Smart Product Design Ontology Development for Managing Digital Agility

This study aims at highlighting the current knowledge, practices and effects of collaborative and concurrent new product development processes in the framework of the Portuguese plastic processing industry. By means of a case study approach, the conditioning factors affecting the strategic collaborations among firms are systemized. Mutual dependence, trust, and extensive information sharing were identified as prerequisites factors for a better buyer-supplier interdependence and involvement, as well as for the overall benefit of the supply chain. Moreover, collaborative and concurrent new product development processes ask for the use of cost management practices and advanced technical specifications (standards) which emerge as technical and management tools to achieve higher levels of efficiency and quality at the lower cost. Practices such as target and kaizen costing, value engineering, and design-to-cost, were perceived to play a remarkable positive effect on the internal/external organizational boundaries.

In the concurrent and collaborative product development process, the realization of quantitative analysis and overall control of the development process management is the key and the difficulties in the current study. Through describes the concept and role of data maturity, a new methods to quantitative analysis and overall control of collaborative product development process based on the idea of data maturity was proposed in this paper. Base on the explanation of the theory of data maturity to control the process, the differences and relationship between data maturity and milestone was analyzed. The division method of data maturity level was discussed, and the corresponding relationship between each data maturity level and completion degree of the digital product model was illustrated also. In addition, the overall form of the product collaborative development process based on data maturity was provided. Finally, the detailed process between product structure design, process design and tooling design driven by each data maturity were explored, which realized the quantitative analysis and overall control of the product development process.

In order to evaluate human and organization factors, an agent-based simulation approach is proposed, which simulates design process as a continuous interaction process of design agents and environment. Aiming at the characteristics of collaborative design work, the designer's agent model is constructed and collaboration process of the agent is described using Petri Nets. Simulation program is developed and experiments are conducted based on the agent model. The input parameters and evaluation criteria of the simulation are studied in detail. The elementary simulation result shows the accordance with the practical organization principles. The agent-based simulation provides a quantitative and dynamic method to evaluate and improve human and organization factors in collaborative product development process.

Ontology-based assembly design and information sharing for collaborative product development

Four important issues in Information System for Collaborative Product Development Process are discussed in this paper. They are process outsourcing, process orchestration, process dynamic change, and integration of process management with synchronized collaboration. A method of dynamic refining of process model is proposed to support hierarchical activity decomposition, therefore fulfils process outsourcing. Loose coupling message communication architecture based on JMS and web services technology is developed to orchestrate the cross-organizational product development processes. In order to treat process model changes in long-running product development processes, a process evolution methodology is discussed in this paper. At last, collaborative activity is presented to support synchronized collaborative work in asynchronous activity schedule in product development process.

Process planning for collaborative product development with CD-DSM in optoelectronic enterprises

In product development projects in a collaborative environment, it is not uncommon for professionals to work toward goals that do not result in successful, competitive products. One way of avoiding this problem is to employ objective indicators to represent the product's competitiveness and facilitate communication in the project team. This article proposes a Customer Satisfaction indicator for this purpose, which is especially useful for product improvement projects. This indicator makes it possible to (1) simulate Customer Satisfaction at a future date based on the modifications being proposed today and (2) verify how much the technical characteristics of a product actually contribute to Customer Satisfaction. It facilitates communication among professionals from different backgrounds, especially in a collaborative product development process. Practical applications are introduced, simulated and discussed.

The widespread adoption of computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM) tools has resulted in the acceleration of the product development process, reducing the time taken to design a product [46]. However, the product development process, for the most part, is still decentralized with the design and manufacturing reviews being performed independently, leading to differences between as-designed and as-manufactured component. A successful product needs to meet its specifications, while also being manufacturable. In general, the design engineer ensures that the product is able to function according to the specified requirements, while the manufacturing engineer gives feedback to the design engineer about its manufacturability. This iterative process is often time consuming, leading to longer product development times and higher costs. Recent researches in integrating design and manufacturing [24, 28, 46] have tried to reduce these differences and making the product development process easier and accessible to designers, who may not be manufacturing experts. In addition, there have been different efforts to enable a collaborative product development process and reduce the number of design iterations [8, 10, 41]. However, with the increase in complexity of designs, integrating the manufacturability analysis within the design environment provides an ideal solution to improve the product design process.

The combination of computer-aided tools for the support of planning and execution of product development processes opens new possibilities especially for the collaboration in virtual enterprises and globally distributed supply chains. The use of simulation tools for process analysis not only enables the enterprises to design optimised product development processes across company borders but can also form the basis for the execution of these processes. The support granted by product library and workflow-management functionalities ensures that planned processes are carried out in an effective way without struggling with the usual information management problems.The described approach of a continuous support of the design and execution of product development processes helps companies to face the challenges of a globalised world by using the opportunities that such a globalised world offers.Keywordsproduct development processessimulationdistributed designproduct data management

Circular economy is a key strategy to achieve corporate sustainability. However, so far, most firms are unable to translate the concept of circular economy into their corporate strategies, business models, and operations. Some scholars have argued that firms need to develop new (and dynamic) capabilities for circular economy implementation. Yet there is a little discussion on how firms can develop such capabilities. Notably, there is a paucity of research on specific skills, processes, and organizational activities (microfoundations of dynamic capabilities) that may facilitate circular economy implementation. To address this knowledge gap, using a multiple‐case studies approach, we explore microfoundations of dynamic capabilities in successful circular economy business cases. Our findings indicate that dynamic capabilities positively contribute to circular economy implementation. Our case studies show that case firms identified circular economy opportunities by using four microfoundations of sensing capability. Further, case firms acted on the identified opportunities by using simultaneously three microfoundations of seizing capability and four microfoundations of reconfiguring capability. This paper contributes to the literature on the relations between dynamic capabilities and corporate sustainability by providing insights on how sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring dynamic capabilities act in successful operationalization of circular economy strategies.

This research explored a new direction of improving collaborative design by performance measurement. More specifically, a novel 3-dimensional performance measurement model is developed and the purpose of this model is to help project managers improve team collaboration by indicating strengths and weaknesses of team members during the project development process. Considering the complexity of collaborative design work, a multiple criteria model is proposed to reflect the design dynamics, which highlights five performance indicators: efficiency, effectiveness, collaboration, management skills and innovation. These five indicators are mostly influenced by role-based performance measurement criteria (the second dimension). Design and development process (time) is also considered (the third dimension). This 3D model allows all involved design participants to measure work performance at any time during the product development process. In order to develop this model, the role-based task analysis and industrial survey methods were utilized. Three groups of role-based product design and development performance measurement criteria were identified for measuring design performance of the top managers, middle managers and individual designers in a project team. A 3-dimensional performance measurement method was proposed to calculate final performance scores from a performance measurement matrix. The proposed model was evaluated as a tool which can support project managers to reduce potential design and collaboration risks and increase confidence in decision-making process. The model has been discussed on implementing in a web-based application for measuring design performance throughout the product design and development process.

Identifying the moderating influences of external environments on new product development process

The internationalization of firms is a growing important phenomenon in the Economy. Thus, to face the new competitive challenges of globalized markets, industrial small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to implement new organizational approaches to take on new challenges in international markets. Based on a case study, this chapter reviews the literature on internationalization theories. Drawing on the network-based approach and on the resource-based view of the firm, we examine how collaborative new product development processes played a fundamental role in the internationalization process of a SME using a relationship-based perspective. The featured case concerns to a successful ex-small technical textile firm that leveraged its competitive strategy, climbed up the value chain, and extended its international activities following a technology-based path.

This article studies the learning and capability formation of a biotechnology firm by analysing its development path, which is composed of successive product development and innovation processes. In collaborative product development work, network collaboration, as well as the acquisition of new competences and learning, evolves simultaneously and interactively. Searching for and encountering partners with complementary knowledge and resources is important in the emergence of new product-development processes. To improve understanding of this path formation, the article draws on cultural—historical activity theory, science and technology studies and the epistemology of things and effects. These all underline the significance of material artefacts for learning and activity. The epistemology of things and effects addresses the knowledge of how things work in experimental systems and products. Enzymes, proteins and instruments are put to work in a stabilized way as parts of new products. The effects so mastered entail the functional qualities that make products competitive in the marketplace.

The reduction of lead time in the product development process (PDP) is one of the main challenges faced by organizations operating in dynamic and competitive markets, such as the textile sector. In this context, the application of lean manufacturing principles has proven to be a promising strategy to eliminate waste and increase efficiency. This article aims to analyze the joint application of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and the Gemba Kaizen (GK) method in a multi-project PDP of a textile industry in Santa Catarina, seeking to highlight how these practices can contribute to continuous improvement. Methodologically, the study adopts action research, conducted in two intervention cycles: the first focusing on waste identification through VSM, and the second on implementing improvements via GK. The results revealed the existence of excessive information inventories, rework, and inconsistencies in material and data flows, which directly impacted lead time. The application of lean practices resulted in a 63% reduction in the rework rate in printing and a decrease of two days in the total PDP lead time. As a contribution, the study demonstrates the applicability of Lean Product Development in sectors still scarcely explored in the literature, such as textiles, while also highlighting the relevance of integrating classical quality tools with lean methodologies. It further suggests the need for future research on the digitalization of VSM and GK, aligning product development with the principles of Industry 4.0 and the circular economy.