Manufacturing Systems Engineering Key Expertise Theme astutewales.com
Exploit Resources & Connectivity in the Manufacturing Process Improve quality, productivity and sustainability. The Whole Life Cycle Utilising a multi-disciplinary approach that encompasses the product s whole life cycle allows companies to develop sustainable products and services through integrated application of knowledge, information, equipment, materials, energy, transport and people. The goal is to optimise a product, process or service, and its supporting supply chain and logistics. Optimisation of complex processes and systems eliminates steps that do not add value and improves manufacturing quality, productivity and sustainability. Underpinning Area of Expertise Critical to Effective Production Manufacturing Systems Engineering is critical to effective production processes. Examples of the expertise available in critical underpinning areas include: Systems Engineering, Operational Excellence, Manufacturing Process Improvement, Production and Inventory Control, Supply Chain Re-engineering and Reshoring, Failure Modes Effects Analysis and Ontology, Biomedical Engineering, Resource Efficiency, Life Cycle Analysis, Circular Economy, Remanufacturing and Recycling, and Sustainable Supply Chains. Access to these areas of expertise via ASTUTE 2020 is aimed at fulfilling the industrial need of improving the use of resources in the manufacturing process and managing the supply chain of products and services. Harnessing Connectivity For smart manufacturing Utilising expertise across all three areas of key expertise covered by ASTUTE 2020 allows the team to conduct research in smart manufacturing combining cyberphysical systems, simulation, 3D visualisation, sensor technology, data collection, analytics, decentralised decisions and monitoring physical processes. This enables companies to leverage current key global megatrends in connectivity including Big Data, Internet of Things and Internet of Services. The need to develop processes or systems to enable sustainable products, services and supporting supply chains throughout the whole life cycle, and to exploit digital processes and connectivity in the manufacturing process. Did You Know? Multidisciplinary Application of all Expertise The three key expertise areas are essential to support collaborative research with industry on specific topics, but they are also underpinning specific issues in a wide range of activities. Frequently, there will also be aspects from more than one key expertise needed to move a manufacturing process or manufactured product forward. Cardiff University Will encompass a number of areas aimed at helping companies develop and improve their manufacturing systems and will range from internal business processes to processes operating across whole supply chains and networks. Expertise derives from the Schools of Engineering, Business & Medicine. Aberystwyth University From the Department of Computer Science, emphasis of its research is on intelligent systems mainly focusing in areas of software and robotics. Much of the potential for improving the competitiveness of Welsh Manufacturing Industry lies in the collection, analysis and exploitation of data about manufacturing performance. Swansea University Contribution from several research groups within the College of Engineering, specifically aimed at cyberphysical systems, sensors, failure mock effect analysis visualisation, and big data related solutions for manufacturing.
Capabilities: Opportunities for Collaborative R&D The ASTUTE 2020 HEI partners have extensive facilities including modern laboratories and state of the art equipment and software. Companies conducting collaborative R&D projects with ASTUTE 2020 are able to access equipment, software, academic expertise and skilled technical specialists. Sustainable Manufacturing Resource Efficiency Carbon Efficiency End of Life Reduce, Re-use, Re-Manufacture, Recycle Circular Economy Redistributed Manufacturing Supply Chain Re-Engineering Re-shoring Green Logistics Resilient Supply Chain Servitisation Leagility - integrating lean manufacturing with agility Logistics Optimisation Industry 4.0 (Internet of Things) Automation, Robotics and Vision Systems Data Exchange Digital Manufacturing SMART Products Big Data, Data Mining, Data Collection Sensor Technology Collaborative Robotics and Human-Machine Interface Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Embedding advanced sustainable technologies into Welsh manufacturing. Industrial Collaborations Examples of industrial collaborations undertaken with the ASTUTE Project (2010 2015) include: Zimmer Biomet The effect of engineered surface topography on the tribology of CFR-PEEK for novel hip implant materials. Techniques: Laser surface texturing, wear testing & surface profilometry. Electronica UK Optimisation of brushless DC motors for electric vehicle applications. Techniques: Magnetic circuit analysis, mathematical modelling, application of Bees Algorithm developed by Cardiff University. Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Investigation of methods of surface activation of injection moulded polymers. Techniques: Review of surface activation methods, testing of alternative method in a manufacturing environment. Production Planning and Control Inventory Management Forecasting Optimisation of planning and control Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Condition Monitoring Metrology Additive Layer Manufacturing Failure Modes Effects Analysis and Ontology Nano & Micro Manufacturing
ASTUTE 2020 Case Study: Manufacturing Systems Engineering Industry and University Collaborative Research in the Medical Diagnostics Sector Ortho Clinical Diagnostics orthoclinical.com Duration: Three projects over several years Background Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (OCD) relocated from the centre of Cardiff to a purpose built factory in Pencoed in the Wales Convergence area, which comprises West Wales and the Valleys, in October 2010. OCD was one of the first companies ASTUTE-Cardiff collaborated with, initially through our facilitating an innovation workshop to identify and then develop a roadmap to meet the research requirements and industrial needs of OCD, and to match those with the skills of ASTUTE. About the Project Initially a collaborative scoping study was undertaken to evaluate the technical viability of a proposed process to modify the surface characteristics of their immunoassay wells prior to coating. After successfully demonstrating that the technology could provide the required modification, a longer term joint study was undertaken to show it could be effective for OCD s full range of immunoassay products under the full range of expected processing conditions. During the course of this study, some technical obstacles were identified which prevented full demonstration of this new technology by the ASTUTE officer in the time permitting. It has, however, since been possible to identify potential resolutions to these issues with enough confidence to permit OCD to continue to resource investigative work with the ultimate aim of incorporating these advances into the mainstream production process. A further project was initiated by OCD, who were looking to develop a local supplier for a new product introduction. Supply chain partnerships in the medical devices industry are necessarily very conservative; any potential new entrants need to be assessed for their ability to meet rigorous quality standards. Working closely with OCD, this involved surveying over 40 suppliers to ascertain their capabilities, undertaking visits and auditing companies in order to identify a shortlist of potential suppliers. Challenges Both projects have achieved the intended outputs, but the nature of the medical device industry results in long lead times to introduce and validate any new product or process and this validation process is currently ongoing both for the production process enhancements and the shortlisted suppliers. Impact OCD has openly identified that their association with ASTUTE and other academic and Welsh Government initiatives has had a measurable impact on their ability to be successful in securing continued investment in facilities, staff and processes. During this period, for example, new skilled posts have been created and apprenticeships initiated for the first time. OCD are poised for further investment in production capacity and product support expertise to enable the introduction of a new product line in 2014, which will create 24 new positions most of which will be for highly skilled personnel. The micro / nano technical assistance obtained [from the ASTUTE team] was not available in house at [OCD s] South Wales facility. Centralisation of high-tech capabilities in a corporate structure can sometimes result in inertia unintentionally limiting the agility of the business. The accessibility of the technical expertise through ASTUTE meant that local decisions could be made regarding deployment of resources onto potentially game changing manufacturing opportunities. Kevin Doran Engineering Manager corthoclinical.com
ASTUTE 2020 Case Study: Manufacturing Systems Engineering Feasibility Study into Remote Plant Monitoring via Smartphone Cambrian Printers Ltd. cambrian-printers.co.uk Duration: 4 months Result Areas: Improved Plant Control & Efficiency Technology: Intelligent Software Background The proposed project with Cambrian Printers was planned to provide timely information about the state of the company, including technical operational information and sales progress to company management. It would assist them in reducing downtime and reacting to machine breakdowns more quickly. This would enable the company to be more confident in scheduling throughput, and to increase competitiveness. About the Project Cambrian Printers are a commercial printing company in Aberystwyth, specialising in short run colour printing for magazines, books, catalogues, brochures and journals. They run 24 hours a day, producing journals, magazines and brochures for customers across the UK. 24 hour operation means that the top expertise cannot always be on-site, and management wanted to investigate the technical feasibility of taking data from the commercial monitoring systems, and making it available to managers on smartphones. Challenges The feasibility study by ASTUTE and Cambrian Printers resulted in a system that provides up to date information to managers about the performance and status of all machines, which staff are working at any time, and the status of all orders and invoices. The managers are able to set the software to actively contact them by phone if specific conditions occur, e.g. if a critical printing machine is down for more than two hours. Impact The monitoring software has demonstrated that it is possible to enable operations management staff to keep better track of what is happening in the factory from their smartphones. This is improving efficiency and up-time for printing machinery. It is also giving management the tools to keep better track of what is happening in the factory, and making Cambrian Printers even more competitive as a result. When we first spoke with the ASTUTE team about our vision for an iphone app, we were impressed with the technical excellence of the team. It seemed that our wildest thoughts and imaginings could be produced with great ease, fairly seamlessly. The appearance of the app is everything we wanted it to be and has made a real difference in our daily activities. The app is now a firm favourite and checked daily by all who have access to it, most usefully when senior managers have had to be away on business so they can keep an eye on what s going on. David Lowe Commercial Director cambrian-printers.c.o.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1792 606378 Email: info@astutewales.com astutewales.com The ASTUTE 2020 (Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies) operation has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and the participating Higher Education Institutions. ASTUTE 2020 is designed to stimulate growth in Wales by applying advanced engineering technologies to manufacturing challenges driving cutting-edge research and innovation, enabling projects with manufacturing companies, to generate sustainable, higher value goods and services and bring them to a global market.