Product Line Design Research Articles

Retailer Information Sharing With Upstream Product Line Flexibility

With the rise of the digital economy, many firms are enhancing product line flexibility (i.e., the ability to adjust product line length or depth) to better manage demand uncertainties brought about by disruptive technologies. Concurrently, the booming digital economy has widened the information gap in supply chains. Retailers/platforms can now gather more detailed data to predict demand, but such data remains unavailable to manufacturers. This article studies how a manufacturer’s product line flexibility influences a retailer’s incentive to voluntarily share private demand information. We show that upstream product line flexibility encourages a retailer to voluntarily share information when product substitutability is low and the product line extension fee is moderate. This insight challenges the conventional belief that retailers should keep demand information private to maintain an advantage over manufacturers. Our work is the first to suggest that upstream product line flexibility can significantly motivate retailer information sharing. Additionally, we show that, although a social planner might prefer to withhold demand information from the manufacturer in the absence of product line flexibility, sharing this information becomes preferable when the manufacturer can adjust the product line length. The retailer’s decision on information sharing can align with the social planner’s in such scenarios. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, given upstream product line flexibility, except when product substitutability is not sufficiently high and the product line extension fee is moderate, the retailer’s information sharing decision is unaffected by whether the manufacturer determines the product line design before or after demand is realized and shared accordingly.

Optimizing modular equipment in the design of multi-product reconfigurable production lines

This work addresses the problem of the design and balancing of a modular multi-product line in a reconfigurable environment. The study emphasizes the importance of modularity in the reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS), which allows fast, efficient, and cost-effective adaptation to changes by rearranging, moving, or removing modules. The line consists of a fixed number of modular machines arranged linearly and connected by a material handling system. Each machine has a limited number of slots for modules. The line can handle several product types per batch, and each batch requires a specific line configuration to be produced. The objective consists in identifying the minimum number of modules needed and their arrangement in different configurations to produce each product type. To solve this problem, a compact integer linear programming (ILP) formulation is initially investigated. Then an ILP reformulation, based on a decomposition approach, as well as a heuristic that uses this ILP reformulation are developed. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

An Immersive Digital Twin Applied to a Manufacturing Execution System for the Monitoring and Control of Industry 4.0 Processes

The present research proposes the implementation of an architecture for industrial process monitoring and control for a manufacturing execution system (MES) using an immersive digital twin (DT). For the design of the proposal, cyber–physical systems (CPS), MES, robotics, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, virtual reality, and open platform communication-unified architecture (OPC UA) communication protocols were used to integrate these technologies and enhance the functionalities of the DT by providing greater performance. The proposed work is implemented in an Industry 4.0 laboratory that is composed of Festo Cyber–Physical Factory and CP-Lab stations. The implementation of the architecture is based on ISO 23247, where the following requirements were considered for the design of DTs: (1) observable attributes and 3D design and visualization of all physical production lines in all of their stages, (2) a communication entity through the OPC UA protocol for the collection of state changes of manufacturing elements, (3) a DT entity where digital models are modeled and updated based on the collected data, and (4) user entities through the use of AR and VR to make manufacturing more efficient. The experimental results showed that the architecture enables interoperability between different platforms and control subsystems. It allows for the detection and diagnosis of problems during the execution of the production line; in addition, the high-fidelity simulation and AR and VR environments provided by the DT with data obtained in real time can improve the accuracy and efficiency of manufacturing through a more detailed analysis of the process, providing advantages such as interactive creation for customized products and continuous innovation.

Design of Production Line of 2000 Tons of Fermented Milk Beverage with Annual Output of Whole Bean

The whole soybean fermented milk beverage designed by this production line is a beverage made of soybean as raw material and fermented under the fermentation action of compound probiotics. The design optimizes the production line of whole soybean fermented milk beverage with an annual output of 2000t and strictly refers to the relevant national regulations to determine the process design, material balance, equipment selection, water and electricity estimation, and workshop design of the whole soybean fermented milk beverage production line. Finally, the technical and economic analysis of the scheme shows that the fixed investment of the project is 7.95 million yuan, the annual production cost is 15193.72 million yuan, the total profit after tax reached 16.80628 million yuan, the construction period is 1 year, and the payback period is expected to be about 2 years.

Decency or devilment: the impact of blockchain technology on product line design

ABSTRACT Blockchain is a secure database shared across a network of all participants, characterised by immutability, openness, transparency, and traceability. Therefore, blockchain technology is widely used in supply chain management, which can increase consumers' understanding of product information when goods arrive at the consumer end and increase the risk of consumer privacy information leakage. Considering a supply chain system that consists of a manufacturer and a platform, this paper studies the strategic interactions between the platform's adoption of blockchain technology and the manufacturer's product line design based on blockchain's positive and negative impacts on consumers. We examine the driving factors of the platform's use of blockchain technology, which are related to the effect of information transparency and privacy concerns caused by blockchain and the marginal production cost coefficient. In particular, a higher marginal production cost coefficient could make the platform more likely to use blockchain technology. We also find that the practice of blockchain technology may incentivize a manufacturer to extend its product line.

Balance of mixed flow assembly line based on industrial engineering mathematics and simulated annealing improved algorithm

The frequent changes in customer orders have led to the need for production line rebalancing and design. The increasing complexity of mixed assembly of multiple products makes it an urgent issue to perfect the balance of mixed flow assembly lines. This study proposes an improved simulated annealing algorithm by combining industrial engineering mathematical methods with intelligent optimization algorithms. The purpose is to achieve balanced optimization of mixed flow assembly lines by minimizing production rhythm, balancing load between workstations, and minimizing loss time within workstations. Firstly, industrial engineering methods are used to analyze the mixed flow assembly line, and then a mathematical optimization model is established by combining simulated annealing algorithm and genetic algorithm. Finally, through example simulation, the effectiveness of the algorithm is verified, and the superiority of its performance is verified through algorithm comparison. The experiment shows that the balance rate of the optimized assembly line for a total of 60 processes in 12 workstations has increased by about 6%. The smoothness index decreases by about 4. The loss coefficient has decreased by approximately 0.06. The overall efficiency has increased by about 12%. The smoothness index decreases by 0.3 in comparison with the solution results of Jackson's law in a case of 11 processes in 5 workstations. This fully demonstrates that the hybrid model has higher optimization efficiency, achieves balanced optimization of the mixed flow assembly line, improves production efficiency, and reduces equipment idle rate.

Design of the New Production Line in the Automotive Company

Innovation is one of the key competitiveness strategies for small, medium, and large companies. Production line innovations using Lean methods are currently one of the most important ways to change the shape of the production line in a positive direction. Emphasis must be placed on the resulting innovation and the form of the production line, which should be as efficient and functional as possible and meet the required parameters of productivity and quality assurance. The primary goal of production line innovations using Lean methods is the elimination of bottlenecks in the production process that do not add value and the balancing of individual assembly stations. The aim of the contribution was to design a semi-automatic line for the completion and testing of seat locks under the name D3P2. The result of the solution is the creation of a robotic workplace that will ensure a higher production capacity and the related packaging of finished products. On the assembly line, an analysis of line balancing was carried out using the Yamazumi graph to eliminate unnecessary assembly process activities, Cycle time and Tact time. An analysis of the measurements of individual production activities and places was carried out on the line, and the proposal for a new production line was subsequently shared. Its main goal was to meet all customer requirements through high flexibility. The result of the analysis and applied measures was a reduction in the cycle time of the new line, balancing of individual posts and economic benefits.

Design of an Intelligent Feeding System

The article elaborates on the design method of an intelligent feeding system . The feeding system is an important part of the automatic production line, which provides raw materials for other units of the automatic production line. It is controlled by PLC, which is described from many aspects, such as structure design, pneumatic circuit design, control circuit design and PLC program design. It analyzes the design idea and principle of intelligent feeding system in detail, and provides an effective reference for the design of automatic production line.

Mitigating risky sourcing with a responsible supplier in a competitive environment: the implication of product line design and sourcing diversification

We consider the sourcing decisions of two competing firms with a potential responsibility violation risk from a supplier. There are two consumer segments in the market: socially and nonsocially conscious consumers. When a responsibility violation occurs, the socially conscious consumers will not purchase from any firm who sources from the risky supplier. To avoid this potential demand loss, the two firms can consider sourcing from a responsible but more expensive supplier. We develop game theoretical models to investigate the firms’ optimal sourcing strategies and examine the effects of product line design and sourcing diversification on firms’ incentives to source responsibly. Our study shows that when each firm adopts a single sourcing strategy, as the suppliers’ cost difference increases, both of their sourcing choices deviate from the responsible supplier to the risky supplier. Moreover, we find that when the firm sourcing responsibly can determine whether to extend the product line to offer responsible and conventional products, product line design improves both firms’ profits and induces them to source responsibly. Finally, we find that when each firm can choose between a single and a dual sourcing strategy, sourcing diversification can be potentially detrimental for both firms and prevent them from sourcing responsibly.

Redesigning product line for integrated manufacturer-supplier ecosystem in a centralized supply chain: Case of an industrial consumer product

To produce quality products rapidly to derive competitive advantage, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) must work closely with its suppliers in product redesign processes. Previous literature has emphasized that quality products can be produced effectively and will provide better customer service if product redesign is performed considering the broad OEM-supplier(s) ecosystem. To this end, we seek to develop a mathematical model focused on maximizing the objectives of the OEM-supplier(s) ecosystem considering a centralized supply chain in such a manner that operational-level financial objectives are mapped in terms of product line design decisions and attribute-level assignments. By including operational-level supply chain considerations such as service levels and consumers' preferences, we seek to capture key aspects related to customers’ requirements. This research links product-level technical decisions with enterprise-level business objectives, thus bridging engineering and enterprise-level financial nuances. The problem for the manufacturer pertains to the minimization of the manufacturing cost and maximization of the product premium. The problem for the suppliers pertains to maximization of salvage value, minimization of shortage cost, and maximization of sales revenue. These two problems are then sewed together, and a chemical reaction optimization (CRO) based solution methodology has been deployed. To solve and analyze the devised problem, a case study based on an industrial consumer product is conducted. We evolve a comprehensive mathematical framework that mimics the facets related to product line redesign encapsulating considerations pertaining to functional level design, supply chain dimensions, and manufacturer-supplier profitability. Several novel findings are reported based on the study. For instance, we demonstrate that product configurations for respective segments after the redesign process are contingent upon the service level. Further, we demonstrate that in the industrial consumer product market, higher profit for the OEM-supplier(s) ecosystem is achieved at a slightly lower service level as opposed to a higher theoretical service level. The study has important implications for design and product management.

Product Line Design and Channel Configuration in Low-Carbon Supply Chains

Product Line Design and Channel Configuration in Low-Carbon Supply Chains

Selling Co-products through a Distributor: The Impact on Product Line Design

Selling Co-products through a Distributor: The Impact on Product Line Design

Modeling and Parameter Optimization of Plant Factory Production System Under Low-Carbon Constraints

Highlights A life cycle approach to modeling the carbon footprint of leafy vegetables. Determine the optimal design parameters through logical and mathematical relationship derivation. The simulation model of leaf vegetable production line was established. The optimal parameter scheme was determined by multifactorial simulation tests. Abstract. In recent years, a plant factory has gradually become a new model of facility agriculture, and the optimization problem of low-carbon design of production system in a plant factory has become more prominent. In the design of the production system, needs of high efficiency, high yield, and low carbon emission must be considered. In this study, the leafy vegetable factory is taken as the research object, and the carbon footprint calculation model of products is established based on the life cycle assessment method. Taking production capacity and carbon footprint as design indicators, the logical correlation and mathematical relationship between them and production line design parameters are analyzed layer by layer to determine the key design parameters. The leafy vegetable production line is modeled by plant simulation software, and multifactor simulation experiments are set up to explore the influence of key design parameters on design indexes to guide the optimal decision of parameter design scheme. The new design scheme increases the productivity of the plant factory by 35.40%, reduces the carbon footprint of leafy vegetables by 15.54%, and solves the problem that leafy vegetables at the bottom of the planting frame in the original plant factory grow poorly because of insufficient light. Keywords: Carbon footprint, Life cycle assessment, Plant factory, Product system, Production line modeling.

Optimal Advertisement and Peripheral Product Line Design

Optimal Advertisement and Peripheral Product Line Design

Balancing Profitability and Social Impact: A Joint Product Line Design and Supply Chain Network Design Formulation

Balancing Profitability and Social Impact: A Joint Product Line Design and Supply Chain Network Design Formulation

Integration of lean manufacturing and factory physics in an Industry 4.0 roadmap for augmenting operational performance

PurposeThe advent of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and the requirements imposed on companies still need to be clarified. Companies still strive to understand I4.0 requirements and technological, organizational, operational and management challenges. Current literature on I4.0 underlies the importance of a roadmap with structured steps to achieve the benefits of I4.0, mainly focused on augmenting operational performance. Therefore, this paper proposes a roadmap to implement I4.0 focused on operational management concepts, mainly aiming to augment operational performance and bridge the gap between theory and practice regarding roadmaps focused on the operational management dimension.Design/methodology/approachThis paper follows a research approach divided into the following stages: a literature review to analyze the I4.0 roadmaps and identify the main components of I4.0; development of the proposed I4.0 roadmap presented; field research to test the roadmap by collecting data from a manufacturing company in the automotive industry; validation of the roadmap through modeling and simulation.FindingsThe authors presented a production line design with real-time control, fast response, shop floor coordination and predictive capacity. The results prove that the proposed I4.0 roadmap augments operation performance in the investigated automotive company. The main results were work in process reduction, lead time reduction, output increase, real-time control, shop floor coordination and fast response.Originality/valueThe main novelty of the proposed roadmap is to move toward I4.0 implementation with a focus on the operational management dimension. The roadmap has an innovative combination of the two approaches – lean manufacturing and factory physics – a straightforward roadmap with only three steps: (1) requirements, (2) real-time control and (3) predictive capacity, a structured definition of the approaches and operational management concepts fundamental in each step.

Digital twin-driven parameter change propagation path optimization for production line variant design

ABSTRACT Current mass individualization requires that production lines for processing products be able to quickly vary to adapt to product changes. The variation and propagation of parameters have a central role in the variation process of a flexible production line, which increases the complexity of the design due to the non-unique propagation path of the variation. Obtaining the optimal variant design scheme has become a major challenge for designers. This paper aims to develop a method to determine optimal paths of change propagation. The digital twin-driven framework of parameter correlation path instantiation is presented. The high-fidelity simulation capability of digital twinning will contribute to the fast variant design of flexible production lines at low cost of trial and error. Then, a parameter variation search algorithm based on multi-fork tree has been proposed. The optimal variation design scheme has been achieved for the optimal propagation path of parameter variation from the perspectives of cost, time and complexity. A prototype verification system of production line design based on digital twin is developed to support the instantiation design of parameter change propagation path. An example of mobile phone welding assembly lines was taken to verify the effectiveness of the method.

Design and Motion Simulation of Conveyor Production Line for Salted Kelp Turnover Box

Design and Motion Simulation of Conveyor Production Line for Salted Kelp Turnover Box

Optimal product line design strategy for green and non-green products with blockchain technology

Optimal product line design strategy for green and non-green products with blockchain technology

Product line design and low-carbon investment strategies with consumer environmental concern

As environmental consciousness among consumers grows, firms are recognizing the importance of adopting carbon abatement technology as a crucial strategy to meet the rising demand for low-carbon products. Our study specifically examines the influence of a low-carbon investment strategy on a firm’s product line design, aiming to better align with consumer needs. Considering the impact of low-carbon investments and consumer environmental concern on the product line design has not been adequately examined in previous research. To fill this gap in research, our study proposes a model of a firm that designs the product line while determining the price and quality of each product. Our findings indicate that the single-product strategy is strictly inferior to the product line strategy when considering the low-carbon investment. This implies that the conventional wisdom that either the single-product strategy or the product line strategy could be an equilibrium strategy does not hold. Intuitively, the firm’s low-carbon investment in a specific product segment solely impacts the corresponding segment’s product quality and pricing decisions. While this intuition holds for the low-carbon investment strategy solely targeting high-end products, it does not apply when the low-carbon investment strategy applies solely to low-end products. Furthermore, our results show that the firm adopts the low-carbon investment strategy and traditional (without low-carbon investment) strategy when consumer environmental concern is relatively high and low, respectively. Finally, our results show that any of the four strategies (the traditional strategy and the low-carbon investment strategies for only low-end products, only high-end products, and both segments) could be optimal, depending on certain conditions, in the product line scenario.