Technology Planners Research Articles

Systematic generation of manufacturing changes for safety-critical components

Every time a component’s design is changed, the corresponding manufacturing has to be changed as well. Due to several recent developments such as increasing market dynamics or ever-shorter product life cycles, the amount of component changes is rising sharply. Therefore, the number of manufacturing changes is increasing at a fast pace. Particularly for safety-critical components, the implementation of component changes within manufacturing poses a significant challenge. The reason for this is the high planning reliability required to implement a component change via a manufacturing change. This implementation has to be performed without endangering the component’s functionality, by causing any other change than the intended one. An approach for the systematic generation of manufacturing changes was developed as a contribution to increasing planning reliability and efficiency. The approach systematically enables technology planners to identify alternative manufacturing changes, to analyze the propagation of these changes, and to evaluate the alternatives to form a basis for decision-making. Its practical applicability is validated using a case study from medical technology.

Methodology for the identification of alternative manufacturing changes for safety\u2013critical components

A variety of factors are forcing companies to change their products and the components these products are composed of. Examples of current factors are changing customer requirements, product optimizations or ever-shorter product lifecycles. These component changes, particularly in safety–critical components in the medical and aerospace industry, pose great challenges and are limited in scope. The challenges and limitations arise from the high costs and the amount of time involved in component recertification as required by law, as well as revalidations of the manufacturing after a change has been implemented. Some component changes are even mandatory. In this case there are no options for reducing recertification efforts by choosing between different design changes. In contrast, there are alternative manufacturing options with which to implement the prescribed component changes that can reduce the amount of revalidation required on the manufacturing side. Due to the fact that changes to the manufacture of safety–critical components require validation, the existence of alternative manufacturing changes offers the potential to save time and money by selecting the best-suited alternative. In order to be able to select the best-suited alternative, all alternative manufacturing changes must be known, which poses a challenge for technology planners dealing with the complex manufacture of safety–critical components. Therefore, a methodology is introduced to support technology planners in identify alternative manufacturing changes with which to implement scope-restricted changes to safety–critical components. The methodology is validated by applying it to a case study from the medical industry.

Life cycle oriented technology chain optimization: a methodology to identify the influences of tool manufacturing on environmental impacts caused in the tool’s use phase

Limited availability of resources, increasing global energy demand and legal regulations force tool manufacturers to offer ecologically efficient products. Tools cause environmental impacts in every phase of their life cycles—from resource extraction to disposal. Environmental impacts arising during the use phase are highly dependent on the tool characteristics created in the tool’s manufacturing phase. A holistic analysis of the parameters affecting the use phase as well as of the manufacturing technologies used to manufacture the tool is needed in order to minimize the environmental impacts of the use phase. A methodology that supports technology planners to modify technology chains in order to improve a tool’s ecological efficiency under consideration of the influences between lifecycle phases is therefore introduced. The tool is first analyzed to identify its relevant characteristics. Technological influences within the tool’s use phase are then analyzed. The influences of the manufacturing phase on tool characteristics are identified in a third stage. Fourthly, the tool’s environmental impacts caused by the tool characteristics and by the technological influences during the use phase are added. The methodology therefore enables the reduction of a tool’s environmental impacts in selected impact categories by adjusting identified levers in the tool’s manufacturing phase and in its use phase.

Highly iterative technology planning: processing of information uncertainties in the planning of manufacturing technologies

Highly iterative product development is a promising approach to continuously involve customers in development and to meet global challenges such as short product life cycles and increasing variant diversity. In this context, the planning of production technologies, which takes place in parallel to product development, faces the challenge of processing uncertain product information in early planning phases. This is due to the frequent change of the required product characteristics while the product is being developed. Technology planners must therefore adapt the effort of their planning methods to the existing information uncertainty. This paper presents a new methodology for processing uncertain information from various information sources in technology planning. Firstly, individual information are modelled using fuzzy sets. Afterwards, a new method based on the Dempster–Shafer theory of evidence is presented, which enables an aggregation of individual information from different sources considering their uncertainties. The aggregated information regarding the product characteristics are used to determine the product maturity in the current iteration loop of the highly iterative development process. Finally, the user of the methodology selects a suitable technology planning level based on the prevailing product maturity.

Towards sustainable production: a methodology to assess influences between life cycle phases in tool manufacturing

Tool manufacturers are facing a range of urgent challenges such as a rising global demand for energy and a shortage of critical resources. Eco-efficient tool manufacturing and efficient tool use are required to overcome these challenges. Modifying a tool’s manufacturing technology chain leads to changes in the ecological efficiency in its manufacturing phase as well as in its use phase. In order to make environmentally benign changes, both life cycle phases must be considered when technology chain modifications are planned. Therefore, a methodology is introduced to support technology planners in modifying technology chains to improve a tool’s ecological efficiency, taking its use phase and its manufacturing phase into account. Individual methodology modules support technology planners in information acquisition and evaluation as well as in assessing the cross life cycle phase influences of the manufacturing phase on the use phase. The methodology is validated using an example from carbide tool manufacturing.

Building a Cognitive Data Management Strategy (and Why Doing So Is Suddenly So Important)

This paper looks at the drivers of, the requirements for, and the essential functionality of the cognitive data management strategy and how these principles may apply to media and entertainment (M&E) workflows. In addition, this paper will show how such a metadata-centric approach can help companies overcome data silos and enable information technology (IT) planners to take advantage of any storage technology without impacting users, or adding IT management complexity.

Discovering shifts in competitive strategies in probiotics, accelerated with TechMining

Profiling the technological strategy of different competitors is a key element for the companies in a given industry, as well to technology planners and R&D strategists. The analysis of the patent portfolio of a company as well as its evolution in the time line is of interest for technology analysts and decision makers. However, the need for the participation of experts in the field of a company as well as patent specialists, slows down the process. Bibliometrics and text mining techniques contribute to the interpretation of specialists. The present paper tries to offer a step by step procedure to analyze the technology strategy of several companies through the analysis of their portfolio claims, combined with the use of TechMining with the help of a text mining tool. The procedure, complemented with a semantic TRIZ analysis provides key insights in disclosing the technological analysis of some competitors in the field of probiotics for livestock health. The results show interesting shifts in the key probiotic and prebiotic ingredients for which companies claim protection and therefore offers clues about their technology intention in the life sciences industry in a more dynamic, convenient and simple way.

핵심 기술 파악을 위한 특허 분석 방법: 데이터 마이닝 및 다기준 의사결정 접근법

This study suggests new approach to identify core technologies through patent analysis. Specially, the approach applied data mining technique and multi-criteria decision making method to the co-classification information of registered patents. First, technological interrelationship matrices of intensity, relatedness, and cross-impact perspectives are constructed with support, lift and confidence values calculated by conducting an association rule mining on the co-classification information of patent data. Second, the analytic network process is applied to the constructed technological interrelationship matrices in order to produce the importance values of technologies from each perspective. Finally, data envelopment analysis is employed to the derived importance values in order to identify priorities of technologies, putting three perspectives together. It is expected that suggested approach could help technology planners to formulate strategy and policy for technological innovation.

The development of community members' roles in partnership research projects: An empirical study

For 3 years, the authors of this article and several other colleagues have worked with 11 nonprofit community groups to help them take greater control of their information technology in terms of technology acceptance, adoption, and literacy through a research project. As part of this project, the authors explored informal learning methods that the groups could benefit from and practiced them with the community representatives who played key roles in the daily life of the organizations. In the present article, the authors reflect on the developmental trajectories observed for two individuals, each from a different nonprofit organization, with respect to information technology efficacy and ability. The authors analyze these trajectories as a sequence of the following four technology‐related roles—technology consumers, technology planners, technology doers, and technology sustainers. The authors describe these roles, the methods used to promote informal learning, and implications for other researchers studying informal learning in communities.

An ANP-based technology network for identification of core technologies: A case of telecommunication technologies

There have often been attempts to examine technological structure and linkage as a network. Network analysis has been mainly employed with various centrality measures to identify core technologies in a technology network. None of the existing centrality measures, however, can successfully capture indirect relationships in a network. To address this limitation, this study proposes a novel approach based on the analytic network process (ANP) to identification of core technologies in a technology network. Since the ANP is capable of measuring the relative importance that captures all the indirect interactions in a network, the derived ''limit centrality'' indicates the importance of a technology in terms of impacts on other technologies, taking all the direct and indirect influences into account. The proposed approach is expected to allow technology planners to understand current technological trends and advances by identifying core technologies based on limit centralities. Using patent citation data as proxy for interactions between technologies, a case study on telecommunication technologies is presented to illustrate the proposed approach.

A Methodology to Improve the Mobile Diffusion Forecasting: the Case of Greece

Accurate forecasting is extremely important for managers and technology planners in a rapidly evolving global environment. In this paper we apply the Gompertz model to Telecommunications growth in different countries. We conclude that although most of the European countries converge to approximately the same saturation level, using traditional diffusion models could artificially force convergence based on the historical data leading to over estimate or under-estimate of saturation level. The question for planners is how to improve these forecasts. One approach is to select the saturation level carefully based on other information available to the planner. We will show that analogy and interpolation using observed trends from other countries with similar characteristics could also produce good forecasts. The paper uses Greece and Italy to illustrate this approach.

ICT literacy among the staff of West African university libraries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to ascertain the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy level among the staff of anglophone (English‐speaking) university libraries staff and their counterparts in francophone (French‐speaking) university libraries in West Africa.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted among the professionals, paraprofessionals and “other” members of staff of 28 university libraries comprising 24 anglophone university libraries and four francophone.FindingsThe result of the findings showed that out of about 370 professional librarians, only 179 of them were ICT literate while the remaining 191 professional librarians were ICT non‐literate. This constitutes an overall percentage of 48.38 percent for the literate professionals as against 51.62 percent for ICT non‐literate professionals. Also, out of 526 paraprofessionals, only 84 of them were ICT literate while the remaining 442 were ICT non‐literate. This also constitutes 15.97 percent for the literate paraprofessionals as against 84.03 percent for ICT non‐literate paraprofessionals. Other staff totaled 1,471. Only 190 of them were ICT literate while the remaining 1,281 were ICT non‐literate. This also constitutes 12.92 percent for the literate other members of staff as against 87.08 percent for ICT non‐literate other members of staff.Research limitations/implicationsOnly two categories of skills, “literacy” and “illiteracy”, without gradations between these categories could be considered. The questionnaires were not design to catch the grades of these two categories of skills.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes that of all the 28 university libraries surveyed, only the 40 Senegal university professional librarians have an ICT literacy level of 100 percent. Thus other West African university libraries should encourage all their professional librarians, as well as other staff, to become ICT literate.Originality/valueThe paper contains original work relating to the differences between English and French‐speaking university staff as regards ICT literacy and as such will be useful for library technology planners and educators.

Soldiers, Weapons and Chinese Development Strategy: The Mao Era Military in China's Economic and Institutional Debate

Renewed interest in China's defence modernization has focused new light on the connection between military goals and national high technology strategy. China is in the throes of a major effort to modernize its arsenal. Its technology planners have begun systematically to build a genuinely national high technology infrastructure that may ultimately enable Chinese defence planners to harness the dual use potential of many new technologies. Yet as scholars and policy-makers raise questions about present patterns and anticipate future trends, it seems more important than ever to take a long look backwards into the origins of the relationship between China's military and its economic development strategy.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES ON THE HIGHWAY: MAJOR ISSUES FOR TECHNOLOGY PLANNING

This study identified and ranked community college planning issues related to the information superhighway ( ISH ), as perceived by technology planning personnel. A Delphi study was conducted to identify the applicable issues and the level of agreement on these issues. Prior to Round 1 of the Delphi study, the panelists identified the educational planning issues to be rated. Rounds 1 and 2 included a consolidated list of 124 issues with an accompanying Likert - type scale to allow the participant to rate the importance of each of the issues. Median ratings of assent were compared between Round 1 and Round 2. The Delphi procedure was terminated after Round 2, based on the finding that no significant difference was found between the responses for Rounds 1 and 2. The Delphi study produced 123 validated issues, each of which maintained a high level of consensus and rating of importance. Additionally, the level of assent and consensus of opinion was extremely high considering the relative newness of the ISH phenomenon. The results suggested that two categories, planning and faculty / staff, essentially need to be addressed before all other identified categories. The level of knowledge and the depth of understanding of technology planners is, no doubt, sufficient to the task of planning for the ISH . Finally , based on comments by the panelists, cost was considered affordable, planning was clearly needed, faculty and staff should be encouraged to use the ISH , and minimum government interference was preferred.

Online editing, mark-up models, and the workplace lives of editors and writers

Although editors make extensive use of the computer in their work. Most editors still mark changes on paper using traditional editing symbols. There are, however, compelling reasons for editors to begin marking copy on the computer. We consider online editing from the perspective both of editors and their employers. We then focus on one aspect of online editing: the mark-up models embodied in various editing tools. We demonstrate that the different mark-up models and their particular implementations have major implications for the editing process, including the quality of edited material and the worklife satisfaction of editors and writers. We conclude by recommending that the technical communication community exert its influence on software developers and corporate technology planners to encourage the development and adoption of online editing tools that will be congenial to editors.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Building HCI partnerships and infrastructure

Abstract As policymakers and technology planners respond to the growing activity in human—computer interaction, a broad perspective may be helpful. This article offers a top-down view of current activities and suggests opportunities and challenges for the continued growth of HCI. Partnerships among universities, corporations, government agencies, and professional societies are proposed. Infrastructure needs to support this new discipline are outlined.

Taking technology opportunities to the business

This case study examines a financial institution in which a technological opportunity and its potential benefits are identified by technology planners. The particular technology in this instance is the Geographical Information System (GIS). The use of GIS in the financial services sector is growing rapidly. Publication of case studies, other than those related to public utilities and the public sector generally, has been, to date, descriptive and sketchy. This case study takes a critical look at the process of identifying the technology and the business requirement, piloting GIS and the benefits gained. The main message of this case study is that new technologies (like GIS) may be identified as an opportunity by the technologist before being recognized as such by business executives. This case study relates to the Woolwich Building Society, and is set against the background of the UK building society sector † † A building society in the UK is in a special position amongst financial institutions. The main legislative framework is provided by the Building Societies Act 1986. The societies' powers are limited and this restricts their ability to compete fully with other financial institutions. Building societies have been empowered to operate in other member states of the European Community since January 1988 provided that the core business activity is mortgage lending 2.

A framework for the strategic management of future tyre technology

Strategically managing technology faces one major problem: technology planners and managers who mistake ‘R & D management’ for ‘strategic technology management’. In globally competitive markets, survival and growth of tyre companies will increasingly depend upon the ability to manage technological resources strategically. This article proposes a process model which views the strategic management of technology as ‘techno-business management’, where technology and business strategy, planning and implementation can be facilitated by the use of portfolio frameworks and technology forecasting techniques in analysing and addressing the key strategic management areas of techno-business strategy development and strategy implementation.

Identification of technological threats and opportunities by firms

A number of models and approaches are being developed in attempts to anticipate the nature and direction of technological change and its impact on the firm. Under what conditions might we expect firms to use one or more of these models in an organized way and under what conditions might we expect the resulting information to be used in the firm's planning process? The basic hypothesis of this paper is that effective use by firms of models for anticipating technological change can be explained based upon: the nature and extent of uncertainty in the firm's environment,the firm's strategy for growth, and the degree of definition of communication networks (both formal and informal) within the firm and between the firm and its environment. Technology planners and managers of 29 firms in a variety of industries have been interviewed concerning the ways in which technological threats and opportunities are identified and analyzed and the ways in which this information is integrated into the firm's normal planning cycle. A follow-up questionnaire is being designed to be sent to a larger number of respondents.