Papers by Author: Dominik T. Matt

Abstract: The concept of the "On-site Factory" consists in the temporary use of fully functioning mobile mini-factories or production cells at the site of consumption. Mobile Factories are well suitable for situations in the construction industry with long distances and therefore high logistics costs. The advantage of this concept is its economic efficiency combined with a maximum of flexibility and a just-in-time supply. By a high degree of reconfigurability and scalability of the On-site Factory, it can be adapted to its individual mission and the quantity demand at the construction site. This research discusses the need for new and innovative JIT solutions for construction industry and addresses the specific case of networks of mobile on-site factories. The creation of a Mobile Factory Network (MFN) shows an interesting new and innovative business model for decentralized manufacturing on-site. The research shows a possible form of network structure and organization as well as its advantages and potential for the construction sector.

Abstract: This paper reports the practical experiences made with extending the Value Stream Mapping (VSM) approach to the comprehensive design of a lean manufacturing system for the series production of sheet metal cable tray systems. The use of VSM for analyzing the production of repetitive units has proven to be successful in different industries. It is based on a classification of all products into product families and creates one current and future state map for each product family. This approach and the related guidelines for future state optimization are very helpful but not sufficient for a comprehensive manufacturing system (re) design, because the relation between product families value streams, the overall material flow optimization, as well as the segmentation and layout of factory remains unclear. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to develop a design procedure based on the investigation of an industrial case that allows the integrated optimization of the single value streams, their compilation in material-flow optimized production segments, and finally the (re) design of production logistics and factory layout. The findings of this research are limited due to the focused nature of a case study based research. However, the obtained results encourage assuming its transferability to similar problems.

Abstract: In the literature, many foresight methods have been used to cope with uncertainty concerning the future demand for electric, hydrogen, and plug-in hybrid vehicles. As a result, different scenarios and roadmap have been provided, often with contrasting outcomes. This paper is a short review of the existing literature aiming to summarize the main results obtained so far, describing the diverse ranges of possible development of these alternative vehicles over the next 40 years. This paper then addresses some key questions through the answers provided by the literature: what are the drivers of an alternative vehicles economy What are the principal barriers and the strategic goals When will an economy of alternative vehicles emerge What does an alternative vehicle economy attain

Abstract: To compete effectively in the dynamic global marketplace, manufacturing companies have to maintain a high level of responsiveness to remain competitive. This paper presents a theoretic framework for the installation of mechanisms in order to control the effects of the time-dependent combinatorial complexity caused by the uncertainty of maintaining the fulfillment of once defined functional requirements for a manufacturing system. Inspired by the idea of a system that automatically detects, diagnoses, and repairs identified areas of inefficiency, the objective of this research is to find mechanisms that anticipate market or environmentally driven events and help to set up the manufacturing system in advance in order to maximize total system efficiency. The paper builds on previous research about system complexity and on recent findings of a research project conducted in an Italian manufacturing company. Starting from the overall objective of “enhanced survivability” for the company and its manufacturing system, functional system requirements are deducted mapping between functional and system design domain, first on a time-independent basis. With the help of the scenario-technique, time-dependent influence is shown and improvement strategies are developed, using functional periodicity as a trigger point for their release. The first results from practical application show very promising results which will be discussed in the paper.

Abstract: Build-to-order was once the only way in which products were made, but limited the market to only the rich buyers. Mass production contributed to a wider access to products, however with losses in individuality. Finally, mass customization aimed at holding out the promise of both, and “lean” concepts helped to (partly) make it a reality. However, the world has changed significantly since the first introduction of “lean” – especially in the most recent years. European companies are facing a growing international competition in volume markets due to the increasing economical and technical emancipation of low labour cost countries. While multinational enterprises are shifting their manufacturing activities to Far East to keep competitive in terms of costs, small and medium sized companies often have to leave their traditional market segments and retreat into niches. However, smaller production lot sizes and the increasing complexity of product programmes require innovative manufacturing strategies. According to several studies and empirical proves, less than 0,5% of a company’s production lead time is value adding, the bigger part of it is dedicated to waiting, handling and internal transport. This paper presents a new approach for the design of lean manufacturing support systems in make-to-order production systems that have to deal with a huge variety of product types and with high variations in demand. A special focus is given to the design of manual material handling and transport (MMHT) solutions. With the help of axiomatic design principles, a tree of design parameters is derived and translated into generally applicable design rules. With the help of a practical example from make-to-order industry, the validity of the methodology is illustrated.

Abstract: The complexity of a manufacturing system is determined by the uncertainty in achieving the system’s functional requirements and is caused by two factors: by a time-independent poor design that causes a system-inherent low efficiency (system design), and by a time-dependent reduction of system performance due to system deterioration or to market or technology changes (system dynamics). To maximize the productivity of a manufacturing system, its entire complexity must be reduced. Many valid methods have been developed so far addressing different single manufacturing and quality issues. But to continuously increase the productivity of a manufacturing system within a turbulent environment its entire complexity must be reduced. This requires a holistic understanding and knowledge about the system. To reduce a system’s complexity, its subsystems should not overlap in their contribution to the overall system’s functionality, they must be mutually exclusive. On the other hand, the interplay of system’s components must be collectively exhaustive in order to include every issue relevant to the entire system’s functionality. This paper introduces a concept for complexity reduction in manufacturing systems with the help of Nam P. Suh’s Axiomatic Design principles. In a first step, time-dependent elements are separated from time-independent elements. To eliminate the real complexity of the time-independent elements (so called manufacturing modules), a set of alternative design parameters are defined that fit the system range of the manufacturing module’s set of functional requirements. To reduce the time-dependent combinatorial complexity, a methodology is proposed to systematically define an entire manufacturing system’s functional requirements within very short times in order to guarantee a fast reconfiguration of the system considering internal and external system dynamics. With the help of practical examples and the obtained results, the validity of the approach is illustrated.