司之间的替代关系、国内与国际航线的运作成本的比值等因素密切相关。此外,通过数值分析进一步研究了在收益共享机制下不同参数对联盟成员绩效的影响程度。     

Exploiting timely demand information in determining production lot-sizing: an exploratory study

The emerging automatic data-capturing technology, radio frequency identification technology (RFID), has been extensively adopted in logistics process and retail operations. However, limited research has been conducted on how to exploit and integrate RFID-enabled timely demand information into production processes. The lack of sufficient evaluation on the financial benefits of RFID hinders the adoption of this technology in production processes. In this study, we propose a framework to integrate RFID-enabled timely demand information into a dynamic production lot-sizing problem. Our results show that manufacturers, distributors and retailers can benefit from the availability of timely demand information via RFID. Our research sheds new light on understanding the financial value of RFID in a production process, and fills a gap in the application of RFID along the supply chain.     

风险规避型航空联盟的收益共享机制研究

构建了由2个风险规避的航空公司组成的航空联盟网络的决策模型,并利用均值-标准差(mean standard deviation)风险度量准则建立了航空联盟成员的决策目标函数。首先,分析了航空联盟网络在集中决策下的均衡模型。研究发现航空公司的风险规避特性将会降低机票价格,进而减少联盟整体的效用。其次,研究了航空联盟实施收益共享机制下的分散决策模型,研究结果表明收益共享机制不仅可以实现联盟成员个人的效用最大化,同时可以达到联盟整体效用的最大化。研究还发现,实施收益共享机制可以提高航空联盟成员的绩效水平。绩效水平提升的幅度与价格弹性系数、国内与国际航线的运作成本的比值、航空公司的风险规避度及收益共享系数等因素密切相关。此外,通过数值分析研究了不同参数对航空联盟成员实施收益共享机制后提升的绩效水平的影响程度。     

Weaving an agent-based Semantic Grid for distributed collaborative manufacturing

The development and maintenance of distributed collaborative manufacturing systems is faced with increasing challenges caused by the technical difficulties and ontological issues in distributed computing, resource integration and knowledge sharing over heterogeneous computing platforms. This paper presents an agent-based Semantic Grid for distributed manufacturing collaboration across ubiquitous virtual enterprises. A hierarchy of autonomous, adaptive agents forming a ‘super peer’ based peer-to-peer network is laid out in the Semantic Grid to provide, in an open, dynamic, loosely coupled and scalable manner, the service publication, discovery and reuse for management of applications that need to utilise Grid resources. The operation and experimental evaluation of the system are presented to validate the implementation of the proposed approach.     

Fuzzy goal-programming model with an artificial immune system (AIS) approach for a machine tool selection and operation allocation problem in a flexible manufacturing system

Some of the important planning problems that need realistic modelling and a quicker solution, especially in automated manufacturing systems, have recently assumed greater significance. In real-life industrial applications, the existing models considering deterministic situations fail as the true language adopted by foremen and technicians are fuzzy in nature. Thus, to map the situation on the shop floor to arrive at a real-time solution of this kind of tactical planning problem, it is essential to adopt fuzzy-based multi-objective goals so as to express the target desired by the management of business enterprises. This paper presents a fuzzy goal-programming approach to model the machine tool selection and operation allocation problem of flexible manufacturing systems. The model is optimized using an approach based on artificial immune systems and the results of the computational experiments are reported.     

Research of Enterprise Resource Management Supporting Networked Manufacturing

1Introduction Withthecomingoftheknowledge driveneconomy,manufacturingisdevelopingintermsofdigitization,flexibility,intelligence,integration,agilityandnetworking[1,2].Networkedmanufacturingmeansthat manufacturingenterpriseslaunchaseriesofactivitiessuchasproductdesign,manufacture,marketing andmanagementinthewayofnetworkedtechnology[3].Byanalyzingthecorrelativeresearchabroadand domestic,wemaysummarizethedevelopmenttrendofnetworkedmanufacturingasfollows[4～6]:(1)Thescopeofanetworkedmanufacturingsy…     

Combining social network and collaborative filtering for personalised manufacturing service recommendation

Owing to the rapid proliferation of Web service technologies in cross-enterprise manufacturing collaborations, information overload is becoming a major barrier that hinders the effective discovery of the shared manufacturing services provided by collaborative partners for supply chain deployment. Thus, we aimed to identify a different approach for discovering manufacturing services by making personalised service recommendations that are suited to the specific needs of active service users based on usage data from previous retrievals made by past service users. The proposed approach combines social network and collaborative filtering techniques in a unified framework to predict the missing Quality of Service (QoS) values of manufacturing services for an active service user, thereby improving the effectiveness of personalised QoS-aware service recommendations. The social network explores the usage of preference and tagging relationships among service users and manufacturing services in making personalised recommendation, which alleviates the data sparsity and the cold start problems that hinder the traditional collaborative filtering techniques. A case study and experimental evaluation demonstrate that the proposed approach can achieve the practicality and accuracy to personalised manufacturing service recommendations in a real application.     

Characterising product-service systems in the healthcare industry

Since the 1970s, marketing and innovation management communities have been investigating how to incorporate customer-desired functions into new product and service designs. These wide-ranging enquiries have shed light on the impact of lead-user engagement in new product development, demonstrated ways to examine service production and delivery, such as the use of ‘line of visibility’ in service blueprints and the modelling of ‘service encounters’, and have created new terms such as ‘value co-creation’. Despite these efforts, recent reviews have identified the lack of an holistic approach to new product-service system (PSS) development. This deficiency needs to be rectified, especially for complex PSS developments in regulated industries such as healthcare, as often there are multiple stakeholders posing conflicting priorities to the development team.This paper describes a novel PSS characterisation approach that supports the early-stage new PSS development process. The approach is originated from eleven healthcare case studies, involving twenty-five new products, services and PSSs. Following the methodology of action research, further cases are selected for the application of the approach to a new product, service or PSS concept in facilitated workshops. Initial implications of employing this approach in three cases are discussed in this paper.     

IoT patent roadmap for smart logistic service provision in the context of Industry 4.0

Abstract

Industry 4.0 enables the management of factories manufacturing products with complexity and flexibility. The corresponding logistic services must provide greater accuracy and efficiency in logistic operations. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an important aspect for smart logistics in the context of Industry 4.0. For instance, intelligent logistics models use IoT integrated technologies, e.g. radio frequency identification (RFID), wireless sensor network (WSN) and cloud computing, to enhance the traceability and decision supports of logistic processes in real-time speed, high accuracy, and flexibility. This research focuses on analyzing the related technology roadmaps for the adoption of IoT technologies in smart logistic services. A case research is conducted specifically to identify the relationship between IoT-oriented technologies and deployed advanced logistic services. The logistic operations are organized into an ontology schema based on a four level service framework. The research proposes a roadmap approach to visualize the patent allocations and evolutions corresponding to logistic services at each level. Although the patent roadmap methodology is generic, this research focuses on the two industry leaders, which are UPS and IBM. Using the roadmap methodology, the IoT enabled smart logistic patents are analyzed to identify technology-related business strengths and strategies.     

基于ASP的网络化制造平台研究

为了解决中小企业群的信息化建设问题,研究了基于ASP(Application Service Provider,应用服务供应商)模式的网络化制造平台的关键技术及其实现方案。通过分析中小企业群的构成模式,提出了分别以专业、产品和业务组合为核心的三种基于ASP的网络化制造平台的体系结构,研究了以增值服务链为核心的资源共享,以及面向产品生命周期的业务协同。在综合分析J2EE和．NET技术架构的基础上,提出了基于Web Service网络化制造平台集成方案。     

地方性LED产业联盟标准化信息共享服务模式分析

本文在分析了地方性LED产业联盟标准化信息共享服务存在的相关问题和需求的基础上,以广东省LED标准化信息服务平台的建设为例,展示了其标准化信包共享服务的新模式。     

Organizing a virtual manufacturing enterprise: an analytic network process based approach for enterprise flexibility

Virtual manufacturing is a dynamic enterprise structure that will enable future competitiveness in the fast changing business environment. This is made possible through quick IT based integration of flexible and core competent business entities capable of providing value-added product and services. Flexibility elements represent change capabilities of enterprise wide processes and resources in time and cost dimensions. Value chain considerations require synergy among the participating flexible resources. Also decision information synchronization delays need to be managed so that other entity flow processes in the enterprise remain well synchronized. This may require a capability of dynamic changes in flexible structures leading to effective virtual enterprises. There is a need to develop suitable enterprise architectures for virtual enterprises that offer an increasing focus on agility. Infrastructure support for integration of flexible capability to attain synergy among resources is necessary for enterprise agility. We conceptualize virtual manufacturing (VM) as an integrating infrastructure of flexible resources made possible through alliance of enterprises that are individually core competent in specific business function. Such a VM can attain the required cost, flexibility and responsiveness characteristics in its operations to provide solution to the demanding customer in a global dynamic market. Modelling frameworks depicting these composite flexibility states have complex and tacit interrelationship with plural business goals. Analytical network process (ANP) has been used to model the interrelationship of different decision domains with a view to prioritize enterprise wide flexibility dimensions. The ANP modelling framework takes into consideration the interdependency among sub-strategies. We demonstrate through sensitivity analysis that strategic shift is required to accommodate changes due to dynamic condition in the business environment.     

面向动态环境的制造联盟

经济的全球化、知识经济的来临以及消费者偏好的改变使制造商面临的环境发生了巨大的变化，呈现出动态变化趋势；动态环境导致商的竞争优势的持续时间越来越短而其面临的风险越来越大；面向动态环境建立制造联盟是制造商为迎接动态环境带来的挑战的有效策略。结合先进制造技术与共生的有关理论界定了制造联盟的概念，讨论了制造联盟区别于传统组织模式的特征；分析了实施制造联盟的难点、提出了相应的对策。     

Extending the product portfolio with ‘devolved manufacturing’: methodology and case studies

Current research by the developers of rapid prototyping systems is generally focused on improvements in cost, speed and materials to create truly economic and practical economic rapid manufacturing (RM) machines. In addition to being potentially smarter/faster/cheaper replacements for existing manufacturing technologies, the next generation of these machines will provide opportunities not only for the design and fabrication of products without traditional constraints but also for organizing manufacturing activities in new, innovative and previously undreamt of ways. This paper outlines a novel devolved manufacturing (DM) ‘factory-less’ approach to e-manufacturing, which integrates mass customization (MC) concepts, RM technologies and the communication opportunities of the Internet/World Wide Web, describes two case studies of different DM implementations and discusses the limitations and appropriateness of each, and, finally, draws some conclusions about the technical, manufacturing and business challenges involved.     

Servitization of manufacturing in the new ICTs era: A survey on operations management

Servitization of manufacturing has become one of the main pathways for transition and upgrade in the manufacturing industry. New information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as the Internet of Things, Big Data, and Cloud Computing have enabled the servitization of manufacturing in terms of value creation, resource management, and supply chain management. This study presents a comprehensive review on the servitization in operations management in the era of new ICTs. A new value chain framework is proposed under the business model that revolves around servitization, which showcases the new activities and ways of implementation in the era of new ICTs. The virtualization, configuration, and evaluation of integrated manufacturing and service resources are analyzed. In particular, the methods used in new ICT-supported resource management platforms are surveyed. Problems in the supply chain management in manufacturing services (including the selection of partners, as well as the coordination, planning, and scheduling among members) are presented. This study concludes with a discussion on state-of-the-art servitization in operations management in the era of new ICTs.     

应用成组技术实现制造敏捷化、分散化、网络化

本文分析了敏捷化、分散化、网络化制造与应用成组技术之间的关系，提出了应用成组技术实现敏捷化、分散化、网络化制造的方法，探讨了我国制造企业基于成组技术的敏捷生产组织构建方法以及敏捷制造单元的成组与重构技术，为我国中小企业特别是离散型制造企业实现敏捷化、分散化、网络化制造作了有益探索。     

“盟主-成员”型战略联盟激励机制设计

研究了"盟主-成员"型战略联盟中,通过利润分配和技术分享相结合的方式.激励成员企业放弃隐藏信息行为.研究发现,盟主企业应给予成员企业相同的技术分享比例,且技术分享比例随着成员企业间能力大小的差距的增大而减小;同时给予能力较大的成员企业更多的利润分配比例,以促使成员企业在自利行为驱使下真实显示自己的私人信息,促进联盟成功.