Modular Product Research Articles

Modular systems, interconnecting features and technical function in EU design law—GC rules on relationship between functionality provisions in Article 8 CDR

Abstract The General Court ruled that not all the features ensuring the interconnection between two products and covered by the must-fit prohibition are also solely dictated by the technical function of one of the products; a design right conferred over a modular product may, however, be invoked for the benefit of all of its must-fit features, irrespective of whether or not they are solely dictated by the technical function.

Strategic Sustainability and Operational Initiatives in Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturers: An Empirical Analysis

We explored the moderating impacts of product modularity and supply chain visibility for sustainability and operational initiatives, which entails a dramatic rethinking and reorganization of the production processes of manufacturing enterprises. Moderating effects of product modularity and supply chain visibility on links among supply chain pressure, technological pressure, sustainable practices, operational performance, and sustainability performance were included. A conceptual model was developed following the resource-based view and dynamic capability theories. Well-designed questionnaires collected data, and the total sample size for data analysis was 490 responses from small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed hypothesis. The first finding revealed that operational performance and sustainable performance both improve when companies implement sustainable practices. The second finding drawn from the data was that supply chain pressure and technological pressure have a positive effect on sustainable practices. The major finding of this work was grounded in the product modularity perspective, we argue that the relations among supply chain pressure, technological pressure, sustainable practices, operational performance, and sustainability performance are affected and moderated. The moderating effect of supply chain visibility existed and it has a positive moderating effect for the relationships from sustainable practices toward operational and sustainability performance. Surprisingly, moderating impact of visibility on relations from supply chain pressure and technological pressure towards sustainable practices was not significant.

Modelling with AAS and RDF in Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 has proposed the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) model for digital twins. This model should help to solve interoperability issues, a topic that is also addressed by the Semantic Web and its Resource Description Framework (RDF). AAS and RDF-based models have their own strengths. AAS models are easier to integrate with operational technologies in a production environment, whereas RDF-based models offer more semantic expressiveness and advanced querying. In the Horizon MAS4AI project we found that both modelling paradigms can complement each other to develop agentbased digital twins for modular production environments. In this work we propose two different approaches to bridge both modelling paradigms. First we define a set of mapping rules to generate an AAS model from a given RDF-based model, supporting model development. Secondly, we propose to use RDF-based models to generate a digital shadow of AASs to improve semantic discoverability. Preliminary results demonstrate that heterogeneity of metamodels does not exclude achieving semantic interoperability, as well as that greater functionality can be obtained compared to using both models in isolation. The solutions will be further developed in collaboration with pilot lines in the MAS4AI project.

Modelling and application of hierarchical joint optimisation for modular product family and supply chain architecture

Modelling and application of hierarchical joint optimisation for modular product family and supply chain architecture

Process Simulation and Performance Models for Enhanced Modular Refinery Operations in Nigeria

The study aimed at availability of petroleum products in Nigeria through the operation of enhanced modular refinery process due to inefficient conventional major refineries. The enhanced modular refinery converts or processes residue product from conventional modular refinery as feedstock to the hydrocracker reactor for viable and desired products such as liquefied petroleum gas, naphtha and diesel. Therefore, twenty Nigerian crude oil types were classified as sweet, light and medium crude oil, and these crude oil types were categorized based on their recovery volume at true boiling point of 370oC as Group A, Group B and Group C respectively. Thus, based on product output and equipment cost, a modular refinery with 29 trays was used in this study, as light and medium sweet crude oil types were simulated in a modular refinery of various column trays prior to the desired tray. A topping plant with a 30,000 barrel per day capacity and a modified topping plant with 29 trays respectively were used to process different types of Nigerian crude oil. using Aspen Hysys to evaluate their products yield and tray compositions. The modified modular refinery with hydrocracker yielded more valuable from the residue of conventional modular refinery with minimal bottom fraction. Performance models for hydrocracker reactor was developed based on the nature of reaction, kinetic parameters estimated and results compared with experimental data with minimum deviations. The developed performance models predicted feedstock conversion and product yield along the hydrocracker reactor’s dimensionless length by solving a set of ordinary differential equation models. Thus, the hydrocracking process was simulated to evaluate the effects of catalyst effectiveness factor on feedstock conversion and products yield.

Co-normal products and modular products of soft graphs

Most of our conventional tools for formal reasoning, computing, and modeling are precise, deterministic, and crisp. However, many complicated problems in the domains of economics, medicine, engineering, the environment, social science, and other disciplines demand data that is not always precise. We cannot always use traditional approaches because there are so many different types of uncertainty present in these problems. This difficulty could be caused by the parameterization tool’s insufficiency. Soft set theory, which Molodtsov presented in 1999, is a generic mathematical approach for handling uncertain data. Many researchers are currently using soft set theory to solve problems involving decision-making. The concept of soft graphs is used to provide a parameterized point of view for graphs. The topic of graph products has received a lot of interest in graph theory. It is a binary operation on graphs with numerous combinatorial uses. On soft graphs, we can define product operations in a manner similar to how graph products are defined. The co-normal product, the restricted co-normal product, the modular product, and the restricted modular product of soft graphs are all introduced in this study. We prove that these products of soft graphs are again soft graphs and derive methods for computing their vertex count, edge count, and the sum of part degrees.

Product Specification Analysis for Modular Product Design Using Big Sales Data

Big data on product sales are an emerging resource for supporting modular product design to meet diversified customers’ requirements of product specification combinations. To better facilitate decision-making of modular product design, correlations among specifications and components originated from customers’ conscious and subconscious preferences can be investigated by using big data on product sales. This study proposes a framework and the associated methods for supporting modular product design decisions based on correlation analysis of product specifications and components using big sales data. The correlations of the product specifications are determined by analyzing the collected product sales data. By building the relations between the product components and specifications, a matrix for measuring the correlation among product components is formed for component clustering. Six rules for supporting the decision making of modular product design are proposed based on the frequency analysis of the specification values per component cluster. A case study of electric vehicles illustrates the application of the proposed method.

Modular electrochemical production of hydrogen using Mott–Schottky Co9S8/Ni3S2 heterojunction as a redox mediator

Modular electrochemical production (MEP) system could decouple the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and pairing with a redox mediator (RM), respectively. Herein, Mott–Schottky Co9S8/Ni3S2 heterojunction was constructed, which was employed as a RM to separate the hydrogen and oxygen production in space and time in MEP system for H2. The MEP system for H2 involved a two−step electrochemical−electrochemical (EC−EC) looping process. The reversible redox reaction of Co9S8/Ni3S2 was paired with HER in step 1 and subsequently paired with OER in step 2. The Mott–Schottky hetero-structures enabled the redistribution of Ni central charge and accelerated the electron transfer from semiconductor Ni3S2 to metallic Co9S8 on the interface. This made the formation of Lewis acid at the Ni3S2 in the heterojunction, which bonded with the OH− Lewis base, facilitating the electrochemical redox kinetics of Co9S8/Ni3S2. Thus, the Co9S8/Ni3S2 RM presented a high area capacitance (29.60 F/cm2 at 5 mA/cm2), and an excellent stability upon operation over 5000 cycles (15 days). The MEP system can continuously produce H2 for 1502 s at 10 mA/cm2 with a Faradaic efficiency of 100%. The MEP system possessed a high energy efficiency (83%), requiring a lower cell voltage than that of a conventional water electrolysis system. The MEP system for H2 enabled flexible utilization of renewable solar energy by photovoltaic (PV) panels, thereby facilitating solar-to-hydrogen conversion.

Combining internal quality-oriented product design with external supplier involvement for enhancing operational performance: the moderating role of product modularity

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop a moderated mediation model by which quality-oriented product design practices influence operational performance via supplier involvement under the different levels of product modularity.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the multisource data from 268 manufacturing firms worldwide and apply regression and the PROCESS macro model to test the moderated mediation model.FindingsThe findings reveal that quality-oriented product design practices enhance operational performance directly and do so indirectly through promoting supplier involvement in quality improvement. In addition, this indirect effect is stronger when the level of product modularity is high.Originality/valueBy exploring the interaction effects of quality-oriented product design and product modularity, this study provides valuable insights into the ways in which manufacturing firms improve operational performance more effectively.

Analysis of model predictive control in numbered-up modular facilities

Modular production units are a key enabling technology for distributed manufacturing, an important emerging paradigm which helps promote sustainability, resource independence, and robustness in critical chemical production and distribution infrastructure. In modular systems, desired material throughput is achieved by “numbering up” rather than “scaling up”. Previous studies have quantified the benefits of introducing modular units when making decisions at a supply chain or process design level. However, modular units provide additional potential benefits at the level of operation and control which heretofore has not been as thoroughly studied. In this paper, we analyze the structure of the optimal modular system control problem and identify three qualities unique to problems with numbered-up units: the ability to control outputs locally or globally, the presence of symmetry in the underlying problem, and the possibility of reconfiguring the connectivity of modular units. We provide analysis and insights on ways to mitigate challenges and exploit beneficial properties resulting from the above qualities through a benchmark modular reactor case study.

Impact of Modularity Design on Mobile App Launch Success

Problem definition: Initial product design decisions are critically important for mobile apps, which show a relatively short time from launch to peak usage, thus providing a narrow window for success and no time for course correction based on market reaction. Mobile apps are designed using a highly modular architecture based on software development kits (SDKs), with SDK choices being sequentially determined along three dimensions—multiplicity (total number of SDKs), compatibility (SDK co-occurrence frequency), and novelty (SDK degree of newness to the developer). We evaluate the consequence of these decisions on initial market success in the context of mobile gaming app design. Academic/practical relevance: The resulting conceptual framework aids developers in determining the modularity of digital product development. Methodology: We formulate an instrumental variables least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model to estimate relationships of interest using a proprietary data set extracted from the application programming interface server of a leading mobile apps intelligence firm. Results: We find a negative impact of SDK multiplicity on initial success. High SDK compatibility can mitigate this negative effect, whereas high SDK novelty can exacerbate the negative effect of multiplicity. Post hoc analysis shows that business-to-consumer (B2C) communication features can also mitigate this negative impact. Managerial implications: Prior product modularity research has predominantly focused on physical products or relied on single-dimensional modularity measures. Our study conceptualizes modularity as multidimensional and investigates how these multidimensional SDK-based modularity choices impact the performance of a key category of digital products—mobile apps. We demonstrate that increasing multiplicity, essential in certain markets, negatively affects initial success. However, firms can enhance SDK compatibility, reduce SDK novelty, and use B2C communication channels to mitigate this negative impact. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.1181 .

The complexity of bicriteria tree-depth

The tree-depth problem can be seen as finding an elimination tree of minimum height for a given input graph G. We introduce a bicriteria generalization in which additionally the width of the elimination tree needs to be bounded by some input integer b. We are interested in the case when G is the line graph of a tree, proving that the problem is NP-hard and obtaining a polynomial-time additive 2b-approximation algorithm. This particular class of graphs received significant attention in the past, mainly due to a number of potential applications, e.g. in parallel assembly of modular products, or parallel query processing in relational databases, as well as purely combinatorial applications including searching in tree-like partial orders (which in turn generalizes binary search on sorted data).

Modular Product Architecture for Sustainable Flexible Manufacturing in Industry 4.0: The Case of 3D Printer and Electric Toothbrush

Integrating sustainability, a flexible manufacturing system, and Industry 4.0 resolves the issues of fluctuating market demand arising from customization requirements. Modular products allow flexibility to adapt to changing requirements and optimize resource utilization. In this study, a method was proposed and applied to two products, i.e., a 3D printer and an electric toothbrush featuring modular architecture, multiple product versions, and customization, to contribute to the development of sustainable flexible manufacturing systems. From the results of the two case studies nine modules were identified that contain specific functions and related interface information. From these modules, one platform was developed that comprises common entities used in all variants of the products. This platform was further extended to product families. From the modules, product architecture was developed that supports the product and process relationships. These relationships can be developed concurrently, enabling product features to be linked to the manufacturing setup. Thus, when a modular architecture is developed, the factory has to be reorganized accordingly, or reconfiguration is possible. Hence, the main aim of the research was to develop modular product architecture to identify product and process relationships for a sustainable flexible manufacturing system.

Product Differentiation in IT Industries: The Interplay between M&As and In-House Innovation and Exploitative Innovation Orientation

Firms in IT industries are under constant competitive pressure from incumbent firms and startups to offer innovative products and services. This study explores the effect of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) on firms’ product differentiation in IT industries. The unique characteristics of IT industries, namely hypercompetition, distributed innovation, modularity of products, and the tacit nature of knowledge, make M&As an attractive mechanism to enable IT firms to stay competitive. Drawing on product differentiation theory, we hypothesize a positive effect of M&As on product differentiation and suggest that this relationship is more potent in firms with higher in-house innovation, an exploitative innovation orientation, and under high levels of industry turbulence. We test our hypotheses using M&A transactions from 1996 to 2016 and a unique 10-K textual analysis-based measure of product differentiation. Using the difference-in-differences identification strategy, the following findings are supported: (1) M&As lead to higher product differentiation, (2) in-house innovation capability and exploitation-oriented innovation strategy positively moderate the positive effect of M&As. These results, which are robust to endogeneities and other robustness tests, contribute to theory and managerial practice by shedding light on the role of M&As as an essential mechanism for product innovation and the complementary role of in-house innovation capability and strategy for firms that intend to take advantage of M&As for creating a competitive edge through differentiating their products and services from competitors. These findings have important managerial value, providing an alternative narrative to the current view on M&As in IT industries as a means of absorbing and dismantling the competition.

СПЕЦИФІКА ТА ІНСТРУМЕНТАРІЙ ЕКОСИСТЕМНОГО ПІДХОДУ

The constant evolution of economic relations in a turbulent competitive environment determines the development of an ecosystem approach to doing business. The ecosystem approach based on self-organization and productive interaction of business entities makes it possible to achieve a positive synergistic effect. The article substantiates that the ecosystem approach involves a synthesis of the methodology of institutional, evolutionary and cluster approaches, development of alternative methods of life-technologies implementation to ensure sustainable development and social progress. Value within the framework of the ecosystem approach is created through the design of the ecosystem structure and its transformation (optimization, modernization, reorganization, reformation). In a broad sense, the ecosystem approach is a methodological basis for theoretical and practical research, which involves analysing the genesis of social and natural integrity and developing preventive measures to anticipate the consequences of human impact on the environment. In a narrow sense, the ecosystem approach involves the development of environmentally friendly business practices. Three features of the ecosystem approach are determined: modularity of products and the need for coordination, customisation (adaptability) and multilateralism of relations. It is substantiated that the ecosystem approach it allows to consider the business entity as a self-managed system consisting of various elements that develop through complementary activities, mutually beneficial exchange and cooperation in order to achieve socialal, ecological and economic goals. The article presents the tools of the ecosystem approach, which will allow achieving competitive advantages through joint value creation.The development trends of the ecosystem approach are outlined. They include the use of digital platforms, monetisation of activities; application of special financial instruments; environmentally responsible management; ensuring constructive interaction between participants.

Review of modular construction in Russia: trends, tasks, prospects

Construction throughout the world is one of the most important sectors of the economy. Thestate's interest in modular construction technology is constantly growing. This paper examines the issues of using modular products in modern housing construction, such as forms of using prefabricated parts and the problems of their use in modern housing construction, and trends in the construction market. The author also formulated possible prospects for this technology in Russia. The subject of the study is modular solutions and their trends in construction. A study was carried out of the regulatory framework, which is not ready for the use of such technology –regulatory documents in the field of modular construction have not been approved. The author of the work reviewed the use of modular technology in construction, identified the directions of development and tasks of this construction industry. Ways of development and improvement are proposed to increase the popularity of the use of modular construction in our country.

Utilizing Extensive-Form Games for Energy-aware Production Plan Adaptation in Modular Skill-based Production Systems

Modular production systems provide an important basis to react more flexibly to changing and more individual production requirements. A challenge hereby is an appropriate production planning and scheduling that considers the capabilities and the degrees of freedom of these systems, which can be al-gorithmically optimized for their relevance. A great importance is also given to the aspect of energy-efficient production, which can be included in the planning as well as in its execution on the modular level. The main objective of the paper is to show the relevance of the adaptability of production plans within modular production systems from an energetic point of view, with special focus on electrical energy. It is considered on how modular production systems can be modeled, based on the current state of the art and from the perspective of the capability- and skill-based approach for energy-aware skill usage. Furthermore, it is examined how pre-optimized scheduling for production systems can be adapted by production modules. For the energy-related optimization an extensive-form game model is provided. The scheduler and the production modules are considered as players and strategies of the modules are selected based on their modeled capabilities by using their best response under energy-related aspects. The results of a simulation with prototypical implementation for energy-optimized adaptation, based on extensive-form games, and possible application for unforeseen event handling are presented and discussed.

Upgradeable Mechatronic Systems - An Approach to determine changing Product Properties using Foresight

In light of the increasing complexity and dynamic of the market environment, there is a need to consider future requirements during the development of upcoming product generations. This applies in particular to modular product architectures as their elements are used in several products and over a longer period. To overcome this challenge and to develop more sustainable products, upgrading can be a solution. Based on identified options for action, this paper proposes an approach to determine changing product properties based on the Model of PGE – Product Generation Engineering. Depending on the potential of the individual characteristics of a product property in its future environment, the properties can be classified as static or dynamic time-dependent for later upgrade planning. The approach was applied in a case study and a research project. Its applicability and usability could be demonstrated. Results from the application of the approach can be used in development projects to define upgrade packages for the upcoming product generation or to optimize the modularization of future products.

Biometric Authentication and Correlation Analysis Based on CNN-SRU Hybrid Neural Network Model.

With the continuous development of computer technology, many institutions in society have higher requirements for the efficiency and reliability of identification systems. In sectors with a high-security level, the use of traditional key and smart card system has been replaced by the identification system of biometric technology. The use of fingerprint and face recognition in biometric technology is a biometric technology that does not constitute an infringement on the human body and is convenient and reliable. The biometric technology has been continuously improved, and the existing biometric technologies are based on unimodal biometric features. The unimodal biometric technology has its own limitations such as proposing single information and checking data affected by the environment, which makes it difficult for the technology to play its advantages in practical applications. In this paper, we use CNN-SRU deep learning to preprocess a large amount of complex data in the perceptual layer. The data collected in the perceptual layer are first transmitted to CNN convolutional neural network for simple classification and analysis and then arrives at the LSTM session to update again and optimize the screening to improve the biometric performance. The results show that the CNN-LSTM, CNN-GRU, and CNN algorithms show a decreasing trend in accuracy under the three error evaluation criteria of RMSE, MAE, and ME, from 0.35 to 0.07, 0.58 to 0.19, and 0.38 to 0.15, respectively. The recognition rate of multifeature fusion can reach 95.2%; the recognition efficiency of the multibiometric authentication system and accuracy rate has been significantly improved. It provides a strong guarantee for the regional standardization, high integration, generalization, and modularization of multibiometric identification system application products.

Effects of step-by-step line balancing in apparel assembly line

The mixed work assignment technique was applied to the modular production concept to solve the apparel assembly line balancing problem. Specifically, an algorithm was implemented to generate workstations by first classifying tasks into modules through an analysis of the manufacturing process and assigning grouped tasks in the single task–multiple workers and multiple tasks–single worker assignment methods. Then, worker assignment was sequentially performed considering the skill level of the worker. A simulation of producing 100 men’s shirts was performed. Owing to line balancing, the total production time was considerably lower than that reported in previous studies. The enhanced performance was attributable to the fact that unlike previous studies that limited the apparel assembly line balancing problem to worker assignment, line balancing was performed through both task and worker assignment in this study. The results demonstrated that task assignment must be considered in the design stage in the apparel assembly line balancing problem.