New Production Research Articles

Energetic and Environmental Sustainability of the food agriculture system

Il sistema agricolo-alimentare nazionale nella sua accezione piu ampia di agricoltura e industria alimentare, ha assunto nell’ultimo decennio, una configurazione fortemente sistemica, che gli ha consentito di raggiungere posizioni ragguardevoli, se consideriamo che complessivamente risulta caratterizzato da volumi economici di circa 270 miliardi di Euro. Significativi sono anche i valori occupazionali che, secondo indagini recenti, fanno registrare oltre 900.000 occupati nel settore agricoltura e circa 500.000 posti di lavoro nell’industria alimentare. Questo lavoro e focalizzato principalmente sulle conseguenze che, nell’ultimo ventennio hanno prodotto la globalizzazione dei mercati e le trasformazioni commerciali sul sistema agricolo-alimentare nazionale, con particolare attenzione alle interazioni del mondo agricolo con l’industria alimentare a livello della produzione, della trasformazione e della commercializzazione dei beni alimentari. Sono brevemente analizzate le iniziative e le strategie messe in atto dalle aziende agricole, dalle imprese, dalle associazioni e dagli stessi consumatori per contrastare gli eccessi degli impatti della globalizzazione nei confronti della sostenibilita energetica ed ambientale del mercato dei prodotti agroalimentari. A questo riguardo si riportano i dati di mercato e di diffusione delle cosiddette Reti Alternative Alimentari e si discutono le implicazioni socio-culturali ed economiche di questi nuovi modelli di produzione e consumo anche ai fini dello sviluppo economico sostenibile della societa. Vengono riportati, inoltre, i risultati dei Progetti Tesla e SCOoPE che l’ENEA ha sviluppato per sostenere la tematica dell’efficienza energetica come strumento prioritario per l’introduzione di innovazione per ammodernamento tecnologico delle imprese sia per diminuire gli elevati consumi di energia finale, attualmente stimati in circa 15 Mtep, sia per sostenere lo sviluppo socio-economico sostenibile del sistema agricolo-alimentare del nostro Paese.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, MANAGEMENT INNOVATION, PRODUCT INNOVATION, AND NEW PRODUCT MARKET PERFORMANCE

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, MANAGEMENT INNOVATION, PRODUCT INNOVATION, AND NEW PRODUCT MARKET PERFORMANCE

The Dark Side of Team Social Cohesion in NPD Team Boundary Spanning

Although team boundary spanning is conducive to achieving new product (NP) competitive advantage, these actions may not always deliver the expected performance. The current study makes an initial attempt to examine factors that undermine team boundary spanning positive effects on NP competitive advantage by proposing and testing a negative moderating effect of team social cohesion on the relationship between team boundary spanning and NP competitive advantage. Furthermore, the current study expects team social cohesion to have a stronger negative moderating effect on the relationship between team boundary spanning and NP competitive advantage when external task interdependence and project newness are high than when they are low. Data for this study come from 140 NPD projects developed and commercialized by Spanish manufacturing firms in high‐ and medium‐high‐technology sectors. The study’s results reveal a positive effect of team boundary spanning on NP competitive advantage. Furthermore, high levels of team social cohesion are shown to reduce the positive effect of team boundary spanning on NP competitive advantage. Finally, we found that project newness and external task interdependence accentuate the negative moderating effect of team social cohesion on the relationship between team boundary spanning and NP competitive advantage. The current study makes several contributions to the literature. First, findings from this study give us new insights into the significance of team boundary spanning to the success of NPs by revealing that boundary‐spanning activities are beneficial to achieving NP competitive advantage. Second, the study departs from existing research in that it exposes a dark side of team social cohesion for NPD teams engaged in boundary spanning activities. Last, the study expands extant research by proposing and demonstrating that project newness and external task interdependence bring about situations in which external groups present a threat to the collective identity of socially cohesive groups.

Capacidade Relacional e Desenvolvimento de Novos Produtos em Pequenas Empresas de Base Tecnológica

A integração das atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D), bem como a multidisciplinaridade dos conhecimentos gerados, contribuem para que as pequenas empresas de base tecnológica (PEBTs) busquem de forma contínua e colaborativa a inovação em seus produtos. Sendo assim, o amadurecimento da capacidade relacional a partir de alianças estratégicas pode ser relevante para a conquista de diferenciais competitivos a partir do desenvolvimento de novos produtos (DNP). Diante deste contexto, buscou-se responder à seguinte questão de pesquisa: como se dá a interação entre capacidade relacional e DNP? Para tal, delineou-se uma pesquisa descritiva de natureza qualitativa realizada a partir de estudo de caso múltiplo com quatro PEBTs do setor de biotecnologia. Dados primários foram coletados a partir de entrevistas estruturadas e dados secundários foram obtidos a partir de documentos organizacionais, incluindo contratos, projetos e relatórios de DNP. Adotou-se a análise de conteúdo para interpretar os dados e foi utilizada uma estratégia analítica baseada em proposições teóricas que conduziram as discussões. Além disso, adotou-se o software Iramuteq para recuperação de corpus textuais e palavras. A partir da discussão dos resultados foi possível analisar como as PEBTs de biotecnologia planejam, estruturam, coordenam e sincronizam as alianças estratégicas contratuais para o DNP. Os resultados agregados também fundamentaram a proposição de um modelo descritivo sobre a capacidade relacional associada ao DNP, identificando suas interações e sinergias processuais, o que contribui para o avanço do conhecimento sobre gestão de alianças estratégicas para DNP em PEBTs.

Lean and green approach: An evaluation tool for new product development focused on small and medium enterprises

SMEs are crucial for economic health in both high and low-income economies worldwide. In Brazil, they are responsible for around 50% of the national GDP. However, SMEs face considerable barriers such as difficulties in financing international activity, identifying opportunities and making appropriate contacts in their target markets. This paper investigates the adherence of both lean and green practices for the development of new products (NPD), as means to improve their efficiency (lean perspective) and manufacture environment-friendly products (green perspective). Through a systemic review, we present 16 lean and green enablers for NPD operations. These elements comprise a structure of building blocks to evaluate lean and green practices. Thus, we propose a model that ranks the incidence of these practices regardless of the NPD organization level. Using two MCDM tools: AHP and fuzzy-TOPSIS, each enabler is evaluated considering the SMEs context in Brazil. Firstly, AHP defines the relative importance of six SMEs' characteristics. Secondly, we applied an expansion of the TOPSIS technique, adequate when the values of each alternative are not clearly determined. Therefore, we organized a structured interview consisting of 96 evaluation questions for NPD stakeholders. We carried out this diagnosis in three companies from southern Brazil, analysing their NPD operations, which is useful to establish a future improvement agenda.

Crop Improvement strategies for Mitigation of Methane Emissions from Rice

Climate change and its effects on agriculture will impact global food security. Rice (Oryza sativa L.), the major staple crop of the world, is subjected to substantial environmental constraints and criticism because of its role in climate change; methane emission under irrigated ecosystem. Mitigation of methane is the way forward for sustainable and eco-friendly rice production. Limiting area and production of rice may not be a feasible option as majority of the Asian population depends on rice. An urgent and integrated research approach to understand the mechanisms and interactions involved in methane release through rice plant is required to design viable mitigation technologies. Genetics of methane emission must be studied in detail, along with agronomic and management practices to obtain the precise information to elucidate the inheritance of related traits. Crop improvement interventions are required to identify contributing traits to methane emission, with subsequent deployment in plant breeding. Identification of rice cultivars with high-yield levels and traits contributing to low methane production represents an economic approach. Focus of breeding needs a shift towards adaptation to new production systems that can sustain effects of climate change. Low methane emitting varieties suitable to water management practices are more promising. This can be manifested in simultaneous achievement of global food security and mitigation of emissions without radical changes in the agronomic practices for the rice ecosystem. In this Review, an account of methane emission studies from rice and impact of crop growth stages as well as traits are outlined. The genotypic variation reported in Oryza spp for methane emission and breeding approaches for development of low methane emitting varieties are discussed.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN FOOD INDUSTRY: AN APPLICATION ON SUB-SECTOR OF BISCUIT, CHOCOLATE AND SUGAR PRODUCTS IN KONYA

Günümüzde imalat işletmeleri, teknolojik yenilikler, ürün ömrünün kısalması ve müşteri beklentilerindeki hızlı değişim gibi sorunlarla karşı karşıyadır. Rekabet ortamında hızlı değişimin yaşandığı bu durum, işletmelerin pazardaki yenilikleri yakından takip etme zorunluluklarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın amacı, gıda sektöründe faaliyet gösteren öncü bir firmanın X markasının yeni ürün geliştirme sürecinin incelenmesidir. Bu amaçla çalışmada, Konya’da bisküvi, çikolatalı ve şekerli mamuller üreten bir firmanın ürün geliştirme sürecine katkı sağlayan 110 firma personeline yüz-yüze anket uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen verilerden frekans analizi ile durum tespiti yapılırken, yeni ürün fikri oluşturmada etkili olan faktörler ve yeni ürün bulma teknikleri demografik değişkenlere göre ki-kare testi ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, katılımcıların %50,9’u yeni ürün fikri oluşturmada hedef pazarı dikkate aldığını ifade ederken, yeni ürün fikri oluşturmada etkili olan faktörlerin personelin çalışma yıllarına göre değişim gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. Katılımcıların %66,4’ü müşteri analizini yeni ürün bulma tekniği olarak gösterirken, yeni ürün bulmada kullanılan tekniklerin ise firmada çalışma yıllarına ve personelin işletmedeki pozisyonuna göre değişim gösterdiği bulunmuştur.

DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCT USING MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT

The goal of this research is to make a new product, get a result of the sales, get feedback on the new product, and look at the product acceptability. The methodology used is a qualitative method. The research was done as a field research which developing a new product and tests it to the market using Minimum Viable Productfrom Lean Startup. Customer interview shows that customers need moreitabag colors. From internal and external analysis using SWOT show, there is a strength in Colle customer service and an opportunity for new fabric printing technology. The MVP is a catalog, published online and tested for 2 weeks and get 11 purchases as the result. After the test period, 5 customers were interviewed, they need a wider choice of color, pattern, illustration, and want their own images for itabag. This result then implemented on MVP improvement. This research will only include the first test due to the time limitation. If possible, for the future researcher, more test of the product will be better.

Virtuous processes: biocomposite roofing systems for territorial re-generation

The article illustrates the outcomes of FIR 2014 Research on the topic of sustainable development of the urban-industrial areas of Augusta and Siracusa – meant as a single hub. Hemp farming for soil phytodepuration allows to activate a multi-scale process of regeneration that introduces new production activities for the transformation of biomass into building bio-materials. The need for competitiveness led to draft a project about a new roofing system constituted by biocomposite slabs, using raw materials produced locally. This allows to reduce pollution, to increase jobs and to promote the renovation of the building stock thanks to low-cost components produced on site and compatible with construction systems belonging to the local tradition.

Prospect of Aquaponics for the Sustainable Development of Food Production in Urban

Aquaponics refers to a system that combines aquaculture (raising aquatic animals like fish) with hydroponics (cultivating vegetable plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. This system has great potential as a new industrialised food production approach to meet the needs of rapid urbanisation. An evolutional food production system with high productivity and low resource consumption is desirable. Aquaponics is designed based on excellent ecology recycling system, i.e. the food residues and metabolic products in the effluent of aquaculture are pollutants to the environment; they are also the source of nutrients that can be converted and mineralised via microbial treatment and eventually up taken by plants in the hydroponics section. The effluent of hydroponics section is then recycled as clean water for the aquaculture section. Home-based aquaponics (HA), factory- based aquaponics (FA) and building-based aquaponics (BA) are the typical forms of aquaponics for different urban development. The sustainability of aquaponics practices is evaluated using the “triple-bottomline” approach, which requires assessment of impacts on environmental, economic and societal systems. There is a lack of systematic research and modelling work reported on aquaponics, especially in terms of ecological manipulation. Understanding the conversion of the pollutants in the combined system is essential to achieve the optimal manipulation of ecology for optimal system operation. Future work will focus on the production of pollutants in aquaculture, the conversion and degradation of the pollutants in the microbial treatment section, and uptake of organic nutrients and inorganic salts in the hydroponics section. Development of a model, capable of describing the release of pollutants, conversion and uptake of nutrients and the production of metabolic products, is desirable. The model could be developed based on the mass balance of nutrition, productivity of fish and plants and the environmental factors. The aquaponics system could be simulated and analysed using this model so as to provide an optimal system for the design and implementation of different type of aquaponics.

Queue the Music: Cohan's Yellowface Substitution in Little Johnny Jones

It is 7 November 1904, 7:55 p.m. New York City theatregoers anxiously await the opening of George M. Cohan's newest production, Little Johnny Jones. The house is just about filled, but the well-dressed ushers hustle a few stragglers to their seats. Some of the theatre's usual patrons have been held up late at work, while others are too consumed by Clifford Berryman's political cartoons in the Washington Star to attend the performance. This particular Monday evening marks an important moment for America: polls for the thirtieth presidential election will be opening in fewer than twelve hours. Theodore Roosevelt represents the Republican Party, and Alton B. Parker heads the Democratic ticket. Although results will not be known for sure until the close of the 8 November election, Roosevelt's recent success in office upon the assassination of William McKinley gives him a political boost. New York City's predominantly Republican values leave little doubt about which name a majority of tonight's audience will be checking off on the ballot come morning; Roosevelt has carried every region but the South in his campaigning efforts thus far. Nonetheless, Broadway occasionally attracts a few guests from the slightly less liberal states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and this evening's house is no different; the Liberty Theatre is filled with men of opposing political views. A nervous excitement fills the room; a combination of political gossip, predictions about how Cohan's first Broadway musical will compare to his earlier comedic works and vaudeville skits, and occasional gasps and awestruck sighs from spectators who are seeing the inside of the Liberty Theatre for the first time since its very recent grand opening at 234 West 42nd Street. The twenty-thousand-square-foot theatre, with its dramatic stage, extensive balconies, and striking cathedrallike ceilings is the perfect home for the unfolding of Broadway, a theatrical form and style that America will come to call its own. As the house lights dim and the violins hum a piercing A note, other members of the orchestra slowly begin tuning their individual instruments. As the oboists finish adjusting their pitch, the conductor taps his music stand: musicians tilt their gaze to the front of the pit, audience members sink into the velvet of their plush seats and begin to quiet their chatter. Blackout.

PROPOSAL FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AND INTEGRATED MODEL OF SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PRODUCTS

The development of new products (NPD) is crucial for the existence of companies, source of competitive advantage and determinant of their business success. Several factors, both operational and organizational or even strategic, contribute to the innovation process that supports NPD. The holistic assessment of all these factors as a whole has not been the subject of research leading to the proposal for an integrated and systemic model. In this way, this article aims to propose a comprehensive conceptual model that integrates the strategic, organizational and procedural levels, as well as the set of factors to be taken into account in NPD projects. Based on the literature review, a comprehensive and integrated conceptual model of NPD support (MAIDNP) is deductive-inductive. This model can therefore be a tool for evaluating processes, projects and products, dedicated to companies that innovate, design and develop new products.

New product success in the consumer packaged goods industry: A shopper marketing approach

Marketing activities that influence shoppers along the various stages of their path-to-purchase are gaining attention from both manufacturers and retailers. Using a dataset with detailed information on 105 new products (NPs) launched in the U.K. by 44 leading brands and sold across 13 major retail banners, we provide strong support for the prominent role of both upper- and lower-funnel marketing actions that influence consumers before (upper) or during (lower) their shopping trip. We show which of these shopper-marketing instruments have the largest effect on NP performance at a retailer, and whether and how their effect is moderated by the retailer's store context. When it comes to NP success, the lifeblood of CPG companies, the lower-funnel marketing actions targeting shoppers directly at the point-of-purchase predominantly decide your fate. Thus, manufacturers should work ever harder to collaborate with retailers and push the store-specific shopper-marketing instruments in a favorable direction through information sharing and tailoring of their marketing program to individual retailers. Indeed, not all news is bleak for brand manufacturers. We identify five pieces of good news that brand manufacturers can use to their advantage.

PRICING DECISION FOR UNSOLD NEW AND REMANUFACTURED PRODUCTS WITH OPTIMAL PRODUCTION PLANNING

New generation of high-technology products are lunched with an intensive innovation rate before the early generation is sold out. While in the market of remanufactured products, upgrading is necessary to keep pace with the technology development. Additionally, the supply of the remanufactured products is restricted by the returned cores. Hence, a problem surfaces because of the unattractive new products belonging to the early generation stock, while the attractive refurbished products belonging to the updated technology are in short supply. Returning number of unsold products for upgrading provides a possible solution. This paper provides a method to price the new and the remanufactured products. How many unsold new products would be returned to remanufacture and how many used products would be acquired are in the scope of this paper. A profit maximization model associated with discrete choice demand function is provided.

THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION CONCEPTS ON NEW PRODUCTS AND RELATED SERVICES

Innovation is considered as one of the key elements for sustainability and development of manufacturing companies. Current research in this field is more focused on technological rather than on organizational innovation concepts. Also, the focus is on developed rather than on developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between organizational innovation concepts and development of new products and new-product related services within manufacturing companies in developing country. For this purpose, the data from European Manufacturing Survey (EMS) that was conducted in Serbia in 2015 were used. EMS is a survey on the manufacturing strategies, the application of innovative organizational and technological concepts in production, development of new products or product-related services and questions of personnel deployment and qualifications in European manufacturing industry. There were 285 Serbian manufacturing companies participating in the EMS. The survey was conducted among manufacturing companies (NACE Rev 2 codes from 10 to 33) having at least 20 employees. The results showed that manufacturing companies when implementing innovative organizational concepts (i.e. organization of production, production management, and human resource management) are performing better in regards to development of new products and new product-related services. The findings suggest that researchers and practitioners in innovation management have to consider more carefully the specificities and interactions of different types of innovations and their implications on development of new products and new product-related services.

TYPE OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND ITS IMPACT ON COLLABORATIVE NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

While integrating suppliers into producer new product development (NPD) would appear to be beneficial, there lacks a consensus as to what knowledge should be shared between producers and suppliers, especially within turbulent environments. This paper examines how in-depth and complex the knowledge sharing should be between producers and suppliers, given varying environmental conditions. To this point, we propose that small-scale technical exchanges are generally more effective in collaborative NPD efforts than more complex technology transfers. We also analyze two forms of environmental uncertainty, market turbulence and technology turbulence, as they influence the knowledge sharing measures. A survey of project managers reveals that while technical exchanges positively influence NPD performance, technology transfers have no impact (except in radical product development projects) and thus may not always be appropriate in producer–supplier NPD collaborations. We also find that market turbulence and technology turbulence influence technical exchanges, but in differing manners.

FIRST REPORT OF TOMATO SPOTTED WILT VIRUS INFECTING BALLOON FLOWER IN CHINA

In June 2017, balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) plants with leaf mottling, etiolation, and mosaic symptoms were observed in Kunming, Yunnan province of southwestern China. These symptoms were similar to those induced by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) (Fisher, 2013). Suspected TSWV infected plant samples, as well as thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) in flowers were collected. Four of six symptomatic plants were positive using TSWV test strips (Adgen Biotechnology). Total RNA was extracted from four TSWV infected plants and 15 individual thrips and analyzed by two steps RT-PCR (PrimeScript™ II 1st Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit and LA Taq, Takara). Three primer sets were used to clone the S-RNA, and five primer pairs to clone the M-RNA as overlapping fragments (Marshall et al., 2017). The expected size fragments corresponding to TSWV S-RNA and M-RNA amplification were obtained from 4/4 leaf and 10/15 thrips samples. Amplified fragments from plants and thrips were cloned using pEASY-T1 Cloning Kit, sequenced and assembled, revealing that the S (GenBank accession No. MF688996) and M (MF688997) genome segments of this isolate shared nucleotide identity of > 95% with an isolate of TSWV from China (JF960235，JF960236; Hu et al., 2011), indicating that the sampled balloon flower plants were infected with TSWV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TSWV infecting balloon flower in China. Due to the devastating effects of TSWV and the increase of balloon flower cultivation area in southwestern China, it is necessary to implement management strategies to control this disease and avoid the introduction of the virus into new production areas.

Building on the past to create the future: family-advantage and naming strategies in NP introduction

The introduction of new products (NP) is often seen as an attractive strategy that improves firm performance. However, because novelty can endanger local traditions and decrease attachment to exist...

Excellent execution in new product development: Improving problem solving

NEW product development inevitably requires solving new problems, innovating, and being creative. Managers can improve their teams' proficiency in creativity, problem solving and new idea generation by strengthening four measurable, trainable competencies.

Thread-forming Equipment as Object for Innovation Process

The present development in the field of industrial automation demonstrates a clear need to address the issue of innovation-purpose machinery. Widely developed manufacturing electronic components mainly deals by shortening of production times, attempts to reduce of manufacturing cost for finished products and to further options how to upgrade your equipment based on increasing degree of automation. However, automated production provides possibility of mass conformity for production of new components, new production capacities to requirements of orders and responds to changing needs at the market. Production of electrical equipment has a bullish trend. The current state of production is based on manual production. Proposed solution innovates in terms of threading equipment an automatic feeding clamps, automatic control technology and operation of plant for operation itself.