Stefano Ierace

Aligning strategic profiles with operational metrics in after‐sales service

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to overcome the limitations of the current models available in the literature in terms of relation and consistency between business strategy, service chain configuration and performance measurement systems, and on the alignment between strategic, tactical and operational levels of after-sales decision-making processes. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on a literature review of after-sales performance measurement systems and provides a first validation of the proposed integrated model through industrial case studies related to the provision of durable consumer goods in a business to consumer scenario. Findings - The paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the factors which influence the performance of after-sales, in order to allow enterprises to consistently design their corporate after-sales service strategic performances with those required at operational levels within a service chain. Research limitations/implications - Further development must be carried out in order to: enlarge the sample of companies and cases where the model can be applied, with a specific extension on a business-to-business industry; extend the model to the whole supply and service chain; enrich the framework in order to consider other aspects, as empathy; and develop a full integration with the SCOR model, including the definition of best practices. Originality/value - The integration of the strategic and operational views subsumed by the framework would allow enterprises in relating more consistently their corporate After-sales strategic and operational performance within a service chain and to assess the cause and effect relationship between operational drivers and financial and competitive results.

A framework for the configuration of after-sales service processes

In the competitive world of industrial goods, where products are getting commoditised and profit margins are cut down, the search for new business opportunities also encompasses the provision of a portfolio of service activities. The observed trend is that companies need to package their core products with additional services in order to make them more attractive to final customers. In this context, after-sales (AS) service has become increasingly important as a source of differentiation and market share for manufacturers and resellers, as well as a strategic driver for customer retention. This leads to a detailed revision of the logistical and organisational configuration of the whole service chain entailing the design of appropriate processes and a general and shared definition of their structure. The aim of this article is to propose a framework which provides a common representation of the AS processes and activities according to a configuration model that links different typologies of assistance with product characteristics for service operations. Three case studies have been considered in order to ascertain the validity of the framework in the industrial context.

Maintenance Strategy Selection: a comparison between Fuzzy Logic and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Continued pressure on companies to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction has resulted in increasingly detailed examinations of maintenance practices and strategies. At the same time, the role of maintenance nowadays is shifting from the traditional necessary evil to a business chance. However, even if research in this area is on the rise nowadays, little work has been done in order to provide a model for the selection of the suitable maintenance strategy for each piece of equipment. This paper shows a comparison between two techniques, Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Logic, as Multi Criteria Decision Methods useful for selecting the most suitable maintenance strategy. The two models have been applied to a real case study carried out in an Italian manufacturing firm.

Profiling the power usage of industrial machinery by ANN

Neural networks can provide an effective way for profiling a plant, if conditions are accurately sampled and data properly collected. In this paper we investigate such an approach, considering a textile finishing machinery named rameuse as experimental context.

Neural network as an efficient diagnostics tool: A case study in a textile company

Abstract Due to the increasing pressure on efficiency gains and quick response to customers’ requests, manufacturing industries are striving to reduce and eliminate costly, unscheduled downtimes and breakdowns. To this end, Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) approach aims at reducing the uncertainty of maintenance according to the needs indicated by the equipment condition. However, one of the main problems of the CBM approach is to identify and measure the conditions of the system under control, in order to define the need for a preventive maintenance intervention. This paper describes a diagnostics system based on the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique, applied to a textile finishing machinery. This policy, very cost-effective since it uses a signal often available without the embedment of a sensor, aims at avoiding the need for costly, direct measurement of system conditions. The obtained results lead to the conclusion that neural networks represent an effective tool in supporting CBM approaches.

Towards a Reference Model for After-Sales Service Processes

In the last years, given the high market pressure and the increased competition in several industries, the search for new business opportunity is focusing on service activities. After-Sales (AS) service has become increasingly important as a source of differentiation and market share for manufacturers and resellers, as well as a strategic driver for customer’s retention. These changes often call for a new conceptual definition of the product-service bundle marketed to the final customer and for a thorough revision of the logistical and organizational configuration of the whole service chain. It comes out the necessity to design appropriate processes and to have a general and shared definition of their structure. Aim of the paper is to suggest a model which provides a common configuration of the assistance processes according to a framework that links the different typologies of assistance with the product service strategies offered by companies. Some case studies have been considered in order to validate the proposed framework and the model.

RFId systems for moveable asset management: an assessment model

Management of moveable assets is a key issue in most industrial manufacturing companies. With the increasing complexity of production systems characterised by numerous and heterogeneous machining centres, it becomes quite hard to carry out an effective and cost-efficient management model of the tools and fixtures needed for ensuring a correct and timely execution of the planned production cycles. A prerequisite for a proper management of moveable assets is the adoption of identification systems to support the traceability and data collection of the most relevant pieces of information along the life cycle of an asset. The aim of this paper was to provide an assessment model for evaluating the benefits and costs related to the adoption of RFId tags as identifications systems for moveable assets, and in particular in managing machinery tools in a production premise. In order to present a practical example of applicability of the model, an industrial application is reported with an in-depth analysis of the potential benefits and issues derived from the implementation of RFId tags.

Application of neural networks to condition based maintenance: A case study in the textile industry

Abstract The development of complex and sophisticated equipment makes necessary to enhance modern maintenance management systems. Conventional Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) reduces the uncertainty of maintenance according to the needs indicated by the equipment condition. This paper describes a novel predictive maintenance system for textile machine systems based upon a neural network approach. This approach avoids the need for costly measurement of system parameters. The obtained results lead to the conclusion that neural networks represent an effective tool in supporting CBM policies.

Agile diagnostic tool based on electrical signature analysis

Abstract Today, time based maintenance is the most common strategy, to assure a certain level of productivity and reliability in the industrial plants, with a fixed interval length between two maintenance actions. However, given the stochastic nature of the faults, plant equipments and machines usually fail unexpectedly, before the scheduled maintenance action. Therefore, condition based maintenance (CBM) has been introduced, without any fixed interval length between the maintenance actions, as a more efficient maintenance policy. A technique developed for condition based maintenance of electro-mechanical systems is electrical signature analysis. The basic idea behind electrical signature analysis is that, time-dependent load and speed variations in an electro-mechanical system generally induce correlated small variations in the systems electrical response. Electrical signature analysis analyzes these small variations providing diagnostic information. A tool based on this technique is agile in its adoption since no specific sensors must be installed on the machine, but only power signal must be measured and thus the implementation of such tool can be considered simple and flexible. This paper presents a tool that has such kind of characteristics. The tool processes power signals acquired by transducers installed on the electrical lines of electro-mechanical systems, for machine fault diagnosis. The data acquired are processed through some steps, using some signal indicators developed to understand the machine behaviour.

The basics of FMEA, by Robin E. McDermott, Raymond J. Mikulak and Michael R. Beauregard

This book was designed, as the authors state, ‘to help shorten the learning curve for FMEA terms and to help to conduct effective and efficient FMEAs’. The authors describe the FMEA as a ‘systematic method of identifying and preventing product and process problems before they occur’. Hence, they propose a procedure for carrying out FMEA standardising the approach and establishing a common language that can be used both within and between company (e.g. splitting FMEA in 10 steps and showing an application of the method). This book is well structured. Chapters 1 and 2 provide a brief introduction and the purpose for FMEA whilst Chapter 3 shows an overview of the International Standards which include FMEA process. Chapter 4 concerns the procedure of this method specifying the two most common approaches: product and process FMEA. Moreover, in this chapter, it defines the factors (severity, occurrence and detection) which provide the risk priority number (RPN) for each potential failure mode and effect. Chapters 5 and 6 highlight the actors involved in the FMEA analysis. FMEA team is described (i) specifying the size of the team, (ii) the role of the leader of the process expert and (iii) the training and the boundaries of the FMEA process. Chapter 7 provides an in-depth examination of the difference between the product FMEA, which aims at uncovering problems with the product and process FMEA which is focused to uncover problems related to the manufacturing of the product. Chapter 8 shows the steps for an FMEA which are common both for product and process approach and the worksheet and table for the ranking of severity, occurrence and detection, whilst Chapter 9 deals with a real application of FMEA in the manufacturer of fire-extinguishers where it is possible to understand better the role of the team and the decisions the team has to take in each step. Chapter 10 shows the area in which it is useful to apply this kind of methodology and the main advantages. Finally, it is worth mentioning the seven appendices which provide useful tables for ranking severity, occurrence and detection and worksheets to conduct FMEA project. In my opinion, the book is well written and interesting. It contributes well to show the FMEA method, in particular, from the practitioner’s point of view, getting into evidence the relevant issues and problems in facing FMEA analysis. In this context, it is a book which complements other relevant books focused on issues such as FMEA and more addressed in theoretical approach (e.g. definition of failure modes, effects), without providing a clear procedure and the way to conduct FMEA (the role of team and team leader, composition of team and timing, etc.). Also the style of presentation is clear. In fact, it follows a well-defined structure identifying the purpose of the method, the several actors involved and the coordination between them, the steps of the procedure and also provides some worksheets useful for a company which intends facing this method. Moreover, it is, however, also well explained in this book that the FMEA could be customised for a specific application. In conclusion, even if FMEA is well known from a scientific perspective, this book helps practitioners in performing FMEA process with useful procedure, tables and worksheets. In my opinion, the level of the detail is correct with the authors’ aim; however, it is not well explained, in the first step, how to consider the component and function. In fact, before speaking about failure modes, it is necessary to understand the product/process under analysis from a perspective of its components and how to group them. Finally, it is also needed to understand whether the FMEA team has to consider all the components of the product/process or just the key one. This is the weakness of this book that practitioners need to overcome in performing an FMEA project. In my opinion, both for the contents and the style of presentation, this book could be adopted to support practitioners in conducting FMEA project whilst from a scientific perspective this analysis is well known. Moreover, this book can generate ideas for problem solving also in different contexts from those presented in the text.