Mature Industry Research Articles

The role of data-driven services strategy in platform competition: A system performance perspective.

In the era of big data, data-driven services (DDS) have become critical competitive strategies for digital platform-based enterprises. This paper considers two operational modes of e-commerce platforms, which are self-operated and third-party modes, respectively, and they each lead a platform system. The Hotelling model is adopted to describe the competitive market of both platforms. We characterize their system performance functions. The optimization models are built using game theory to discuss the DDS and price decisions. We obtain the implementation conditions of DDS strategies for both platforms and the dominant situations of their respective DDS levels. We find that a platform adopting the price reduction strategy can improve the performance of its platform system while reducing the competitor's system performance. From the system performance perspective, continuous improvement of the DDS level may appear "harming others may not benefit oneself"; that is, continuously improving the DDS level leads to a decrease in the competitor's system performance but not necessarily an increase in its system performance. Further, consumer welfare within both platform systems shows the law of "as one falls then another rises". As the big data industry matures, self-operated platforms would demonstrate the advantages of service level, profit, and system performance. In contrast, third-party platforms would have an advantage in consumer welfare. These conclusions have important implications for e-commerce platforms developing data-driven operations-based strategies.

Rebranding a traditional industry: how fountain pens enter luxury market

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how traditional industries revert the trend of decline in sales through rebranding by analyzing the extended case study of the fountain pen industry.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes the marketing in case study of the fountain pen industry through two coordinates – symbolizing status and branding nostalgia. The division of analyses in these categories is supplanted by data, such as linear regression to analyze changes in product characteristics.FindingsThis study finds that the rebranding of the fountain pen in multiple fitting images – status symbol, object of nostalgia and something scarce and unique – is successful in capturing consumer demand, shaping consumer perceptions and help the mature industry locate as well as enter a niche market.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to explore the business development of traditional industry as a case study of fountain pens from the perspective of marketing and consumer behavior.

Radiation Hardness Study of Silicon Carbide Sensors under High-Temperature Proton Beam Irradiations.

Silicon carbide (SiC), thanks to its material properties similar to diamond and its industrial maturity close to silicon, represents an ideal candidate for several harsh-environment sensing applications, where sensors must withstand high particle irradiation and/or high operational temperatures. In this study, to explore the radiation tolerance of SiC sensors to multiple damaging processes, both at room and high temperature, we used the Ion Microprobe Chamber installed at the Ruđer Bošković Institute (Zagreb, Croatia), which made it possible to expose small areas within the same device to different ion beams, thus evaluating and comparing effects within a single device. The sensors tested, developed jointly by STLab and SenSiC, are PIN diodes with ultrathin free-standing membranes, realized by means of a recently developed doping-selective electrochemical etching. In this work, we report on the changes of the charge transport properties, specifically in terms of the charge collection efficiency (CCE), with respect to multiple localized proton irradiations, performed at both room temperature (RT) and 500 °C.

Lithium niobate photonics: Unlocking the electromagnetic spectrum

Lithium niobate (LN), first synthesized 70 years ago, has been widely used in diverse applications ranging from communications to quantum optics. These high-volume commercial applications have provided the economic means to establish a mature manufacturing and processing industry for high-quality LN crystals and wafers. Breakthrough science demonstrations to commercial products have been achieved owing to the ability of LN to generate and manipulate electromagnetic waves across a broad spectrum, from microwave to ultraviolet frequencies. Here, we provide a high-level Review of the history of LN as an optical material, its different photonic platforms, engineering concepts, spectral coverage, and essential applications before providing an outlook for the future of LN.

The adoption of Open Innovation in Manufacturing: a review

The Open innovation (OI) paradigm represents an organizational innovation that can enable manufacturing firms (including those operating in mature industries) and the industry itself to structure their innovation processes more effectively and efficiently, significantly reducing the cost, time, and thus the risk of innovation. Based on these considerations, this paper discusses the topic of OI in manufacturing. Through a systematic and bibliometric literature review, we retrieved from the Scopus database 331 articles published in the major academic journals referenced in the database. The article outlines the evolution of the topic based on publications by year, type of document, country, subject area, source, author, and through a keyword analysis. The results provide a clear picture of the existing literature to identify gaps in current scientific research and propose a future research agenda.

Introduction to the special issue on mobility, climate change, and economic inequality

Introduction to the special issue on mobility, climate change, and economic inequality

On the importance of coordinated international rules in cross-border circulation of data

CBDF (Cross-border data flow) is a social phenomenon with the development of digital information technology, and it is also the main way of digital trade. It can even be said that all trade related to CBDF can be called digital trade. With the continuous development of digital economy and the maturity of digital technology, the black and gray industry is constantly upgrading, and the national data security problem is becoming increasingly prominent. This paper analyzes the legal risks of cross-border data circulation at present, and then discusses the importance of coordinated international rules in cross-border data circulation. We should improve the common standards and strengthen the strength to deal with the competition of digital industry, so as to help the substantive progress of international rules and regulations of CBDF in the field of digital trade.

Impact Of GST Law With Reference To E-Commerce Industry In India

Article 366(12A) defines the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as any tax on the supply of goods, services, or both, except taxes on the delivery of alcoholic drinks for human use. In the new Article 366(26A), the word “service” means something other than “products.” Article 366(12) states that all materials, things, and articles are considered to be products. The government considers the GST to be more of a tax reform than a change to the current Indian tax system. They are evaluating all the pros and cons of the indirect taxation system. India was one of 123 countries in the world that used the Value Added Tax (VAT) system. Finance minister P. Chidambaram created plans for VAT and presented them to the Centre and the States on January 17, 2005. VAT replaced the Central Excise Tax at the national level and the Sales Tax System at the state level, which made a significant change to the tax collection process. In 2014, it was proposed that the GST be implemented in India starting from June 2016. The GST is implemented in a “double” way, with one part handled by the Centre (CGST) and another by the State (SGST). The tax base is almost the same for both the federal government and the states. On July 1, 2017, the GST was implemented in India, with three main models: (i) Central GST, (ii) State GST, and (iii) Dual GST. The E-commerce industry in India has been contributing more and more to the Indian economy. To make the most out of a mature and profitable E-commerce industry, retail E-commerce businesses need a stable indirect tax plan to address tax assessment issues they have been facing. The implementation of GST is also expected to resolve many supply chain problems that E-commerce companies have been facing, leading to faster shipping and returns and reduced administrative work. This will also help businesses and E-commerce sites improve their supply chain methods by focusing on making better storage and organizational decisions driven by cost and service.

Research on the Design of Industry and Education Integration Capability Maturity Model

This article introduces the design and evaluation method of the capability Maturity Model for the Integration of Industry and Education. Based on the interpretation of the industry-education integration documents issued by the country and major provinces and cities, the capability model architecture is designed into four levels: Dimension, Process Area Group, Process Area, and Capability Practice. Each maturity level and its objectives are defined, and a capability dictionary is established according to different requirements for the different maturity levels. The evaluation method sets weights for Dimensions and Process Areas based on their importance, and designs scoring rules for Capability Practice to determine the current capability maturity level of the organization.

Governance strategies for end-of-life electric vehicle battery recycling in China: A tripartite evolutionary game analysis

End-of-life (EOL) electric vehicle (EV) batteries have both economic and environmental benefits if recycled in an environmentally friendly manner while they may cause environmental pollution if treated improperly. China is currently working hard to promote the development of a circular economy by EOL EV battery recycling. However, conflicts of interest among electric vehicle manufacturers (EVMs), consumers, and the government often hinder efficient recycling. This study constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model under the condition of bounded rationality, analyzes the evolutionary stability strategy of three participants, and combines with numerical simulation to explore the feasible governance strategies of EOL EV battery recycling. The results show that four evolutionary stable strategies (ESSs) correspond to the three stages of the EOL EV battery recycling industry: early stage, development stage, and maturity stage. In the early stage, the punishment strategy is more critical to motivate EVMs and consumers to actively participate in battery recycling. The subsidy mechanisms can influence the strategic choices of the three participants, but the excessive subsidy is not conducive to the sustainable development of the EOL EV battery industry. In addition, when the industry matures, the government will gradually decrease intervention, thereby realizing the development path of EOL EV battery recycling from exogenous government supervision to endogenous profit drive.

Experimental investigation on an OWC wave energy converter integrated into a floating offshore wind turbine

A multi-functional floating foundation integrating an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) Wave Energy Converter (WEC) with a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) is a promising design for achieving cost reduction, adaptability and stability improvements. Yet, such a multi-functional integration is still in a demonstration phase and additional investigations are required to reach industrial maturity. This work assesses the hydrodynamic performance of such a design by carrying out a series of carefully instrumented scaled model tests. Two distinct sets of experimental models were designed accordingly, i.e., a pure FOWT without the OWC device, and the FOWT incorporating the OWC device. The multi-functional foundation is either fixed or allowed to move in heave mode along four vertical sliding rails. The introduction of the OWC device enhances the stability of the FOWT in heave, with a maximum motion reduction rate of 54.1%. The chamber air orifice size and the foundation geometries were optimized. The OWC with an air chamber opening ratio of 3.0% produces the maximum relative capture width. A larger chamber draft and breadth lead to a lower chamber resonance frequency. The main objective of this paper is to guide the design and application of the OWC device integrated into a floating offshore wind turbine.

OrcaFlex Modelling of a Multi-Body Floating Solar Island Subjected to Waves

Floating solar energy is an industry with great potential. As the industry matures, floating solar farms are considered in more challenging environments, where the presence of waves must be accounted for in mismatch studies and fatigue and mechanical considerations regarding electrical cables and mooring lines. Computational modelling of floating solar islands is now a critical step. The representation of such islands on industry-validated software is very complex, as it includes a large number of elements, each interacting with its neighbours. This study focuses on conditions with small waves (amplitude of <1 m) that are relevant to sheltered areas where generic float technologies can be utilized. A multi-body island composed of 3 × 3 floats is modelled in OrcaFlex. A solution to model the kinematic constraint chain between floats is presented. Three different modelling solutions are compared in terms of results and computation time. The most accurate model includes a multi-body computation of float responses in a potential flow solver (OrcaWave). However, solving the equations for a single float and applying the results to each float individually also gives accurate results and reduces the computation time by a factor of 3. These results represent a basis for further works in which larger and more realistic floating islands can be modelled.

Digital Transformation of Organization as Way to Raise the Level of Digital Maturity of Industry 4.0

The article studies key issues connected with raising the level of digital maturity and passing on to Industry 4.0. The focus is made on the necessity to change the organization as a whole and at the same time to introduce digital technologies. Digital transformation means, first of all, changes in the system of organization management and its corporate culture. Only in case owners, executives, employees of the company are ready for digital transformation, successful implementation of projects, aiming at digital maturity rising, is feasible. Changes in the system of management envisage revision of strategic goals so that the value created by the company is in demand on market and the company could improve its competitiveness and guarantee sustainable development for the long-term perspective. The authors describe key lines of raising the level of digital maturity by companies and passing on to Industry 4.0. They include analysis of strategic goals, identification of maturity level of business-processes by using well-known models, finding needs and opportunities of digital transformation, developing the plan and road card of digital transformation of the organization.

Software engineering and big data software

Software engineering is a mature industry of human activity focused on the creation, deployment, marketing and maintenance of software. The fundamental concepts of engineering are life cycle model; three main components of life cycle phases - products, processes and resources; engineering and methodologies for creating, deployment and maintaining software. Software is the foun- dation of technological advances that lead to new high performance products. As the functionality of products grows, so does the need to efficiently and correctly create and maintain the complex software that enables this growth. Therefore, in addition to solving its own problems, software engineering serves the solution of the problems of creating and maintaining software in other domains, which are called application domains. Information technology is a well-known application domain. The basis of this domain is data. Information systems are being implemented in an organization to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. The functionality of information systems has grown dramatically when big data began to be used. This growth has led to the emergence of a wide variety of software-intensive big data information systems. At the same time, the role and importance of software engineering for solving the problems of this application domain has only intensified. Modern possibilities of software engineering are shown. The aspects of interaction between software engineering and big data systems are analyzed. The topics for the study of big data software ecosystems and big data system of systems are outlined.

Development of intelligent devices for communication and data pre-processing in the process of electronic meter testing

The main problem of the intelligent devices for communication in the process of tests in production lines that evidences and justifies the development of the research, meets the lack of communication between the various electronic devices, the synchronization of information through a system that allows support for decision making and the need to have this set of data related to production, process and quality as a requirement for framing the pillars of maturity of Industry 4.0. Currently, the companies of this sector do not have an information or intelligent system that allows this data processing, neither the expert systems embedded in hardware to collect data from the manufacturing process of the electronic meter DOW1310L. Considering that the integration of cyber-physical Systems, Intelligent Systems and AI are requirements for the company to increase the maturity of its process according to Ordinance No. 2.091-SEI, of September 17, 2018, it is necessary to develop this project aiming at cost reduction and product quality. The objective of the article is to develop an Intelligent System of Lean Manufacturing capable of promoting the integration of communication to support decision making when using Production Control processes, to ensure product quality, reducing production cost. The materials resulted in the following forms: Cutting Sequence, Z-Safety, Material Thickness, Relief Dimension, Simulation Block Dimensions and Simulation Relief Resolution. Of the methods: Importance of CNC machining, Indication of the axes of the CNC. Keys of operation of the CNC, CNC Interface. Part Machining, DERD, Parameterization, - 3D Modeling of the Pima Verification System, 3D Modeling of the Pima Verification System (Rear View). The results found were: Firmware embedded in intelligent devices for data collection and transmission; Algorithm applied to demand forecast and production indicator in which generate knowledge and are available in Dashboard; Intelligent system with API integration and integration of stacks for optimization of computational processes using modern technologies and frameworks for web development with production engines.

Constructing Microcavity for Perovskite Laser Power Converter: A Theoretical Study

Laser power converters (LPCs) used in wireless energy transmission can realize noncontact power supply under extreme conditions and provide continuous energy support to unmanned probes, which is believed to play an essential role in the exploration of deep ocean. However, commercially available LPCs usually employ III–V semiconductors as light absorbers due to their industrial maturity. In order to match the underwater 450∼540 nm laser source, it requires an epitaxial growth method to tune the bandgap of those materials, which is highly costly that severely restricts the industrial preparation of LPCs on a large scale. Herein, the potential of perovskite in the application of underwater LPCs is presented theoretically by constructing MAPbBr3 LPC and its theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 48.55% is demonstrated. Moreover, a microcavity (MC) constructing strategy to further improve the device performance is proposed, in which the transfer matrix method and an admittance‐based antireflection condition approach are combined for the optical simulation. By modulating the MC condition, the significant optical resonance inside the device while avoiding the obvious light reflection is realized. As a result, MC LPCs can obtain a simulated PCE of 64.27%, which is highly competitive with the existing UV–vis LPCs.

Millet-based crop planting strategies in the Songhua River Region during the liaojin (907-1234 AD) dynasties: A case of the Luotong Mountain City site.

Millet-based dryland agriculture is the traditional mode of agricultural cultivation in northern China and has been of great significance to the emergence and development of Chinese civilization. However, although they are both millet-based agricultural production methods, with various subtypes in different regions of northern China. In the Songhua River Region in northeast China, the ecological environment and abundant natural resources led to the slow development of agriculture, and it was only after the Liaojin Dynasties that a mature farming industry was formed. We used the plant flotation instrument to flotation the soil samples unearthed in the Luotong Mountain City, a Liaojin period site in Songhua River Region, northeast China, and collected the charred plant seeds. Then observing them with the electron microscope, we identified and counted the plant seeds in this site. It was found that this region is still a millet-based crop utilization structure, and a total of 11 types of charred agricultural crop seeds were excavated from flotation at the Luotong Mountain City site. And the barnyard millet crops occupy a prominent advantage, with ubiquity of more than 91%. The ancestors of this region were still engaged in a millet-based agricultural strategy during this period, with a certain lag compared to the Central Plains'agricultural strategy where Triticeae crops had become dominant. In addition, the crop structure with the millet-based agriculture of the region is also somewhat different from that of the Central Plains. Through comparative studies of surrounding sites and reference to historical documents, it was found that this difference in crop structure is a phenomenon unique to the Songhua River Region and is related to the dietary habits of the local settled Jurchen nomads, who ate barnyard millet meal.

Characterizing Nanoparticle Release Patterns of Laser Powder Bed Fusion in Metal Additive Manufacturing: First Step Towards Mitigation Measures.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is a well-known Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology with a wide range of industrial applications. Potential occupational exposures to metal nanoparticles (NP) as by-products could occur in these processes, and no cogent occupational exposure limits are available. To contribute to this assessment, a monitoring campaign to measure the NP release pattern in two metal L-PBF facilities was carried out in two academic laboratories adopting L-PBF technology for research purposes. The monitored processes deal with two devices and three feedstock types, namely stainless steel (AISI 316L), aluminium-silicon alloy (A357) and pure copper, which are associated with different levels of industrial maturity. Prolonged environmental and personal real-time monitoring of NP concentration and size were performed, temperature and relative humidity were also measured during environmental monitoring. The measurements reveal a controlled NP release of the monitored processes, resulting in an average reduced exposure of the operators during the whole working shift, in compliance with proposed limit values (20 000 n cm-3 for density >6000 kg m-3 or 40 000 n cm-3 for density <6000 kg m-3). Nonetheless, the monitoring results show release events with an increase in NP concentration and a decrease in NP size corresponding with several actions usually performed during warm-up and cleaning, leading to exposures over 40-50 000 n cm-3 during a considerable time interval, especially during the manufacturing of pure copper powder. The results show that the actions of the operators, boundary conditions (relative humidity) and set-up of the L-PBF device have an impact on the amount of NP released and their size. Several release events (significant increase in NP concentration and decrease in NP size) are identified and associated with specific job tasks of the workers as well as building conditions. These results contribute to the definition of NP release benchmarks in AM processes and provide information to improve the operational conditions of L-PBF processes as well as safety guidelines for operators.

A Magnetohydrodynamic enhanced entry system for space transportation: MEESST

This paper outlines the initial development of a novel magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma control system which aims at mitigating shock-induced heating and the radio-frequency communication blackout typically encountered during (re-)entry into planetary atmospheres. An international consortium comprising universities, SMEs, research institutions, and industry has been formed in order to develop this technology within the MEESST project. The latter is funded by the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) program of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 scheme (grant no. 899298). Atmospheric entry imposes one of the harshest environments which a spacecraft can experience. The combination of hypersonic velocities and the rapid compression of atmospheric particles by the spacecraft leads to high-enthalpy, partially ionised gases forming around the vehicle. This inhibits radio communications and induces high thermal loads on the spacecraft surface. For the former problem, spacecraft can sometimes rely on satellite constellations for communicating through the plasma wake and therefore preventing the blackout. On the other hand, expensive, heavy, and non-reusable thermal protection systems (TPS) are needed to dissipate the severe thermal loads. Such TPS can represent up to 30% of an entry vehicles weight, and especially for manned missions they can reduce the cost- efficiency by sacrificing payload mass. Such systems are also prone to failure, putting the lives of astronauts at risk. The use of electromagnetic fields to exploit MHD principles has long been considered as an attractive solution for tackling the problems described above. By pushing the boundary layer of the ionized gas layer away from the spacecraft, the thermal loads can be reduced, while also opening a magnetic window for radio communications and mitigating the blackout phenomenon. The application of this MHD-enabled system has previously not been demonstrated in realistic conditions due to the required large magnetic fields (on the order of Tesla or more), which for conventional technologies would demand exceptionally heavy and power-hungry electromagnets. High-temperature superconductors (HTS) have reached a level of industrial maturity sufficient for them to act as a key enabling technology for this application. Thanks to superior current densities, HTS coils can offer the necessary low weight and compactness required for space applications, with the ability to generate the strong magnetic fields needed for entry purposes. This paper provides an overview of the MEESST project, including its goals, methodology and some preliminary design considerations.

Factors that Influence the Learning Curve: Evidence from Cost Behavior in Clinical Labs*

ABSTRACTClinical labs belong to a mature industry and fulfill a critical function in the health‐care value chain. We examine factors that influence the opportunity, motivation, and ability to learn in clinical labs. We hypothesize that with respect to learning about cost: (i) organizational design, such as the extent of outsourcing can impede the opportunity to learn, (ii) quality focus (measured by mortality rates and length of stay (LOS)) can reduce the motivation to learn, and (iii) related task variety (measured by product‐mix breadth) and information technology investments can enhance the ability to learn. Our empirical tests calibrate learning effects on disaggregate (technical and supervisory hours and cost) and aggregate (salary and total direct cost) cost and time pools. Using longitudinal data from clinical labs in California for the period 1997–2015, we find that clinical labs with greater cumulative output have lower average costs, consistent with learning effects in clinical labs. We also find results consistent with our hypotheses about the contextual factors that influence learning rates in clinical labs. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of learning rates with implications for budgeting, forecasting, and performance measurement. The results highlight that learning can be a crucial source of cost reduction in health‐care settings.