Product Lifecycle Management Research Articles

Rules-based process mining to discover PLM system processes

The value of product lifecycle management systems (PLMS) is more and more recognised by companies and its use current has enormously increased. It is mainly used during the product design when different roles collaborate for sharing models, take review decisions, and approve or reject preliminary results. Often, companies have a general 'picture' about the processes involving PLMS (who performs an activity, when it is performed, what is done) but this knowledge can be reinforced, improved and modified using process mining. Here the knowledge is extracted from the event logs, and model-aware analytics are generated to evaluate the modelled, known and executed process. The business rules filter the logs and verify the impact on the process mining metrics to minimise the divergences between modelled and actual processes and improve the resulting quality metrics. The results help business users to identify lines of investigation for deviations from expected behaviour and propose improvement measures.

Managing manufacturing data and information in product lifecycle management systems considering changes and revisions

Managing manufacturing data and information in product lifecycle management systems considering changes and revisions

Sustainable Product Lifecycle Management, Industrial Big Data, and Internet of Things Sensing Networks in Cyber-Physical System-based Smart Factories

Sustainable Product Lifecycle Management, Industrial Big Data, and Internet of Things Sensing Networks in Cyber-Physical System-based Smart Factories

Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks, Big Data-driven Decision-Making Processes, and Cyber-Physical System-based Real-Time Monitoring in Sustainable Product Lifecycle Management

Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks, Big Data-driven Decision-Making Processes, and Cyber-Physical System-based Real-Time Monitoring in Sustainable Product Lifecycle Management

Towards collaborative life cycle specification of digital twins in manufacturing value chains

A digital twin is a digital representation of an unique product or product service system that is sufficient to meet the requirements of a set of use cases. Following this definition, the implementation of a digital twin must be derived from concrete use cases along the life cycle of a product. However, the involvement of a variety of different stakeholders and frequent changes of ownership in the value chain complicate the identification of use cases as well as the specification of the digital twin and its governance.This leads to a need for a systematic approach that enables various partners to implement the digital twins needed for their specific use cases. This paper presents a specification technique that combines aspects from Model-Based Systems Engineering with Product Lifecycle Management to support a collaborative front-end planning and specification of digital twins. It integrates the different views of various digital twin stakeholders (product manager, systems engineer, developer, data scientist etc.) in a collaborative model across the value chain. As part of the systematic approach, a digital twin specification grid that structures guidelines for the aspects of a digital twin (e.g. the data sources) across the product life cycle is provided. The presented approach also supports the derivation of a digital twin by integrating different use cases. This specification technique is the first step towards a holistic, Model-Based Digital Twin Design Framework.

Rules-based process mining to discover PLM system processes

The value of product lifecycle management systems (PLMS) is more and more recognised by companies and its use current has enormously increased. It is mainly used during the product design when different roles collaborate for sharing models, take review decisions, and approve or reject preliminary results. Often, companies have a general 'picture' about the processes involving PLMS (who performs an activity, when it is performed, what is done) but this knowledge can be reinforced, improved and modified using process mining. Here the knowledge is extracted from the event logs, and model-aware analytics are generated to evaluate the modelled, known and executed process. The business rules filter the logs and verify the impact on the process mining metrics to minimise the divergences between modelled and actual processes and improve the resulting quality metrics. The results help business users to identify lines of investigation for deviations from expected behaviour and propose improvement measures.

Artificial intelligence system for enhancing product’s performance during its life cycle in a railcar industry

The management of the activities which characterize the lifecycle of a product could be challenging, hence, a well-structured Product Lifecycle Management System (PLMS) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) capability can offer a sustainable solution in this regard. This will promote data driven maintenance because AI and data analysis can drive the activities of the entire product’s lifecycle. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the use of AI for enhancing products’ performance during its use phase in the products’ life cycle and to develop a framework for the proposed PLMS and AI capability. The bearing component of a railcar was used as a case study. The temperature data of the bearing component employed were obtained from primary and secondary sources and were pre-processed in order to extract features and indicators for the training and predictive model development. The acquisition of the input data was followed by data pre-processing to remove noise and iterative training to obtain the predictive model. The training was done using the Levenberg Marquardt algorithm in a MATLAB 2018a environment in order to predict future temperature variations and the remaining useful life of the bearing. The results obtained indicated that the AI is suitable for condition based monitoring and prediction of the time to failure as well as the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of the railcar bearing. It is envisaged that with the AI capability integrated into the PLMS will enhance components performance through effective monitoring during its use phase.

АНАЛИЗ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ КОМПЛЕКСНОЙ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ ВЫСОКОТЕХНОЛОГИЧНОГО ПРОМЫШЛЕННОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА В УСЛОВИЯХ ПАРАДИГМЫ «ИНДУСТРИЯ 4.0»

The author’s research focuses on the analysis of modern technologies of digitalization of high-tech production, actively developing within the paradigm of “Industry 4.0”, which is the basis for the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution. The study examines the concept, essence and application potential of such technologies as cyber-physical systems, Industrial Internet of Things, product lifecycle management systems, collaborative robots, Big Data analytics, artificial intelligence and 3D-printing. The profound interconnection and interplay of these technologies within real high-tech manufacturing reflects the systemic nature of the digital transformation of industrial structures, suggesting the importance of their harmonious and integrated application in line with the current level of enterprise automation.

COVID-19 ile İvmelenen Dijitalleşmenin PLM’e Etkileri

Çalışma kapsamında COVID-19 salgını ile birlikte hız kazanan dijitalleşme trendinin, Ürün Yaşam Döngüsü Yönetimi (PLM) ile olan potansiyel etkileşimi araştırılmıştır. Konuya dair literatür taraması yapılmış, bu kapsamdaki araştırmalar incelenmiş ve neticesinde COVID-19 ile birlikte başlayan süreç içerisinde dijitalleşmenin kuruluşlar için artık kaçınılmaz olduğu ve dijitalleşmenin PLM ile anlamlı olacağına dair bulgular elde edilmiştir. PLM’in ürün yaşam döngüsü fazları açıklanarak, her fazda dijitalleşmenin etkileri açıklanmıştır. Dijitalleşme, dijital ikiz kavramı ve uygulamalarına değinilmiş ve ürün yaşam döngüsünde etkilediği aşamalar açıklanmıştır. Daha sonra, PLM ve dijitalleşme ilişkisinden bahsedilerek, dijitalleşmenin ürün başlangıcı (BOL), ürün ortası (MOL) ve ürün sonu (EOL) aşamalarında olan etkileri açıklanmıştır. Neticede, anlamlı bir dijitalleşmenin PLM ile mümkün olacağı ve dijitalleşme ile PLM’in birbirini tamamlayan kavramlar olduğundan hareketle, COVID – 19 ile başlayan sürecin PLM konseptinin yaygınlaşmasına ve farkındalığının artmasına katkı sağlayacağını ifade etmek mümkündür.

Effectiveness of Engineering Service Organizations in Global Projects Execution

Possibilities to maximize the efficiency of Service Engineering Organizations involvement are evaluated. Highlighted the importance to consider several specific features of Engineering Service companies in order to maintain the high efficiency of the global Engineering Services model. Noted that building the global Engineering Services model stimulates the development of Product Lifecycle Management systems, which require maximum formalization of all processes, which include many components, and, therefore, we are talking about a complex system. The need to model such a complex system with a purpose to determine its optimal configuration is justified. It was assumed that the Systems approach can be used to build a functional model of the Engineering Service organization, and then the identification and evaluation of available alternatives will help to find the optimal configuration of the system. Solution to quickly assess the Key Performance Indicators of the Engineering Services being created by using a model that is based on the Systems approach is proposed. Determined that the System Engineering is the most known and useful among all methods of modelling the complex systems.

DIGITALIZATION AS A MODERN CONCEPT OF AVIATION DEVELOPMENT AND AUTOMATION

Goal. The aim of the article is to define digitalization as the main concept of development of the aviation industry of the country, to increase the competitiveness of aircraft construction products in the conditions of the supra-industrial information age. Method. To solve this scientific problem used: structural method; comparative analysis; abstract-logical generalization. Results. The analysis and selection of digital solutions and cross-functional technologies at the stage of the life cycle of the aircraft, the relevance and need for further strengthening and implementation of information technology, which will determine the efficiency, quality of product life cycle management and contribute to cost optimization. Scientific novelty. The analysis and definition of digitalization of aircraft construction as a state - of - the - art concept of industry development in the conditions of supra - industrial information age is carried out. Practical significance. The main directions of digitalization of the industry are determined and substantiated and the possible advantages of the aviation enterprise are formed, which will help to increase the efficiency of the aviation industry and the national economy in the global space.

Technology responsible for sustainable manufacturing

"The emergence of the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) concept, the development and consolidation of its methodological bases, reflects the company's concern to ensure the quality of environmental factors, as well as the obligations of governmental institutions to control the industrial pollution phenomenon. The ""loop closure"" of the product life cycle through recycling and reuse, with both environmental and economic benefits defines the model of a circular economy. The paper presents the opportunity to implement a PLM system, addressing the R & D activities of processes/products/technologies that take place within an RDI entity. "

Designing and Integrating a Digital Thread System for Customized Additive Manufacturing in Multi-Partner Kayak Production

Additive manufacturing (AM) opens the vision of decentralised and individualised manufacturing, as a tailored product can be manufactured in proximity to the customers with minimal physical infrastructure required. Consequently, the digital infrastructure and systems solution becomes substantially more complex. There is always a need to design the entire digital system so that different partners (or stakeholders) access correct and relevant information and even support design iterations despite the heterogenous digital environments involved. This paper describes how the design and integration of a digital thread for AM can be approached. A system supporting a digital thread for AM kayak production has been designed and integrated in collaboration with a kayak manufacturer and a professional collaborative product lifecycle management (PLM) software and service provider. From the demonstrated system functionality, three key lessons learnt are clarified: (1) The need for developing a process model of the physical and digital flow in the early stages, (2) the separation between the data to be shared and the processing of data to perform each parties’ task, and (3) the development of an ad-hoc digital application for the involvement of new stakeholders in the AM digital flow, such as final users. The application of the digital thread system was demonstrated through a test of the overall concept by manufacturing a functional and individually customised kayak, printed remotely using AM (composed of a biocomposite containing 20% wood-based fibre).

PLM as a sequential round of the technological revolution

The fourth industrial revolution is actively developing in the world. Since 2011 it has become widespread. Affecting all areas of life activity, economy, which manifests itself in the qualitative reorganization of its mechanisms, creates new adapted management models, changes the nature of production processes. The digital revolution opens up new opportunities for using digital networks, agile production systems, and new business models for all stages of production. The faster the company makes this transition, the better its chances of succeeding and outperforming its competitors. Product lifecycle management (PLM) refers to the management of data and processes used in the design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, and service of a product across its entire lifecycle. The introduction of digital technologies occurs at all stages of the product lifecycle: product development, technology development, preparation and launch of production, product production, its operation and maintenance. PLM affects the ideology of creating a new product: to reduce the time to market and save resources, the system pushes to shift the labor intensity from the “production” stage to the “design” stage. The purpose of this study is to analyze product lifecycle management in agile management and to relate it to the current state of the Russian industrial development. Theoretical and practical aspects of this concept are given. The example of PLM implementation in the Russian industrial sector is presented. The Kalashnikov concern has built a product lifecycle management system. Today, the development of production of an industrial enterprise is impossible without a clear understanding of all stages of life cycle management of the product that it produces. Summarizing, PLM is offered as a promising concept for Russian economy.

Circular economy and the policy: A framework for improving the corporate environmental management in supply chains

AbstractThe transition to the circular economy (CE) creates value through the closed‐loop systems, reverse logistics, product life cycle management, and clean production in terms of corporate environmental management. During this transition process, the organization faces many barriers such as financial, organizational, technology‐based, social, policy‐related, market‐based, and logistics‐based barriers. The objectives of this study are to propose a framework highlighting policy‐related barriers for a supply chain in the transition to CE and finally discuss potential implications on enhancing corporate environmental performance of a business. Further, this study evaluates the causal relationships between the policy‐related barriers using fuzzy Decision‐Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method. The application was conducted in an apparel firm in Turkey. From findings, lack of legislation for efficient CE (C4), lack of mandatory requirements and responsibilities for manufacturers/suppliers for the CE (C17), and lack of government support for environmentally friendly policies (C2) are revealed as the most important barriers, respectively. It is found that lack of attitude and awareness about CE in government institutions (C19) is the most influencing factor, whereas lack of effective recycling policies to achieve quality in waste management (C8) is the most influenced factor. The recommendations were developed for enhancing the corporate environmental performance of businesses through incentives and unique rewards, improving communication among stakeholders, the government's perception of CE and current linear economy, cooperation with nongovernmental organization (NGOs) and civil actions, the vision of government towards circular principles, the circular public procurement, the local governments in circular policymaking, and awareness of bureaucracy and government officials.

Ontology-based solutions for interoperability among product lifecycle management systems: A systematic literature review

During recent years, globalization has had an impact on the competitive capacity of industries, forcing them to integrate their productive processes with other, geographically distributed, facilities. This requires the information systems that support such processes to interoperate. Significant attention has been paid to the development of ontology-based solutions, which are meant to tackle issues from inconsistency to semantic interoperability and knowledge reusability. This paper looks into how the available technology, models and ontology-based solutions might interact within the manufacturing industry environment to achieve semantic interoperability among industrial information systems. Through a systematic literature review, this paper has aimed to identify the most relevant elements to consider in the development of an ontology-based solution and how these solutions are being deployed in industry. The research analyzed 54 studies in alignment with the specific requirements of our research questions. The most relevant results show that ontology-based solutions can be set up using OWL as the ontology language, Protégé as the ontology modeling tool, Jena as the application programming interface to interact with the built ontology, and different standards from the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 184, Subcommittee 4 or 5, to get the foundational concepts, axioms, and relationships to develop the knowledge base. We believe that the findings of this study make an important contribution to practitioners and researchers as they provide useful information about different projects and choices involved in undertaking projects in the field of industrial ontology application.

Product Quality Tracing in Manufacturing Supply Chain Based on Big Data Technology

Background: Big data technology has been widely used in manufacturing supply chain management. However, traditional big data technology has some limitations, and it cannot achieve the continuous improvement of whole-process product quality tracing. Objective : The purpose of this study is to overcome the limitations by patents analysis and provide new big data technology and technical modes to make the continuous improvements of whole-process product quality tracing for achieving effective product lifecycle management based on big data technology. Methods: The research method, patent analysis, and comparative analysis are employed in this study to analyze product quality tracing in the manufacturing supply chain based on big data technology. Moreover, the procedure and steps of the new big data technology - Product Digital Twin (PDT), and its technical modes are designed by process design methods. Its key technologies are also analyzed and compared with traditional big data technology by the comparative study. Results: The research achieves the continuous improvements of whole-process product quality tracing based on new big data technology - PDT by patent analysis. The formation process and behavior of manufactured products in the realistic environment are simulated, monitored, diagnosed, predicted, and controlled. In this way, the high-efficient coordination in various stages of the product lifecycle is propelled fundamentally and the continuous improvements of the whole-process product quality tracing based on big data technology is analyzed. Conclusion: Three new technical modes based on big data technology are predicted for future researches and patents, namely, the immersive development mode integrating big data and the virtual reality technology, the knowledge-based multivariant coordinated development mode, and the lifecycle extended development model based on multi-domain interoperability.

LCA as a Tool for the Environmental Management of Car Tire Manufacturing

Car tire manufacturing can be the cause of numerous environmental hazards. Harmful emissions from the production process are an acute danger to human health as well as the environment. To mitigate these unwanted consequences, manufacturers employ the eco-balance analysis at the product designing and development stage, when formulating general development strategies, and increasingly when investigating the entire product lifecycle management process. Since the negative effects of products are considered in a broader range of implications, it has become necessary to extend the traditional scope of analytical interest onto the production, use, and end-of-life stages. This work investigates the manufacturing of passenger car tires executed with traditional and modern manufacturing technologies. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of tires reported in this study involved three LCA methods: Eco-Indicator 99, Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) and the scientific assessment methods developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Global Warming Potential (IPCC). LCA as a tool for environmental analysis can be carried out for the entire life cycle or its individual phases. The implementation of the work made it possible to demonstrate that as a result of the identification of the main sources of negative impacts, it is possible to propose ways to minimize these impacts in the car tire manufacturing process. The results indicate that the most damaging impact is the depletion of natural resources, which play a key role in the production process of car tires.

Integrated product development and lifecycle management in building production – A case study for logistic of mortar distribution in building sites

In this work, there was developed a modular container based on the principle of integrated product development (IPD), as a device to facilitate the distribution of mortar between workplaces during the production of a multi-story building, as part of the IPD strategy applied to a project under development. Such a project deals with the distribution of mortar to perform activities that use it. Since IPD is a strategy that encompasses several factors and agents, whose primary aim is to maximize the total quality of a product, all lifecycle of a product development aims to minimize risks of security, of use, economics, and markets. Implementing the IPD in buildings is complex, and many times during the development process, there is necessary to develop tools and artifacts to improve the process itself. The IPD diagnosed the distribution of the mortar as a critical task in the building process. Here is presented one solution adopted by the IPD design team to improve the transportation logistics of mortar, according to the product of lifecycle management (PLM) in the production of buildings. The device created following the same criteria of the global project in its development since it should meet the product IPD and meet the specific criteria of its future production. Then, by applying finite element analysis, throughout its development, it was possible to reduce the amount of welding, cut plates, and estimated time for its production. Forward, the design PLM was satisfactorily fulfilled for the device, and the global project, once it completes the design of the device, the integrated development of the production and distribution of the mortar was realized.

Use of laboratory scenarios as a strategy to develop smart factories for Industry 4.0

The intense pressures in the industrial environment and the academic field to adopt technological tools and concepts like product lifecycle management, digital factories, automation, the internet of things, process innovation, and bridges between real and virtual worlds have resulted in necessary new process innovations. All these are encompassed in the term “Industry 4.0.” The evolution of teaching methods toward flipped classrooms, software advancements to support engineering topics, online studies, new skill requirements in Industry, and easy, affordable access to education have pushed universities to find novel ways to meet current conditions and prepare for future challenges. The need to link academic knowledge with Industry led us in our research project to create a methodology for the development and implementation of virtual and hybrid scenarios by using highly integrated, digital manufacturing tools as a teaching platform to explain topics like the automation of programmable logic controllers, robotics, manufacturing, and 3D virtual commissioning. The methodology was implemented successfully in a manufacturing system integration laboratory at Tecnologico de Monterrey by using virtual and hybrid commissioning scenarios as a strategy to develop smart factories.