The 10 most recently published documents
Im Service Management zeichnet sich ein grundlegender Paradigmenwechsel ab: Der Kunde wird zunehmend nicht mehr nur als Konsument, sondern als aktiver Mitgestalter von Dienstleistungen und Wertschöpfungsprozessen betrachtet. Dieser Ansatz, oft als „Kollege Kunde“ beschrieben, bietet Unternehmen vielfältige Möglichkeiten, die Servicequalität zu steigern, Kundenbeziehungen zu intensivieren und die eigene Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu sichern. Insbesondere im Maschinen- und Anlagenbau – einer Branche, die von komplexen Produkten und personalisierten Dienstleistungen geprägt ist – eröffnet diese Entwicklung neue Perspektiven für die Gestaltung des Service Managements.
Industrial companies have numerous avenues for implementing sustainability innovations, which can significantly reduce the negative ecological impact of their activities. In this context, a variety of options for action and types of innovation are available to companies at different system levels. These range from innovations in the material and energy flows used for processing, procedural and product innovations, through to comprehensive organisational and functional innovations at the consumer and user level. There are numerous interdependencies between the different levels and types of innovation.
In diesem "essential" werden die wichtigsten Grundlagen des ökologisch nachhaltigen Wirtschaftens erläutert. Nach einer kompakten Klärung der verschiedenen Verständnisse und Bedeutungen von „Nachhaltigkeit“ und „Nachhaltiger Entwicklung“ erfolgt eine Darlegung der prinzipiellen Problematik im Kontext von Ökologie und Ökonomie. Eine Erörterung der diversen Handlungsfelder und Strategieoptionen zeigt die vielfältigen Möglichkeiten bezüglich Effizienz-, Konsistenz- und Suffizienz-Innovationen auf. Schließlich erfolgt ein Blick auf die aktuellen Herausforderungen des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements.
Increasing the perception mechanism of robotic systems, and therefore their level of autonomy, is a challenging task, particularly when production costs must be maintained at a minimum. To enhance the autonomous capabilities of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) without increasing production costs, we propose a novel 2D-Lidar mirror combination with a main focus on the calibration procedure and the resulting performance figures. This approach leverages precise calibration to enhance the robot’s perception without the necessity of adding costly sensors such as 3D-Lidars, thereby maintaining affordability while simultaneously increasing the effectiveness of 2D-Lidar sensors.
Given the environmental and social challenges the world faces, social entrepreneurship gained an instrumental role addressing these challenges. In this context it is important to understand what drives and motivates these types of social entrepreneurs and, eventually, how can new entrepreneurs be motivated to engage socially. This article applies the three basic needs of self-determination theory - competence, autonomy, and social integration - to the field of sustainable entrepreneurship opening up promising perspectives for promoting and motivating sustainable entrepreneurs. When applying this theory to the motivation continuum one can gain not only insights about the fulfillment of the three basic needs of sustainable entrepreneurs but also better understand their motivational drivers and how to eventually reach the highest level of intrinsic motivation. Overall, this work aims to contribute to the development of more effective support and educational programs aiming to attract and motivate more people to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship.
The efficient and reliable operation of power grids is of great importance for ensuring a stable and uninterrupted supply of electricity. Traditional grid operation techniques have faced challenges due to the increasing integration of renewable energy sources and fluctuating demand patterns caused by the electrification of the heat and mobility sector. This paper presents a novel application of convolutional neural networks in grid operation, utilising their capabilities to recognise fault patterns and finding solutions. Different input data arrangements were investigated to reflect the relationships between neighbouring nodes as imposed by the grid topology. As disturbances we consider voltage deviations exceeding 3% of the nominal voltage or transformer and line overloads. To counteract, we use tab position changes of the transformer stations as well as remote controllable switches installed in the grid. The algorithms are trained and tested on a virtual grid based on real measurement data. Our models show excellent results with test accuracy of up to 99.06% in detecting disturbances in the grid and suggest a suitable solution without performing time-consuming load flow calculations. The proposed approach holds significant potential to address the challenges associated with modern grid operation, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable energy systems.
Purpose: Although there is an apparent potential in using data for advanced services in manufacturing environments, SMEs are reluctant to share data with their ecosystem partners, which prevents them from leveraging this potential. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the reasons behind these resistances. The argumentation paves the way for elaborating countermeasures that are adequate for the specific situation and the typical capabilities of SMEs.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis is based on literature research and in-depth interviews with management representatives of 15 companies in manufacturing service ecosystems. Half of these are manufacturers and the other half technology or service providers for manufacturers. They are SMEs or partly larger companies operating in structures that are typical for SMEs.
Findings: Data sharing hurdles are investigated in the five dimensions, 1. quantifying the value of data, 2. willingness to share data and trust, 3. organizational culture and mindset, 4. legal aspects, and 5. security and privacy. The ability to quantify the value of data is a necessary but not sufficient precondition for data sharing, which must be enabled by adequate measures in the other four dimensions.
Originality/Value: The findings of this empirical study and the solution approach provide an SME-specific framework to analyze hurdles that must be overcome for sharing data in an ecosystem.
Manufacturing SMEs can apply the framework to overcome the hurdles by specific insights and solution approaches. Furthermore, the analysis illustrates the future research direction of the project towards a comprehensive solution approach for data sharing in a manufacturing ecosystem.
Transfer of Logistics Optimizations to Material Flow Resource Optimizations using Quantum Computing
(2024)
The complexity of industrial logistics and manufacturing processes increases constantly. As a key enabling technology of the upcoming decades, quantum computing is expected to play a crucial role in solving arising combinatorial optimization problems superior to traditional approaches. This study analyzes the current progress of quantum optimization applications in the logistics sector and aims to transfer an existing vehicle routing use case to a newly conceptualized matrix production use case regarding resource-efficient material flows. The simulation of the originating simple model is executed on a local circuit-based quantum simulator that emulates the behavior of real quantum hardware. Using a QAOA algorithm for problem-solving, optimal results have been achieved for all simulated scenarios. The theoretical material flow model is based on multiple assumptions and was created for testing reasons exclusively. For a realistic practical application, the model must therefore first be adapted and extended to include additional features.
Die EU-Kommission hat einen Mangel an Datenverfügbarkeit als zentrale Wachstumsbremse der Wirtschaft im europäischen digitalen Raum identifiziert. Mit dem vorgelegten Abschlussbericht des durch Interreg ABH geförderten Projekts Data Sharing Framework für KMU präsentieren die Forscherinnen und Forscher der HTWG Konstanz (D), der ZHAW School of Engineering, der ZHAW School of Management and Law, der OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (CH) und der FH Vorarlberg (AT) Vorschläge, um die Vision eines digitalen Europas, in dem Unternehmen und Bürger:innen fundierte Entscheidungen auf der Grundlage von Daten treffen können, zu unterstützen.
Daten im B2B-Ökosystem teilen und nutzen: Wie KMU Voraussetzungen schaffen und Hürden überwinden
(2024)
«Big Data» haben ein großes Potenzial, um die Wertschöpfung effizienter zu gestalten oder um Innovationen hervorzubringen. Daten werden oft an der Schnittstelle zwischen mehreren Akteuren in Business-to-Business-Ökosystemen generiert und sie müssen zwischen den Akteuren geteilt werden. Unternehmen tun sich jedoch schwer damit, Daten in Werte zu transferieren und die Daten im Ökosystem zu teilen. Ursächlich sind weniger technische Gründe als organisationale Rahmenbedingungen. Der Beitrag identifiziert fünf Perspektiven, die Hürden und Voraussetzungen in diesem Prozess darstellen: (1) eine datengetriebene Organisationskultur, (2) Vertrauen zwischen den Akteuren, (3) die Konkretisierung des Wertes von Daten, (4) Datensicherheit und (5) rechtliche und Governance-Aspekte. Eine Fallstudie eines typischen Daten-Ökosystems um ein produzierendes KMU konkretisiert diese Voraussetzungen und Hürden. Es zeigt sich, dass sich Unternehmen, die Daten im Ökosystem teilen möchten, ganzheitlich verändern müssen.
