Heiko Gebauer, Felix Pützr, Thomas Fischer, Chunzhi Wang and Jie Lin
The purpose of this paper is to explore maintenance strategies for manufacturing equipment in Chinese firms.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore maintenance strategies for manufacturing equipment in Chinese firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from Chinese companies using a questionnaire administered during face‐to‐face interviews and two established methodologies in strategic management research, exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis, were used to analyze the data.
Findings
The results suggest that despite increasing competitive capabilities of Chinese firms, their maintenance strategies are often restricted to corrective maintenance. Only very few Chinese firms have already implemented predictive maintenance approach, total productive maintenance programs or the strategic outsourcing of maintenance activities.
Research limitations/implications
The research limitations stem from typical issues related to the use of exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis (for example reliance on the subjective judgment of the researcher or the provision of clusters although no meaningful groups are embedded in the sample).
Practical implications
The findings highlight potential strategies for Chinese firms to improve their maintenance management.
Originality/value
This paper deals with a neglected area of operations management by exploring the maintenance approaches in fast growing Chinese manufacturing industries.
Details
Keywords
Heiko Gebauer, Gunther Kucza and Chunzhi Wang
Despite the proven benefits of high‐performing spare parts logistics, recommendations on how to organize spare parts logistics in China are rather rare. The absence of spare parts…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the proven benefits of high‐performing spare parts logistics, recommendations on how to organize spare parts logistics in China are rather rare. The absence of spare parts logistics concepts for China is surprising, since the spare part business is the profit pool of the capital goods industry: spare parts create about 17 percent of the industry's total revenue. The margins involved in this spare parts revenue are, on average, 25 percent compared to 2‐3 percent of the capital goods. This paper aims to offer recommendations to increase spare parts logistics performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an extensive benchmarking project with a variety of firms (focus group and single case study) in order to gain a better understanding of spare parts logistics in China. By reviewing the first benchmarking findings with a single company that struggled to achieve sufficient spare parts logistics performance, additional insight was gained into how spare parts logistics should be organized in China.
Findings
The paper attempts to provide a better understanding of the necessary changes for improving logistics performance in the Chinese market. It analyzes the necessary changes to achieve a cutting‐edge logistics solution, and shows how companies can implement the solution.
Research limitations/implications
Research limitations come from the qualitative nature of the research.
Practical implications
Managers can use the results obtained in this study to challenge their current logistics practices and develop a project procedure on how to initiate logistics projects that lead to cutting‐edge logistics performance.
Originality/value
Rather than concentrating on performance benchmarks of the supply chain of spare parts or specific aspects of spare parts management, the paper develops the setting up of a cutting‐edge logistics solution for China and Asia. The cutting‐edge solution is based on two main pillars: companies should try to develop logistics solutions for Asia that consider existing Asian and Chinese constraints instead of taking the logistics practices used in mature markets and trying to adapt them to the Chinese market, and the development of the logistics solution should be in intensive collaboration with the logistics providers.
Details
Keywords
Heiko Gebauer, Chunzhi Wang, Bernold Beckenbauer and Regine Krempl
This study seeks to examine how Chinese culture affects business‐to‐business marketing strategies and service revenue in manufacturing companies.
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to examine how Chinese culture affects business‐to‐business marketing strategies and service revenue in manufacturing companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper used a combination of qualitative research approaches, namely interviews, longitudinal study and bi‐polar case studies. The sequence of the qualitative research approaches was chosen to maximize internal and external validity.
Findings
The findings expose the impact of the characteristics of Chinese culture on a firm's potential to generate high service revenues in business marketing.
Research limitations/implications
The study has possible location‐ and industry‐specific limitations.
Originality/value
The implicit logic for increasing service revenue starts with overcoming typical and, in some respects, limiting cultural characteristics. These characteristics limit business‐to‐business marketing for increasing service revenue. Monitoring the effects of Chinese culture and gaining an understanding of how they have to be managed provides some guidance for managers to generate high service revenues.
Details
Keywords
Harri Lorentz, Yongjiang Shi, Olli-Pekka Hilmola and Jagjit Singh Srai
Tianyin Wang, Yin Tian and Jie Yang
The purpose of this study is to design a long-term vibration monitoring system for track beams of suspended maglev trains to ensure safe and smooth operation of the trains.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to design a long-term vibration monitoring system for track beams of suspended maglev trains to ensure safe and smooth operation of the trains.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper begins by focusing on the selection of hardware for the wireless monitoring and acquisition terminal and the circuit design. It connects to a wireless Access Point (AP) via Wi-Fi and utilizes the Transport Control Protocol (TCP) to upload the sensor data collected by the monitoring terminal to the upper computer. Additionally, the design includes software for the upper computer to parse the uploaded data packets and create a visualization interface, which is crucial for monitoring the vibrations of the track beams.
Findings
The vibration monitoring system developed in this study can display the data collected by the monitoring terminal in real time on the upper computer, while also allowing remote commands to query the status of the monitoring terminal. Due to the low-power design of the monitoring and acquisition terminal, it is capable of meeting the long-term vibration monitoring requirements for the track beams. Through precision testing of the monitoring terminal, we can ensure that the sensors meet experimental requirements, providing reliable data support for scientific research.
Originality/value
The vibration monitoring system presented in this paper integrates modern wireless communication technology and data visualization technology.
Details
Keywords
Karthikeyan Marappan, M.P. Jenarthanan, Ghousiya Begum K and Venkatesan Moorthy
This paper aims to find the effective 3D printing process parameters based on mechanical characteristics such as tensile strength and hardness of poly lactic acid (PLA)/carbon…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to find the effective 3D printing process parameters based on mechanical characteristics such as tensile strength and hardness of poly lactic acid (PLA)/carbon fibre composites (CF-PLA) by implementing intelligent frameworks.
Design/methodology/approach
The experiment trials are conducted based on design of experiments (DoE) using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array with three factors (speed, infill % and pattern type) and three levels. The factors have been optimized by solving the regression equation which is obtained from analysis of variance (ANOVA). The contour plots are generated by response surface methodology (RSM). The influencing parameters are found by using Box–Behnken design. The second order response surface model demonstrated the optimal combination of input parameters for higher tensile strength and hardness.
Findings
The influencing parameters are found by using Box–Behnken design. The second order response surface model demonstrated the optimal combination of input parameters for higher tensile strength and hardness. The results obtained from RSM are also confirmed by implementing the machine learning classifiers, such as logistic regression, ridge classifier, random forest, K nearest neighbour and support vector classifier (SVC). The results show that the SVC can predict the optimized process parameters with an accuracy of 95.65%.
Originality/value
3D printing parameters which are considered in this work such as pattern types for PLA/CF-PLA composites based on intelligent frameworks has not been attempted previously.