Showing papers by "David Romero published in 2017"

Factories of the future: challenges and leading innovations in intelligent manufacturing

Abstract: This paper reviews some of the most recently reported research into challenges and leading innovations in intelligent manufacturing for the Factories of the Future FoF. Such research can be categorised as addressing five broad topic areas: manufacturing systems frameworks, theories and models; the pervasiveness of Cyber-Physical Systems CPSs; the critical role of semantic technologies and interoperability; the Virtual Organisation VO of manufacturing systems and the servitisation of manufacturing systems. The paper analyses conceptual, theoretical, empirical and technological contributions from several leading authors in domain area. This paper identifies a wide range of research topics from the elaboration of manufacturing systems frameworks to models, from sensors to CPSs, to the application of semantic technologies and interoperability architectures of the data and information generated by manufacturing agents, how VOs are shaping manufacturing environments and the increasing challenge of deploying manufacturing systems to support servitisation. The paper concludes elaborating final considerations on the challenges and leading innovations in intelligent manufacturing for the FoF research area.

Social factory architecture: Social networking services and production scenarios through the social internet of things, services and people for the social operator 4.0

Abstract: The prevailing industrial digitalisation flagship initiative, Industrie 4.0, gathers a substantial part of its functionality from the human in the system. This will drive a need for focus on both human and social dimensions of technology. The paper explores the roles of the Social Operator 4.0 in smart and social factory environments, where humans, machines and software systems will cooperate (socialise) in real-time to support manufacturing and services operations. A Social Factory Architecture based on adaptive, collaborative and intelligent multi-agent system is proposed for enabling such cooperation. Further, production scenarios are proposed, to show how social operators, social machines, and social software systems will communicate and cooperate via enterprise social networking services to accomplish production goals in the Social Internet of Things, Services and People.

A service-oriented architecture and its ICT-infrastructure to support eco-efficiency performance monitoring in manufacturing enterprises

Abstract: Energy consumption and contaminant emissions to the ecosphere are two of the main environmental concerns nowadays in the industrial landscape. Both environmental performance indicators are currently being observed very closely by governments and society for their long envisioned impact on our planet’s future. Moreover, the environmental performance of manufacturing enterprises should not be studied in isolation, since production contributes significantly to the gross development product of all nations, so enterprises’ economic productivity and environmental performance, known as eco-efficiency, should be considered intertwined. Therefore, at the same time that production environmental footprint is considered, production economic aspects are also part of the green equation for achieving eco-efficient manufacturing enterprises. Furthermore, as enterprise information systems and manufacturing technologies evolve, their usefulness should be considered to aid factories to become more eco-efficient and reduce their energy consumption and emissions footprints in a competitive way. The Research & Technological Development work reported in this paper is part of the Factory ECO-MATION EU-FP7 project, which aims to create eco-efficiency monitoring solutions for eco-factories. The Factory ECO-MATION architecture integrates data from environmental sensors, production information and energy consumption records in order to allow their simultaneous monitoring, so that the production planning and control parameters can be adjusted to keep all production goals at a reasonable scale while protecting the environment. This paper describes an ICT-Infrastructure based on a service-oriented architecture SOA capable of integrating production and environmental information from diverse data sources in order to support the eco-efficiency performance monitoring of manufacturing enterprises.

Collaborative product-service systems engineering: Towards an active role of customers and stakeholders in value co-creation

Abstract: This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of how customers and other stakeholders can be involved in value co-creation activities in a collaborative Product-Service System (PSS) design and engineering process, and which of the existing engagement methods in the body of knowledge can be adopted in order to achieve their active participation in value co-creation Furthermore, the paper aims to contribute to the evolution of PSS design and engineering approaches from customer-centric ones to a stakeholder centric co-creation perspective

On the future of project management innovation: A call for discussion towards project management 2030

Abstract: Rethinking Project Management (PM)∗ has been a recurring theme for some time [1]–[9]. In context of the current era of Digital Transformation, which is also referred to as the time of VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) it seems fair to assess if the current PM curricula match the needs of the market, both public and private. Professional bodies like IPMA† and PMI‡ similarly re-assess such which then leads to new editions of their standards to emerge. The current paper provides a short overview of the current developments of the profession. As well, it identifies related recent, current and ongoing research addressing similar questions regarding the success chances and rates of projects in light of the use and application of various PM methods. It aims to propose a new approach to learn using “Research through Project Management” (RtPM). Understanding the impact PM can have on the manner in which products, services, processes and systems are being developed, and the manner in which PM is performed. The authors propose the profession of PM will need to develop itself different from the way it has been conducted to-date and refer to it as “Towards Project Management 2030”, having the profession develop itself in a much more continuous manner. The paper ends with suggesting how to organize such ongoing research on, learning of and adoption by PM in practice embracing lifelong learning.

Green virtual enterprise breeding environments enabling the resolve framework

Abstract: Shifting towards Circular Economy will have significant implications on how value offerings are created, delivered and their residual value recovered as well as how shared value is created and captured by various actors in a collaborative (business) network where information, materials, water, energy and cash will flow in different cycles and based on various dynamic interactions within a closed-loop value system. In this context, Green Virtual Enterprise Breeding Environments (GVBEs) will act as long-term strategic networks of green enterprises and their related support institutions established with the aim of providing the necessary conditions, including common (circular) operating principles and infrastructure, for increasing their members’ preparedness towards rapid configuration of Forward- and Reverse-Green Virtual Enterprises (GVEs) in order to provide a dynamic model for operations management of closed- loop supply networks. This paper focuses on how GVEs and their breeding environments can contribute to enable McKinsey’s RESOLVE framework of six core-principles, and corresponding actions, for circularity: REstore/REgenerate, Share, Optimise, Loop, Virtualise and Exchange.

Strategizing for Production Innovation

Abstract: Manufacturing firms are constantly evolving to accommodate new customer requirements as well as emerging technologies, materials, processes and equipment. As a consequence, a broad range of production innovation opportunities arise for manufacturing firms to produce their products in smarter, more flexible, agile and sustainable ways. This paper proposes a strategic planning framework for “production innovation” and discusses its implications for the evolution of companies-specific production systems and competitive advantages.

Implementation of best manufacturing practices using logic models and system dynamics: project design and project assessment views

Abstract: In today’s global competitive environment, the need for continuous improvement is a matter of considerable importance within manufacturing enterprises. To this end, project managers, and managers in general, design and assess different projects with the purpose of achieving efficient processes, reducing costs and waste, increasing product and service quality, developing new products and services, enhancing customer relationship management, optimising enterprise resources, and so on. However, it is well-known that managing enterprise resources in order to accomplish effective completion of projects is a complex task to carry out. Furthermore, it has been recognised that the way staff actually understands the purpose of a project, the way they perform different project activities, and how they are able to influence project design and assessment are key factors for influencing the success of a project. This paper presents a systemic methodology to design and assess projects more effectively and efficiently based on program logic models and system dynamics with the aim of facilitating a clear understanding of the needs, purposes, goals, activities and tasks of a project among its stakeholders towards achieving success.

Expanding the industrial design space through production innovation(s)

Abstract: Over the decades, manufacturing firms have tried to Design for Manufacturability merely by exhorting industrial design engineers to create more producible-designs This is most often achieved by considering the available manufacturing system capability for the product development, and it is common to run into troubles in many cases due to barriers to integrate product definition and manufacturing operations In this paper, authors aim to explore how production innovations (as new manufacturing capabilities) can contribute to an increased industrial design space for product design engineers, enabling more design freedom while still obtaining producibility through removing and/or loosening constraints over product designs The findings of a series of industrial case studies presented in this paper show promising outcomes on how production innovations can influence positively the expansion of the solution space of industrial design engineers In addition, manufacturing engineers are driven to explore new materials, new manufacturing processes and new manufacturing (working) methods to support product innovation

Introducing ‘Operator 4.0,’ a tech-augmented human worker

Abstract: There does not have to be conflict between robots and humans, with machines taking people’s jobs and leaving them unemployed. Technology should be designed with collaboration in mind. That way, companies and workers alike will be able to capitalize on the respective strengths of both human and machine. What’s more, the inherent flexibility of “Operator 4.0” workers will also help to ensure workplaces of the future that can change and adapt. That means getting ever more efficient and safer, as new technologies emerge.

Desempeño de un regulador-estabilizador neurodifuso en un sistema multimáquinas

Abstract: In this work the application of a neurofuzzy control system in a multimachine power system is presented. The neurofuzzy control is obtained by the off-line training of a fuzzy neural network based on