Kjeld Nielsen

Productivity, Challenges, and Applying Mass Customization in the Building and Construction Industry

The productivity in the Danish construction industry is significantly less compared to other sectors in Denmark. It has only doubled over the last 50 years, and based on this fact, this paper as a starting point look into the productivity of the building and construction industry to investigate trend similarities with other countries. Hereafter a literature study elaborates the challenges within the building and construction industry to understand the conditions that strain the industry in improving productivity.

Social integration i arbejdslivet: belyst gennem en undersøgelse inden for voksenhandicapsektoren

I organisationen og dens arbejdsmiljo er der altid udstodte personer eller grupper, som af den ene eller anden grund ikke er integreret i virksomheden. Dette forhold kan fremtraede i en social proces pa arbejdspladsen, hvor enkelte ansatte bliver mobbet, chikaneret eller bliver gjort til syndebuk af faellesskabet i organisationen. Eksempelvis udpeger medlemmer i sociale grupper syndebukke, nar noget gar galt, nar der opstar konflikter, eller hvis der er en person ansat, som er uonsket i gruppen. Personer, som er placeret yderst i gruppen, udvaelges ofte til at vaere syndebukke (Lenneer-Axelson & Thylefors 1993, 76). I arbejdslivets sociale processer dannes og udvikles grupper, som udgor en »slags kollektiv forsvarsmekanisme rettet mod et mere eller mindre uskyldigt gruppemedlem« (Einarsen & Mikkelsen 2000, 18). Efter vor opfattelse findes nogle bagvedliggende arsagssammenhaenge til sociale processer, som fremtraeder som udstodning eller mangelfuld social integration af ansatte i enhver organisation. Disse sammenhaenge finder vi i arbejdsmiljoog kulturforholdene i den enkelte organisation, og det er disse forhold vi vil beskaeftige os med i denne artikel. I en kombineret kulturog arbejdsmiljoundersogelse fik vi afdaekket et tilsyneladende velfungerende arbejdsmiljo (Nielsen & Christensen 2001). Men pa tvaers af personalegrupper identificerede vi ansatte, som ikke blev integreret socialt i institutionen. Det er vor antagelse, at hovedarsagen la bade i et ikke-intakt socialt netvaerk og i en organisationskultur. Dvs. et netvaerk som ikke er tilstraekkeligt udbygget til at fastholde og integrere ansatte, som har det svaert med kollegaer, ledere og beboere, og en

Mass Customization as a Productivity Enabler in the Construction Industry

Mass customization (MC) has improved productivity in the manufacturing industry, and it may be applicable in the construction industry, even though only limited literature for the implementation of MC is present.

Mass Customization in Food Industries: Case and Literature Study

The food industry currently faces demands for more diverse products. This introduces a different competitive environment than the food industry has traditionally experienced. A possible solution to the change in customer demand is to apply the business strategy, mass customization, which enables customized products at prices near that of mass-produced products. Although mass customization has been utilized in several different industries, the food industry has not yet seen this business strategy widely adopted. This paper presents a literature review, which only reveals few works within mass customization in the food industry. The limited literature covers food manufacturing processes, product configuration, and supply chain. To examine the potentials and challenges of mass customization in the food industry, a case study of a food manufacturer is conducted. It becomes evident that the case company has challenges with mastering the capabilities required to achieve mass customization. The challenges identified in this study are (1) no product solution space development, (2) limited knowledge of raw material, (3) manual equipment adjustment, (4) dedicated software and hardware solutions, and (5) limited choice navigation. In light of the listed challenges and the limited literature in the field, it is clear that more research is imperative in order to enable mass customization in the food industry.

Validation of Metrics for Mass Customization: A Pre-study of Validation Methods

Over the last two decades, literature presents mass customization metrics; recent research presents these in relation to another recent research: the framework of three fundamental capabilities in mass customization. The metrics presented are all considered useful in company applications like ERP systems. A firm validation of each metrics is not confirmed in the literature. This research aims to address the lack of method for validation: firstly, by identifying a commonly accepted method or procedure to follow to validate a metric (case study was identified as such commonly accepted method) and, secondly, by performing a simple analysis following the method proposed to assess the potential (an analysis of repurchase rate metric was performed on a small case dataset, and it clarified the potential in the procedure for validation).

Data-Driven Product Family Modeling with Feedback

In order to become a successful mass customizer, companies must be in control of their product variety. This is to ensure that the product variety is sufficient in order to satisfy the range of customer demands but also to ensure that there is no excess variety, which compromises efficiency in business processes and manufacturing processes. This is often addressed by establishing product family models which represent the variety in a specific product family and any constraints there may be. In this paper, we first present a literature review of the currently existing product family modeling methods, in which it is concluded that most current methods are stand-alone, document-based methods, which largely do not consider integration with other product data systems or feedback from production and products. We then propose a number of new approaches to product family modeling, which utilizes data from other systems such as ERP and PDM, which enables a more fact-based modeling process. Furthermore, the proposed approach enables feedback loops into the product family model, which is possible due to advances in connectivity (IOT applications). The new approach will enable better qualification of decisions regarding product variety management once implemented.

Exploring Barriers Toward the Development of Changeable and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems for Mass-Customized Products: An Industrial Survey

Cyber-physical reconfigurable manufacturing systems that are able to efficiently produce customized products in lot sizes of one have the potential to significantly advance mass customization. Necessary enabling technologies are fast developing; however, the fundamental enabling principles of changeability and reconfigurability are still far from being reality in industry. Therefore, this paper explores organizational prerequisites and barriers for the development of changeability and reconfigurability, as well as significant differences regarding their presence in various industrial settings. The findings indicate that important prerequisites are only rudimentarily developed and that knowledge regarding reconfigurable system design is limited. Additionally, a long-term view on investments in production capacity and a strong coordination between production and product development were identified as prerequisites which existence are contingent on the industrial setting. The findings provide valuable insight into how to support an industrial transition toward changeability, in order to create the foundation for smart mass customization manufacturing.

Design models in the development of mechatronic systems: virtual prototyping and mechatronic module development process

Modelling and simulation tools support to reduce the number of physical prototypes in the development of multidomain systems. Virtual prototyping of the multidomain systems is one of the essential steps to decrease the time of the product development. In mechatronic systems, mechanical, electrical and software domains cannot be developed independently from each other at the beginning of the earliest design phases. Integrated, virtual and mathematical models are developed as they are less time consuming and are less expensive than physical prototypes. This paper explores design process of mechatronic product development with the aid of models. V-model is used as a basic approach in the design process. Virtual model of an electromechanical system is developed by using Bond graph method and the response of the system is simulated in a software tool 20-sim. This development process is summarised in a model from design integration to simulation of the system. Furthermore, the overall design process of the system is illustrated in a model that is based on mechatronic module development. That includes mainly the allocation of requirements to individual domains and illustrating the steps in the design process.