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The commitment to a more sustainable world in social and environmental terms requires product design and development (PDD) models that will help achieve this goal. Based on a dialogue between theory and practice, this paper presents the reflections that led to such a sociotechnical model, including its main principles: Ergonomics Quality in Design (EQUID) 4.0. It is grounded on a broad concept of ergonomics and human factors (E/HF), going beyond the traditional, narrow view of E/HF in PDD. EQUID 2.0 included the organisational dimension in the design process but left its role only in the immediate sphere of product design. EQUID 4.0 recognises that E/HF quality in the design process depends on a higher level, i.e. the organisation itself and integrates the contributions of preceding versions in an expanded E/HF concept: one that proposes that E/HF should always include not just the social but also the environmental dimension of sustainability. THEORETICAL RELEVANCE: If a tool or method that aims to contribute to inserting E/HF into production spheres is to be proposed, there is a need to establish a conceptual framework derived from a dialogue between E/HF theory and practice in relation to quality, sustainability, and product design and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's fiercely competitive business environment, product design and development play critical roles in an enterprise's success; therefore, consumer demand must be understood. Enterprises used to understand their consumers' demands through time-consuming questionnaire surveys and statistical analyses. As the Internet and the popularity of virtual communities have grown, more consumers are leaving comments about their perceptions of the appeal of products on online social media platforms, thus enabling enterprises to more objectively understand consumers' product preferences and demands. Therefore, determining how to effectively assist enterprises in analyzing valuable information beneficial to product design and development that can be gleaned from the large amount of social media data available is critical to promoting an enterprise's competitive advantage in the product market. However, previous studies have primarily focused on understanding consumer viewpoints of products through review articles or electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM; it is a common channel for spreading product appraisals) from online social media. For these review articles and eWOM that can imply consumer demand for product features, there were no relevant studies focused on analyzing consumer demand by using both online review articles and eWOM for product feature evolution. Therefore, for new product features, this study developed a mechanism for product evolution course mining from product-related review articles (such as product functions or specifications) and eWOM on online social media to realize the prediction of future product features or specifications, and then assist enterprises in rapidly and accurately grasping product development trends to effectively discern key reference information for product design and development. The study was achieved by (1) designing a process for online information-based product evolution course mining and prediction, (ii) developing techniques related to online information-based product evolution course mining and prediction, and (iii) implementing and evaluating an online information-based product evolution course mining and prediction mechanism. The experimental results indicated that approximately 81% of developers were satisfied with the proposed system for predicting smartphone features. The results of the study can facilitate the mining and prediction of online information-based product evolution course to assist enterprises in rapidly and accurately grasping product development trends and effectively provides important reference information for product design and development; therefore, it can enhance competitive advantages and customer satisfaction of enterprise products in the marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a detailed guide for Product Design and Development (PDD) of everyday essentials, with a focus on improving user accessibility. It applies Quality Function Deployment (QFD) principles to enhance user experiences by aligning design with customer requirements. Different customer types and their perceptions of everyday essential items are considered, with QFD used as a systematic approach to translate these needs into specific product characteristics, ensuring alignment with user expectations. The paper presents a step-by-step application of QFD on everyday essential design, highlighting key considerations and best practices. A case study on a drying and ironing device demonstrates how this approach encourages innovation and user-centric product design. The study focuses on metropolitan areas around Bangkok, Thailand, with customers aged 18 to 50, emphasizing design for limited spaces and addressing needs related to the rainy season or washing clothes at night. Results show no bad smell caused by bacteria. The key findings guide designers and developers to create products that prioritize user needs and preferences, enhancing overall usability and satisfaction. The contributions of this research benefit designers (manufacturers), customers, and researchers. The implications of this research include minimizing time spent on trial-and-error in the design stage, optimizing and reducing waste from the prototyping process. However, there is still a risk of distortion and loss in translating customers' needs, highlighting the importance of receiving feedback after product use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes Mellitus incidence and its negative outcomes have dramatically increased worldwide and are expected to further increase in the future due to a combination of environmental and social factors. Several methods of measuring glucose concentration in various body compartments have been described in the literature over the years. Continuous advances in technology open the road to novel measuring methods and innovative measurement sites. The aim of this comprehensive review is to report all the methods and products for non-invasive glucose measurement described in the literature over the past five years that have been tested on both human subjects/samples and tissue models. A literature review was performed in the MDPI database, with 243 articles reviewed and 124 included in a narrative summary. Different comparisons of techniques focused on the mechanism of action, measurement site, and machine learning application, outlining the main advantages and disadvantages described/expected so far. This review represents a comprehensive guide for clinicians and industrial designers to sum the most recent results in non-invasive glucose sensing techniques' research and production to aid the progress in this promising field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often challenging to schedule tasks for the design and development projects of complex product systems. Moreover, it is necessary to reduce project time and cost by minimizing activities' feedback length under resource constraints. This paper proposes an effective resource-constrained project scheduling approach for complex product systems design and development. We develop a two-phase approach to investigate the problem. In the first phase, we propose a bi-objective model to minimize the feedback length and the cost of the information correction. Then, in the second phase, we develop a mathematical model to minimize project completion times under resource constraints and the optimal sequence of activities extracted from the first stage. Finally, we obtain a global Pareto front, which indicates that paying more attention to minimizing the feedback length would increase the project completion times. Last, we examine the proposed approach's efficiency and applicability using an experimental data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturers are continuously designing health-related products with various styles and specific characteristics to challenge and outcompete each other. However, it is challenging to convince consumers that a new product's attributes are better than similar existing products. The main challenge for manufacturers is how to create a product that improves on existing products. This research aims to analyze whether customers' purchasing decisions are aligned with the product's applicable mechanical characteristics and to develop guidelines for supporting product design and development. The design team can use these guidelines to quickly and easily understand and support customer requirements. The study uses "famous types of heel inserts" as a case study, with quality function deployment, usefulness of product, factor analysis, ergonomics, reverse engineering, and finite element analysis as the key tools. The results can help users select the right health-related product and make small adjustments to their routines to improve their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrigued by observations in the automobile industry where some firms share their new battery technologies with their competitors, we consider the problem where an innovator firm, that owns a novel technology, licenses it to a rival firm that uses the conventional technology to manufacture an existing product. The rival firm uses the licensed technology to develop a new product to compete with the innovator firm in the downstream market. We address the innovator firm's pricing issue of the new technology licence and characterize the design features of the new product the rival firm develops using the licensed technology. We show that under specific conditions, it makes sense for the innovator firm to license its technology free of charge to the rival firm. We conduct numerical studies to examine the impact of the model parameters on the optimal outcomes and generate some practical insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Generation of a Dynamic Innovation Information System (DIIS) for optimized planning and decision-making thanks to the dynamic evaluation of innovations over their life cycle, applying a methodology for Digital Ecosystems in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and an innovation management model based on the Viable System Model. Innovations are essential for global development and market dynamics. Innovation management is central to organizations for gaining adaptability and dynamic capabilities to ensure their sustainability over time. Right decisions are essential for the implementation of innovations. However, on many occasions, especially in the product development process, decisions are taken based on static analysis, qualitative criteria, questionnaires, and/or quantitative evaluations that are outdated. Moreover, many innovation developments do not consider the existing databases in their information systems of similar innovation projects, especially in the early phases of new innovations when evaluations are mainly driven by area, group, or person. Furthermore, inventions are introduced in different regions, plants, and socio-economic situations, providing different results. In this context, considering that innovations shape our current and future world, including all products and services, as well as how humans, organizations, and machines interact, the significance of the paper is clear. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an innovation management model based on the Viable System Model to cope with any potential future environment based on internal organizational capabilities. For this purpose, the paper designs a Digital Ecosystem for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (DE4.0) based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology applicable to any information system consisting of a digital twin, a simulation model, databases from existing information systems, and quality management techniques. This DE4.0 provides a huge advantage for the applicability and scalability of innovations as it allows one to plan, monitor, assess, and improve. Moreover, based on the conceptual model, a generic project evaluation scheme is developed, providing a platform for innovation project management and control during the whole innovation life cycle. As a result, the research provides a scientific and practical contribution for an integrated management of innovations based on the best information and set of techniques available. Based on this framework, a supply-chain case study is developed. The results show how, depending on the intended goals, the past experiences, the evolution of the innovation, and the innovation scope, indicators can be influenced towards reaching the initial goals and reducing the innovation risks. Finally, a discussion about the potential use and role of the DE4.0 for innovation projects and the related learning process is performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased cost-effectiveness in crop production can be achieved by automating technological operations. This is also the case for berry cultivation in plantations. Starting any berry cultivation automation process should, quite naturally, begin with fertilisation, since this is the first technological operation to be carried out during the vegetation period and is a relatively simple one. The main task here is to apply the correct amount of fertiliser under the canopy of plants. Blueberry plantations that have been established on milled peat fields have plants that have been planted in parallel rows at a pre-designated interval. The fertilisation of plants must take place individually in the first years of their growth, so that each plant is fertilised separately. This form of fertilisation can be referred to as precision fertilisation. The aim of this paper was to provide an overview of the levels of technology now available when it comes to precision fertiliser equipment and to introduce the concept of a new precision-automated fertiliser unit, while also justifying the efficiency of using automated equipment. The automated fertiliser unit that is to be designed will be autonomous, will move unmanned through the plantation, and will include the necessary sub-systems for the precision fertilisation of individual plants, such as a plant detection system, a fertilising nozzle, a motion system and, additionally, a service station. On the basis of the results obtained, it can be argued that the use of an automated precision fertilisation unit increases productivity levels by approximately 2.25 times and decreases the specific fertiliser costs by approximately 8.4 times when compared with the use of a portable spot fertiliser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial revolutions (IRs) are mostly associated with how transformations regarding the operations of an enterprise affect said enterprise's manufacturing systems. However, the impact of these transformations exceeds the production systems themselves; rather, they affect the entire value chain, from the product design and development process (PDDP) through manufacturing and supply-chain management to marketing and disposal. As the new PDDP to a large extent defines the value chain for a company, the challenge lies in ensuring that the designed product will help the company fully benefit from the IRs. By analysing the 4th IR, the authors reveal that few publications shed light on this aspect. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to establish features and properties that will shape the PDDP throughout the 4th IR and into a smart design engineering. To accomplish this, the authors conduct a systematic review of the literature, which provides ten findings. These findings are then analysed by 11 specialists both from academia and the industry, and the findings' relations to the 4th IR and their impact on the product development process is discussed. By establishing these findings, this paper provides a platform for the understanding of what could potentially shape smart design engineering and its design-related activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a review of the development and use of multi-agent modelling techniques and simulations in the context of manufacturing systems and supply chain management (SCM). The objective of the paper is twofold. First, it presents a comprehensive literature review of current multi-agent systems (MAS) research applications in the field of manufacturing systems and SCM. Second, it aims to identify and evaluate some key issues involved in using MAS methods to model and simulate manufacturing systems. A variety of different MAS applications are reviewed in three different classified research areas: production design and development, production planning and control, and SCM. In presenting a detailed taxonomy of MAS applications, the paper describes MAS application domains from five different perspectives. The review suggests the MAS approach represents a feasible framework for designing and analysing real-time manufacturing operations, since the approach is capable of modelling different levels of agent behaviour and dynamical interactions. The paper also highlights a number of key issues which have to be taken into account in attempting to design MAS-based research paradigms for future applications in manufacturing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Disruptive innovations have the potential to fundamentally change how businesses operate. This study aims to propose a five-step framework to help firms develop disruptive innovations and to offer a scale for evaluating their disruptive potential. This scale can also be applied to identify the disruptive potential of innovations introduced to the market by competitors.Design/methodology/approach The framework was designed on the basis of criteria chosen to identify the disruptive potential of innovations at early stages of development based on a theoretical understanding of disruptive innovation, its challenges and holistic consideration of innovation as a dynamic process. It consists of steps that could serve as a reference model during the process of developing innovations with disruptive potential. A case study is discussed in detail to demonstrate the applicability of the framework.Findings A simple yet comprehensive assessment framework for disruptive innovation has been developed, which can help develop innovations with disruptive potential in existing settings of incumbent firm. A case study of the Wii demonstrates that Nintendo could have planned its disruptive product using the proposed framework.Originality/value Most research works in this area have focused on difficulties experienced by firms facing disruption and failed to highlight its opportunities; this study argues that firms can intentionally create disruptive innovations. The results of this study offer firms a tool that facilitates a proactive approach, helping develop new disruptive innovations and identify those from competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insights into product design and development drive the strategies related to new products including price, demand, capacity, cost, and return strategies. To retrieve insights into human-product interactions, the user experience can be captured as the input of product design and development to enhance product quality and user satisfaction. However, it is critical to ascertain feedback on user experience to determine appropriate user preferences and needs. In this study, a text mining approach was developed to capture user experience in order to help product designers and developers to determine user purchase behavior and critical product features. The proposed text mining approach identifies key entities and expressions from full textual transcripts of user perceptions. Based on term frequency and emotional scales, this study provided the ordinary scale of categorical data. The emotional adjectives and functional terms of the data were analyzed to ascertain user experience and identify user segmentation. By extracting and associating key entities and expressions from user perceptions, we identified the features of wearable devices that influence user purchasing behavior. The results can assist designers to launch appropriate products and help developers to identify the key users that will enhance overall user satisfaction and company competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Off-the-shelf orthoses used in rehabilitation medicine present challenges in the lack of individual comfort offered and in the support of the different motor conditions of the affected individuals. Although custom-made orthoses address these issues, their current fabrication method consists of a laborious and material wasteful process performed by skilled orthotists. Combining 3D scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing, this paper proposes and assesses a method for the fabrication of custom-made products for rehabilitation medicine. In collaboration with CMRA, a Hospital dedicated to rehabilitation, the method is applied to the design of a customised knee positioning orthosis for a patient with cerebral palsy. This project is exploratory on the capabilities of the use of 3D printing in patient specific customisation of orthoses. Having developed, prototyped and tested four different concepts with the patient, from which one was successfully accepted, it is possible to demonstrate the potential of industrialisation of these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of collecting and utilising the pruned canes of grape vines and branches and twigs from fruit trees that are left in vineyards and orchards all year round after the scheduled pruning of plantations in early spring is the topic of the day, and it is one that requires an effective solution. One of the ways in which the problem might be solved is the utilisation of pruning material as an organic fertiliser after it has been gathered, so that it is chopped, evenly spread in the inter-row spaces in the plantation, and ploughed into the soil, so that it decomposes there, and is digested. Meanwhile, the degree of pruned material disintegration and the level of quality shown in the work of spreading it across the area both have to ensure the complete decomposition of any such ploughed-under wood waste within one calendar year. The aim of this research project was to increase efficiency levels in chopping and spreading grape vine and fruit tree pruning material on the basis of the development of a new design of wood chopper and the results obtained in field testing this piece of equipment. The research uses engineering and design methods which are based on the theory of collecting from ground level and further transporting wood and plant materials, the theory behind cutting, crushing, and spreading, and also the methods used in experimental research, field testing, and the statistical analysis of test results. We have developed a new design arrangement for a wood chopper for grape vines and fruit trees, one which combines the mechanism for collecting slender, flexible waste wood pieces that are of a considerable length from the ground with a system that involves the transportation, chopping, shredding, and spreading over the soil surface of such materials. The prototype wood chopper design which was subsequently produced has been tested for several years in the laboratory and in field conditions and has delivered positive results. From the results of the field tests it has been found that, when using the aforementioned work process, a considerable reduction is achieved in terms of energy consumption and labour input in comparison with similar indicators for wood choppers that have been produced by recognised manufacturers. For example, the power demand for one metre of the machine's working width is just 15 kW, which is virtually two times less than the respective figure for a similar, recognised machine. The degree at which pruning material is collected from the ground is 95.4%, while the degree at which they disintegrate lengthwise is within a measurement of 10 cm, while the weight of the chopper is 1.5 times smaller than that of the similar machine used in the comparison studies. The use of these wood choppers provides an opportunity to implement widely across the horticultural industry those innovative technologies that not only aim at reducing energy and labour consumption, but which also help substantially to cut down the demand for the input of mineral fertilisers, which improves the overall ecological characteristics of the natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Production / Produção is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Engenharia de Producao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates a vertically differentiated product (VDP) line design problem in both a centralized and decentralized supply chain setting with one manufacturer and one retailer. We study how the product variety decision making in the decentralized setting affects the number of VDPs developed and produced by the manufacturer, as well as the number of products that the retailer will accept from the manufacturer. We show the value of flexibility, timeliness of information, and product development lead time reduction in three market scenarios where the retailer will elect to carry a product only if the product meets a specified target profit. Our results reveal that if the manufacturer faces a long design lead time and designs only one product line, he may be better off not lowering wholesale prices to accommodate the retailer's profit restriction. If design lead time is short, negotiation between manufacturer and retailer along with a side payment could possibly lead to a profit improving solution for both parties. Optimization models and computational results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An important decision problem faced by design managers is identifying an appropriate sequence of many interrelated activities. This study presents an effective tool for determining the activity sequence with minimum total feedback length in a design structure matrix. This problem can be modeled as the linear ordering problem with quadratic objective function and is extremely difficult to solve even for small problem instances. We first transform this problem into two equivalent linear integer programming problems, which can be solved exactly when the number of interrelated activities is not large. To provide good solutions for large problem instances, we further develop an exchange-based heuristic. Finally, the usefulness of the proposed methodology is validated through case study, computer experiments, and benchmark analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Iconofacto is the property of Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper mainly analysized and studied the design of ripple flower pattern. From the aspect of technology, we summarized some knitted structures such as obverse and reverse stitch structure, raised line structure, racked rib structure, jacquard structure, tuck structure, loop transfer structure, float structure, intarsia and other special structures. In addition, we also described the means and technology to achieve ripple pattern with the structures and developed some new products with STOLL computerized flat knitting machine. Based on technology, we obtained ripple pattern effect by technology changes. It meaned to widen the space of sweater design and enriched art expressive force of sweater texture in order to provide wider inspiration origin and creation idea to sweater designer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this issue we will look at the environmental management system and related standards developed by ISO TC 207. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a methodological statement and a design procedure based on an integrated approach combining finite element analysis (FEA) tools, and an instrument oriented at improving the design solutions in terms of ease of production, according to the principles of design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA). The result of an overview on product development theoretical models, with particular regard to the evolutionary mechanisms for converging on the final solution which characterize the design process, and of a review on the implementation of concurrent engineering principles, the proposed approach was expressly devised to introduce integrated and simultaneous interventions into design practice, in a way that makes the use of FEA and DFMA instruments as proactive as possible, consequently favoring the effectiveness of design choices, in order to limit the iterative processes of improvement and thereby reduce the burden they present. As evidenced by the results of a case study, this approach can allow the principal constructional characteristics of the preliminary design to be redefined in a way which simplifies manufacture and assembly processes, while guaranteeing and sometimes improving the structural functionality of the product, to the full advantage of product quality and the containment of production times and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student evaluations of courses are routinely obtained by questionnaire in higher education. That student feedback is used for, among other purposes, the planning of future courses. Whether such questionnaires consider, in specific situations, all aspects of the educational processes, or even the important ones, is an open question. This study examines that question with reference to a particular engineering design course. It investigates how groups of students process information in their design projects. The study uses the breakthrough, or full-spectrum, thinking explained by Nadler, Hibino, with Farrell to understand the uniqueness of the situation and to clarify the purposes of the research. Living systems theory instructs the design of research instruments and of a research hypothesis. The results show that significant differences in information processing exist between lower performing and higher performing groups. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating subsystems of manufacturing processes, material flow, organization and information to form a manufacturing system is vital to a smooth and responsive operation in the dynamic market. This article presents an integrated system framework for product design optimization in terms of cost, quality and reliability considerations, which are mapped onto the computer integrated manufacture – open system architecture (CIMOSA). The authors employ quality function deployment (QFD), value engineering (VE) and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) as part of a structured and targeted campaign to achieve quality, cost and reliability deployment objectives. The outcome facilitates the product design and development team to consider tradeoffs among the conflicts from customer attributes as well as the inherent fuzziness in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realizing product customization as 'just a mouse click away' is the ultimate dream of many organizations and customers. To date though, mass customization is generally delivered through standardized products or custom-assembly of standardized components - often neglecting the product development aspect of customization through providing custom-designed products. In this paper we address this gap, and in particular investigate - both theoretically and empirically - the role of IT in product development-related customization. We revert to the automotive industry, which although it has long progressed beyond 'any colour as long as it is black', still offers only limited customization possibilities to its customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) can provide an efficient decision-making environment for multi-disciplinary teams faced with the challenge of evaluating agile manufacturing systems. In this paper, the development and evaluation of CSCW prototypes to aid the systematic evaluation of agile manufacturing systems are described. An industrial case study involving the evaluation of alternative design configurations of a cellular manufacturing system (CMS) for agile manufacturing was used for testing with twelve multi-disciplinary teams. The results obtained suggest that engineering design teams can obtain productivity improvements through the use of CSCW tools. The results indicate that CSCW systems can assist decision-makers in reaching consensus especially when advanced decision making tools are incorporated into the problem-solving framework. In this study, we also found that an enhanced CSCW with a neural network module for preference aggregation outperformed a basic CSCW in: (1) decision quality, (2) users' satisfaction and agreement, (3) consensus. These results also have far reaching implications for distributed product development teams that face the problem of reaching consensus on a range of alternative designs with stringent pressures to reduce development time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For precise fertilization of blueberry plants, it is technologically the easiest and most suitable option to use a volumetric filling, for which it can be presumed that it is possible to precisely dose the fertilizer for each plant by grams. For setting up a volumetric filler, it is necessary to know parameters such as the size of the fertilizer particles and their bulk density. The aim of this research is to determine the granulometric parameters and their effect, which is done by measuring up three different fertilizers (SQM Qrop K, Memon Siforga, Substral): width, height, and length of 100 randomly selected fertilizer particles as well as the volumes and weights of 100 particles in 10 repetitions. According to the measurements, the average diameters of fertilizer particles were found as well as the average mass, volumes, and bulk density. A Mahr Digital Caliper 16EWRi 0–150 mm was used to measure the diameters of the fertilizer granules. A Yxlon FF35 computer tomograph was used to accurately scan particles. The analytical scale, Kern ABJ 220-4NM, was used to determine mass. The volumes were measured, using measuring glasses, with one having a maximum volume of 10 mL in 0.2 mL increments and another having a maximum volume of 100 mL in 1 mL increments. Descriptive statistics analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel. It turned out that the average diameters (3.68 vs. 3.64 vs. 4.29 mm) and bulk densities (0.928 vs. 0.631 vs. 0.824 g cm−3) of the three fertilizers differed far from each other, meaning that the given volume could be filled with different amounts of fertilizer. Equations between mass and weight were formed according to the measurements. As a result, it was found that a volumetric filler can be used for fertilizing blueberry plants precisely, but it demands adjusting the filler each time in the situation, which is defined by the variety of blueberry plants: their age, size, and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes a concurrent engineering (CE) approach to the information quality process. The utility of the information quality process (IQP) is assessed. As part of this analysis, various scientific techniques, such as statistical quality control (SQC) and opera tions research are used to improve the quality of an information system process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the reduction in complexity of a product family through product design. By leveraging the commonalities among products in a family, the decision support methodology presented in the paper helps choose components and suppliers that minimize the sum of design, procurement, and usage. Analysis of the model yields two properties, complete and continuous replacement, which forms the basis of a heuristic procedure. One major source of complexity faced by firms is the proliferation of components and component suppliers, which leads to higher product development costs and overhead burden. Poor design decisions made in the early stages of product development can greatly increase the costs of complexity and rapidly offset the effort invested in developing new products. Some firms have begun using the family-based approach to product development to respond to the new market conditions. It also modifies the design decision-making process so that the choices made in the design process ensure not only the performance and functionality of products but also the reduction in complexity of a product family.

Experimentation, a form of problem-solving, is a fundamental innovation activity and accounts for a significant part of total innovation cost and time. In many fields, the economics of experimentation are being radically affected by the use of new and greatly improved versions of methods such as computer simulation, mass screening, and rapid prototyping. This paper shows that a given experiment (and the related trial and error learning) can be conducted in different "modes" (e.g., computer simulation and rapid prototyping) and that users will find it economical to optimize the switching between these modes as to reduce total product development cost and time. The findings are confirmed by a large-scale empirical study of the experimentation process m the design of integrated circuits containing either (1) electrically programmable logic devices (EPLDs); or (2) application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). In comparing their different experimentation strategies for analogous design projects, I found that the former (EPLD)--an approach that utilizes many prototype iterations--outperformed the latter (ASIC) by factor of 2.2 (in person-months) and over 43 percent of that difference can be attributed to differences in experimentation strategies. The implications for managerial practice and theory are discussed and suggestions for further research undertakings are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New product development (NPD) is essential for large, as well as small and medium, enterprises (SMEs). Despite its importance for the economy, challenges remain in the NPD in SMEs. Product success is related with the NPD process, so it is important for SMEs to be able to design their NPD process. This paper aims to identify SME's NPD research topics, the characteristics of the NPD process in SMEs, and important aspects to be considered for NPD process design. The literature review is done with the analysis of 99 selected academic articles from Scopus and ScienceDirect. Content analysis, bibliographic analysis, and clustering method (based on Pearson's correlation coefficient) are used to conduct the identification. Less-formal processes, informal strategic planning, limited resources, need technology support, and lack of capabilities in certain fields are some of the characteristics of SME's NPD. Collaborative product development, competitive advantage, information and communication technology (ICT), concurrent engineering, quality function deployment, and continuous improvement are important keywords based on previous research in SME's NPD. Design activities in NPD, collaboration and source of innovation, and process modelling, tools, and techniques appear to be important aspects related with the SME's NPD process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]