Hans Wortmann

Information Infrastructure Systems for Manufacturing II

Japanese automobile manufacturers have maintained global competitiveness in the past by providing high quality, low cost vehicles. Recently, however, the strength of the yen and a recovering U.S. automobile industry has put the Japanese automobile export market in a precarious position. Similarly, it is becoming apparent that, as information technology dramatically changes and advances, Japan lags behind in the field of key software and middle-ware technologies. In this environment, re-engineering of business processes in the automobile industry is becoming more important as a method to recover and maintain competitiveness in both the information and automobile industries as Japan moves towards the 21st century. Consequently, the V-CALS consortium was established in May of this year by five major Japanese car manufactures, parts and die suppliers and other related companies. This enterprising project encompasses conformance testing to achieve virtual vehicle development while striving to merge competition with cooperation. This paper explains the aims of this consortium and gives an outline of the V -CALS project, focusing on the requirements for next-generation PDM, and trial use of STEP, EDI and SGML.

Comparison of information systems for engineer-to-order and make-to-stock situations

Abstract This paper investigates the nature of information systems for the support of production management. It provides a comparison between these information systems in two cases: (i) the case of make-to-stock production; and (ii) the case of engineer-to-order production. Databases with basic product and process information have quite a different nature for these two cases. For make-to-stock production, such as classical MRP systems, the basic information should be complete, consistent and up-to-date. This information is used by planners to generate materials and capacity plans in an automated way. For engineer-to-order production, it should be allowed that basic information is incomplete, partly inconsistent, or not up-to-date. This is due to the fact that these data are used by engineers as reference data for the creation of customer-specific solutions.

RECONSTRUCTING THE SALES AND FULFILLMENT CYCLE TO CREATE SUPPLY CHAIN DIFFERENTIATION

Redesigns of supply chains have been largely limited to the differentiation of delivery processes to offer customers different delivery lead‐times on different products. In the future, differentiation will go much deeper, back into the supply chains within and across companies. Companies, together with partner companies in a supply chain, will increasingly have to design business processes that meet many different kinds of customer needs. This article describes how differentiated service will be realized through the reconstruction of the traditional sales and fulfillment cycle, whereby the traditional process is broken down and reconstructed in a manner that maximizes the overall efficiency of the chain. The article is based on the results of a year‐long study to develop supply chain improvements within two sectors ‐ electrical installations and pharmaceuticals. Distinctive aspects of this study were that it looked at supply chains that connected three echelons of independent companies in a project environment. The major players in the industries were involved in the project. The article describes three elements for reconstructing the sales and fulfillment cycle: i) reallocating activities to most efficient players; ii) reallocating inventory to reduce duplication; and, iii) using knowledge of end‐user demand to streamline (parts of) the supply chain. The article also examines two barriers to implementation and how to deal with these: the need for openness between supply chain partners; and the fact that current systems cannot handle the degree of differentiation and cooperation required.

Mediating negotiations in a virtual enterprise via mobile agents

In this paper, we propose a systematisation of the monitoring and control aspects in a virtual enterprise (VE). As an instrument, we use the mobile agent paradigm, defining the concept of a mobile agent Web (MA-Web). One of the roles of the agents in this environment is to mediate negotiations between the parties of the VE. We make some assumptions about the new behaviour and code of conduct in the MA-Web, such as the willingness to share data and knowledge.

On the design of a mobile agent Web for supporting virtual enterprises

In this paper we discuss the design of a mobile agent based infrastructure for monitoring and controlling activities in a Virtual Enterprise (VE). We define the concepts of the Virtual Enterprise and the Mobile Agent Web (MA-web).

Improving manufacturing co-operation in a virtual enterprise by tracker mobile agents

Agents are a new paradigm in software development. However, this paradigm offers new methodologies only in certain areas. Our view is that IT integration of a virtual enterprise is one of the most promising fields for agent-based software. In this paper, we present an approach based on tracker mobile agents, which is intended to support the decision-making process for changes during product manufacturing in a virtual enterprise. We argue that a possible approach is to use rule-based heuristic reasoning, augmented with human interaction.

Human Models and Data in the Ubiquitous Information Infrastructure

In this paper we address the modelling of humans in a context of ubiquitous information services. First we present the apparently conflicting requirements of, on the one hand avoiding data inconsistencies while reducing burdensome aspects of information technologies, and on the other hand, the respect for a person’s privacy. These problems are analysed in the context of current ICT developments towards a ubiquitous information infrastructure. The architecture of a Human Data Manager Service (HDMS) is proposed and illustrated. It offers a solution to information modelling problems that originate from the current shift in the scope of information systems, from the enterprise to the enterprise network in the market.