Product-service system innovation capabilities: linkages between the fuzzy front end and subsequent development phases

In an attempt to remain competitive, manufacturers increasingly offer integrated product-service systems (PSSs). This transition from physical products to PSSs calls for new ways of working, for example in the product development process. However, so far only limited attention has been put on capabilities needed to succeed with PSS innovation in the very early development phases – often referred to as the fuzzy front end (FFE). This article, therefore, has a dual aim: first, to further our understanding of capabilities for PSS innovation in the FFE, and second, to determine how these capabilities are linked to PSS innovation capabilities needed in subsequent development phases. Empirical data were collected from an ongoing industrial project developing an innovative PSS offering in a large manufacturing company. Individuals connected to the project reported major challenges, both experienced in the FFE and anticipated in later phases, which provided valuable information regarding capabilities needed to succeed with the endeavour. Findings reveal four links of PSS innovation capabilities: (1) adapting vocabulary and mental models to PSS, (2) handling the ‘intangible aspect’, (3) bridging organisational structures, and (4) managing new business models. PSS innovation capabilities in the FFE are also found to be of higher order (dynamic) compared to capabilities in later development phases.     

Innovation and employee injury risk in automotive disassembly operations

Engineering innovations in car disassembly systems are studied for affects on system operators’ risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI). Objective instrumented measures of injury risk factors with synchronised video-based task analyses were used to examine changes in operators’ RSI risk during two cases of engineering innovation: (1) a shift in industrial model from traditional extracting saleable parts to line-based full material recovery, and (2) the prospective effects of a simulated ‘Lean’-inspired process improvement in the line system. Both cases of innovation showed significantly increased movement speeds and reduced muscular recovery opportunities, implying increased RSI risk. This case study reveals a mechanism by which innovation may increase RSI risks for operators. Managers responsible for engineering innovation should ensure their teams have the tools and mandate necessary to control injury hazards as part of the development and design process. These cases suggest how failure to manage RSI hazards in the innovation process may allow increases of injury risks that can compromise operational performance. This ‘innovation pitfall’ has implications for operator health and organisational sustainability. Alternative pathways are discussed.     

Entrepreneurial acquisitions,open innovation and UK high growth SMEs

This paper examines the dynamics of entrepreneurial acquisitions undertaken by UK high growth small and medium enterprises (SMEs). While entrepreneurial acquisitions are increasingly deployed by SMEs, little is known about their antecedents, motivational drivers and organisational outcomes. Drawing on detailed case study evidence from Scotland, the key factor found to be driving these acquisitions was the desire to augment and exploit technological complementarities between the acquiring and acquired firms. Acquisition can therefore be conceptualised as an advanced stage of the outside-in ‘open innovation’ strategies proactively used within these innovative SMEs. Firms executing this strategy typically have an acute propensity for risk, a desire for close customer engagement, effective business models and strong external orientation. The work suggests that greater attention should be paid within M&A theory to the dynamics of these types of smaller scale entrepreneurial acquisitions.     

A socio-technical analysis of work with ideas in NPD: an industrial case study

The work with ideas is perceived by both academics and industry to be an important element in new product development and has thus been the subject of investigation in many different research fields. In this paper, we investigate a specific case showing how a successful product was developed based on piecing together a number of ideas that were developed and disseminated in a large industrial company. We do this through an in-depth case study of the development of the energy-labeled circulation pump Alpha Pro, developed by one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers, Grundfos. Using a socio-technical approach, we focus especially on the actors involved and the contextual factors, and less on the detailed development of technical ideas. In our study, we observe that (1) ideas are pieced together from previous ideas and results; (2) ideas are implemented through continuous mobilization of support and development of legitimate arguments; and (3) idea work is also a socio-technical process, because contextual factors matter. We observe that idea work is an ongoing process undertaken across different projects, actors, departments, strategies, and visions within Grundfos, while also involving external actors outside Grundfos. Based on our socio-technical approach and observations, we begin to develop a broader understanding of idea work in new product development and sketch an analytical framework that can be used to make socio-technical analyses of product development projects in future research.     

A simulation approach for evaluation and improvement of organisational planning in collaborative product development projects

Human behaviour and organisational structure impact collaborative product development outcome on a large scale. Therefore, companies are continuously seeking new opportunities to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and predictability of their collaborative product development projects, and to develop innovative principles for organisational design and management such as multi-functional teams. However, there are many factors which have to be considered and assessed to systematically optimise organisational planning in respect of team configuration, structure organisation, and human behaviour. This paper proposes an agent-based simulation methodology to evaluate and improve the organisational planning in complex product development projects. An agent-based integrated simulation model is formulated which can explicitly represent human behaviour, organisational interactions, and tasks networks. Based on the model, the design agent structure and behaviour protocols are studied in detail, and a simulation platform is developed. Finally, the methodology is evaluated in a collaborative roadway design project, and several management insights are established, which are proven to be effective for the organisational optimisation. The results of the case study also show that the methodology can effectively support the evaluation and improvement of organisational planning.     

Appropriability of design innovation across organisational boundaries: exploring collaborative relationships between manufacturing firms and designers in Italy

Capturing value from design-based innovation presents firms with some challenges which only recently academic research has started addressing. Increasingly, firms operating within design-intensive industries collaborate with external designers rather than undertaking this activity in-house. This raises some appropriability issues, as firms would need to reap the benefits of innovation originating across organisational boundaries. To address this gap, we carried out a multiple case study with firms and design consultants based in Italy across several manufacturing sectors. Our evidence suggests the presence of appropriability mechanisms that are specific to design innovation. Intellectual property rights, although not very effective, are employed to establish ownership in the market. Firms also use lead-time advantages, investment in specific assets and the quality of craftsmanship depending on the industry. Across most sectors, establishing long-term relationships inspired by knowledge sharing and trust constitutes a key mechanism firms adopt to appropriate the benefits attached to collaboration with external designers.     

A computational approach for the optimal conceptual design synthesis based on the distributed resource environment

Optimal conceptual design synthesis is the very starting and key phase in the product design. Its result is the optimal alternative in the solution space, and will be further completed and improved into the final product design scheme in the next detailed design works. With the progress of the Internet technology, a large number of design resources actually construct an increasingly growing distributed resource environment. If these rich resources can be fully introduced into the optimal conceptual design synthesis, the design efficiency and product innovation will be promoted largely. Therefore, a computational approach was proposed for the optimal conceptual design synthesis based on the distributed resource environment. In this approach, the distributed resource environment is modelled as a set of numerous functional units (FUs), and the optimal conceptual design synthesis is concluded into a process of generating the optimal objective FU chain. Here, the main workload is completed by a proposed computer algorithm. To prove the feasibility of this approach, a computer programme called Optimal Conceptual Design Synthesis System (OCDSS) was established. A garbage-powered lighting system was designed with OCDSS as an illustration.     

Advancing large-scale R&D projects towards grand challenges through involvement of organizational knowledge integrators

Public and private funding bodies make massive investments in research to address the grand challenges of the world. These require collective research efforts of a large number of partners to generate knowledge and ultimately create technologies to meet today’s grand challenges. Surprisingly, little research is conducted on how to design the research consortia appropriately that actually result in the development of new technologies. This article argues that when organisational knowledge integrators are involved in large-scale projects, they ensure that the research findings of earlier technology development efforts in a project are pulled towards innovation outcomes through their own position in the innovation value chain. This article uses a data-set with 376 collaborative R&D projects within energy technologies. Most importantly, this article confirms the existence of organisational knowledge integrators and the positive effects on project outcomes. These results are discussed with implications drawn for both applicants and funding bodies for future projects.     

Reconfiguring global pharmaceutical value networks through targeted technology interventions

Targeting a series of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) ‘interventions’ provides the potential for significant step changes across the pharmaceutical value chain, from early stage ‘system discovery’ and clinical trials, through to novel service supply models. This research explores future value network configurations which, when aligned with disruptive shifts in technology (process and digital), may enable alternative routes to medicines production and the delivery of additional value to ‘end-users’, i.e. patients and health care providers. We draw on a categorisation of AMTs that may enable a shift from the traditional ‘batch’ and centralised manufacturing paradigm of ‘make-to-stock’, towards more re-distributed ‘continuous’ manufacturing and ‘make-to-order’ models. Despite reported benefits in the academic literature (e.g. reduced footprints, improved quality, enhanced flexibility and inventory savings), current adoption rates of continuous technologies in this sector remain low (c. 5%). This paper presents new data sources, in our study of AMT adoption in a global pharmaceutical context – assessing the barriers to implementation, and the pathways to delivering future continuous manufacturing scenarios. Our findings capture the high level of disparity in viewpoints, highlighting the uncertainties and transformational challenges ahead – in terms of opportunity areas, technological readiness and a future vision for the sector, as a whole.     

基于设计驱动型创新理论的乡村振兴规划设计策略

随着乡村振兴战略的不断推进与深化,国内各地的乡村陆续进行了一系列的改革创新,通过研究设计驱动型创新理论,为目前乡村振兴规划设计提供规划策略方法,给乡村的改革创新注入新的活力。首先,通过文献研究法对设计驱动型创新理论进行深入研究与分析。然后对目前乡村振兴的发展背景、现状及规划中出现的问题进行调研。最后,基于设计驱动创新型理论,运用对比分析法对乡村振兴的规划设计策略方法展开讨论。通过设计驱动创新能给乡村振兴战略带来新发展,设计驱动型创新不仅能够通过文旅产品的设计开发来带动乡村经济的建设发展,通过对建筑与环境的创新设计来加强生态文明的建设,同时能够推动乡村文化的普及,为当地的村民及参观者带来文化的认同感。     

The Demola model as a public policy tool boosting collaboration in innovation: A comparative study between Finland and Spain

The next generation of Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) policies will be defined by mission orientation and co-creation processes and implemented by dynamic public-private partnerships. However, the experience of European countries up to now in attempting to boost cooperation in innovation reveals a very different story. Beyond some contextual factors, the characteristics of the agents involved, the dynamics of their relationships and the design of the collaboration tools also have a critical influence at organisational level. This paper aims to identify these organisational factors in different contexts through the analysis of the Demola model, a university-industry innovation platform created in Finland which has spread to other countries, including Spain. Demola applies a standardised model but it has differences in its functioning depending on the national levels of collaboration in the innovation systems. In our case study, we have compared Finland and Spain, bearing in mind the features of the agents involved and their relationships, through a content analysis of primary and secondary information. The results of the study show that the institutional structure of the collaboration and the organisational culture of each institution are key factors in its functioning. These results can be useful for innovation managers, university leaders, educational experts and policy makers.     

Cellular manufacturing systems design with routing flexibility,machine procurement,production planning and dynamic system reconfiguration

This paper investigates the problem of designing cellular manufacturing systems with multi-period production planning, dynamic system reconfiguration, operation sequence, duplicate machines, machine capacity and machine procurement. An important aspect of this problem is the introduction of routing flexibility in the system by the formation of alternate contingency process routings in addition to alternate main process routings for all part types. Contingency routings serve as backups so as to effectively address the reality of part process routing disruptions (in the main routings) owing to machine breakdowns and allow the cellular manufacturing system to operate in a continuous manner even in the event of such breakdowns. The paper also provides in-depth discussions on the trade-off between the increased flexibility obtained versus the additional cost to be incurred through the formation of contingency routings for all parts. Some sensitivity analysis is also performed on some of the model parameters. The problem is modelled and solved through a comprehensive mixed integer programming formulation. Computational results presented by solving some numerical examples show that the routing and process flexibilities can be incorporated within the cellular manufacturing system design without significant increase in the system cost.     

Increasing accuracy and robustness of order promises

Accurate order promising is a key requirement for customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, practitioners struggle with the reliability of the delivery dates they promise to customers. Consequently, the costs of demand fulfilment soar due to intensified communication, emergency processes in logistics and acquisition of costly external production resources. We identify and formalise product and process flexibilities in supply chains that can be exploited in production planning. Product flexibility is the possibility to produce several kinds of products from one predecessor product. Process flexibility is the possibility to use one production process to manufacture several products. In order to increase the accuracy and robustness of delivery dates, we develop an order promising methodology able to deal with demand mix uncertainty and heterogeneous customer order lead times. The approach anticipates changes in production plans made possible by product and process flexibilities. In a numerical study based on a case from the semiconductor industry, we demonstrate that our method increases the accuracy and robustness of order promises. For the studied case, we find that the consideration of process flexibility is more important for the generation of accurate and robust order promises than the consideration of product flexibility.     

Using cognitive work analysis to explore system flexibility

The presented work describes a structured approach for identifying flexible working practices in complex socio-technical systems; further, it presents a framework for the elicitation of design changes capable of increasing system adaptability. The proposed approach uses the first three phases of the cognitive work analysis framework: work domain analysis; control task analysis; and strategies analysis. Functions are extracted from an abstraction hierarchy; these are then explored in a number of different situations using a contextual activity template. These functions are then explored in greater detail with the strategies analysis phase. The contextual activity template is used to identify situations where functions are unable to perform; in order to increase the flexibility of the system, new strategies are then proposed and represented in strategies analyses flow diagrams. To communicate the approach, it is introduced using the familiar, domestic domain of an ‘Apple iPod’. The paper presents a structured approach based upon cognitive work analysis for exploring system flexibility. The case study presented, an Apple iPod, shows how design changes to the system can be informed by this approach. This paper takes an existing approach and clarifies the link between analysis and design.     

Analysis of Categorical Response in Small Sample Experiments

Statistical design of experiments (DOE) is widely used today for process and product characterization and optimization. Owing to cost and time considerations, sometimes only a minimum number of experimental runs can be conducted, with added challenges in analysis when the experimental outcomes cannot be measured on a continuous scale and are expressed only in qualitative terms such as ‘excellent’, ‘satisfactory’ and ‘poor’: such outcomes are variously described as ‘categorical’, ‘attribute’, ‘qualitative’, ‘discrete’ or ‘counted’ in nature. This paper offers practical techniques of handling small experiments with such non‐standard DOE response data which are otherwise impossible to analyze by standard statistical software. The suggested procedures, built upon what is called a Likelihood Transfer Function (LTF), do not require complex data analysis but would yield results consistent with the constraints of experimental conditions as well as the objectives of stakeholders. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

What hampers green product innovation: the effect of experience

ABSTRACT

Based on representative firm-level survey data for Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, this study systematically analyses the relevance and drivers of barriers to green product innovation using the example of green energy technologies. ‘Low willingness to pay’, ‘high development costs’, ‘high commercial uncertainty’, and ‘lack of favourable political framework’ are identified as the most important barriers. Moreover, we find that the firms’ innovation experience is an important driver of the level of green innovation barriers. Green innovation barriers are more accentuated for firms with green innovation activity than for firms with no green innovation activity. However, experience from different fields of green innovation and experience from non-green innovation activities help to limit these barriers.     

Semantic interoperability for an integrated product development process: a systematic literature review

Global competitiveness challenges manufacturing industry to rationalise different ways of bringing to the market new products in a short lead-time with competitive prices whilst ensuring higher quality levels and customisation. Industries need to effectively share heterogeneous information during Product Development Process (PDP) within and across their institutional boundaries to be competitive. However, problems with misinterpretation and mistakes have been identified during information exchange due to the semantic interoperability obstacles. Thus, this research proposes a systematic literature review to identify the main researches and the milestones reference works on semantic interoperability field. A rigorous methodology was conducted in different databases, covering the articles published in scientific journals from 2005 to 2015 as a preliminary study had indicated that the incidence of articles related to the subject was more frequent from the second half of the 2000s. The research structure consisted of four steps: Survey – searching, analysis and selection of recent researches; Categorisation – categorisation of the selected papers; References citation frequency analysis – the selected papers were analysed and the main researches and milestones references were identified; and Main researches critical analysis – the main researches were analysed for their contributions and limitations, their contributions and limitations, resulting in 14 selected scientific articles and 8 identified milestones references. It is evident that this field has interesting perspectives on future research opportunities on semantic interoperability of information issues across PDP, contributing to the new concepts of future factories.     

Predictive analytics for truck arrival time estimation: a field study at a European distribution centre

Distribution centres (DCs) are the hubs connecting transport streams in the supply chain. The synchronisation of coming and going cargo at a DC requires reliable arrival times. To achieve this, a reliable method to predict arrival times is needed. A literature review was performed to find the factors that are reported to predict arrival time: congestion, weather, time of day and incidents. While travel time receives considerable attention, there is a gap in literature concerning arrival vs. travel/journey time prediction. None of the reviewed papers investigate arrival time: all the papers found investigate travel time. Arrival time is the consequence of travel time in combination with departure time, so though the travel time literature is applicable, the human factor involved in planning the time of departure can affect the arrival time (especially for truck drivers who have travelled the same route before). To validate the factors that influence arrival time, the authors conducted a detailed case study that includes a survey of 230 truckers, a data analysis and a data mining experiment, using real traffic and weather data. These show that although a ‘big data’ approach delivers valuable insights, the predictive power is not as high as expected; other factors, such as human or organisational factors, could influence arrival time, and it is concluded that such organisational factors should be considered in future predictive models.     

Desired organisational capabilities (DOCs): mapping in BPR context

This study establishes and examines desired organisational capabilities (DOCs) that affect the readiness and implementation of business process reengineering (BPR). This research uses a case study and review methodology (second hand material) to extract events and actions about how DOCs are caused by these events and actions. Preliminary organisational capabilities were established from a review of BPR projects’ reports. Twenty-one preliminary capabilities were refined and validated through interviews with BPR executives and experts. In this way, this study presented 21 DOCs, with their influence (strength) on the success of BPR initiatives and implementation. Additionally, these DOCs are ranked according to the value of creating each, before and during BPR efforts. So, a graphical aid is provided to enable decision makers to concentrate their efforts on the most influential (strongest), considering before and during implementation. Finally, the refined organisational capabilities formed the basis of a self-assessment framework that can be used by firms to analyse their readiness to undertake a reengineering project.