Pumping stations for today's steel degassing requirements

This article focuses on the vacuum equipment used in vacuum degassing (VD) and vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) processes. Despite harsh process conditions caused by outgassing and the process gases themselves, there are various pumping principles and designs of vacuum pumps that can be used. Through clever pump selection there is an opportunity to realize substantial energy and operating resource savings on the vacuum pumping side. Last but not least, a new pump series will be presented that further contributes to cost reduction through higher efficiency.     

Crowdsourcing innovation challenges: How participants react when their ideas are rejected

Although crowdsourcing challenges as tools for generating high levels of innovation have received much attention, little research has investigated the impact on participants when their submissions are rejected. This research is aimed at gaining a better understanding of the consequences of rejection for participants' relationships with the brand engaged in the crowdsourcing activity. To investigate these issues, two quantitative studies were carried out with participants whose challenge proposals had not been selected. The results highlight positive effects on participant–brand relationships, especially on brand attachment, proselytism, brand commitment and brand loyalty. A confirmatory, interview-based qualitative study then identifies managerial perspectives and marketing strategies for brands and crowdsourcing platforms following the announcement of challenge results. This paper contributes to both the co-creation and crowdsourcing literature by extending academic knowledge and provides opportunities for further research.