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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1993

Rolf Karg

The mechanical and plant engineering industry, power distribution sector and, more recently, environmental protection industry, are among the engineering branches in which…

51

Abstract

The mechanical and plant engineering industry, power distribution sector and, more recently, environmental protection industry, are among the engineering branches in which intelligent components and systems are being used increasingly in electrotechnical installations. With potential cost savings as high as 40 per cent in the areas of engineering, control, system building, assembly and commissioning, the benefits for companies are considerable. A term which has already found its niche in the engineer's vocabulary is “fractal factory”, which describes a system of networked production “islands”. A look at the state of the art highlights the pioneering trends and shows the means that are already available for leaner, more cost‐effective production.

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Assembly Automation, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

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Article
Publication date: 22 January 2018

Gerald Oeser, Tanju Aygün, Claudia-Livia Balan, Thomas Corsten, Christian Dechêne, Rolf Ibald, Rainer Paffrath and Marcus Thomas Schuckel

The purpose of this paper is to gain a general holistic view of implications of the growing and highly relevant customer segment of elder consumers for the food demand chain (food…

1434

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain a general holistic view of implications of the growing and highly relevant customer segment of elder consumers for the food demand chain (food retail, production, logistics, and business informatics) in Germany.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes a holistic demand-chain approach that is based on interviews with 36 German food consumers aged 65-87 and with 50 experts from manufacturing, trade, logistics, and business informatics as well as a survey with 1,288 consumers above 64 years of age and 682 consumers below 65 years of age.

Findings

Physical, statistical, psychological, social, and behavioural characteristics of elder German consumers may influence location, services, and layout of food retail, food variety, sizes, packaging, and labelling, food production, transportation, and storage volumes and capacities, as well as facility location, route, and inventory planning. The social function of grocery shopping especially for single consumers, intergenerational products and services, home-delivery services especially to rural areas, as well as decentralisation and regionalisation are expected to gain importance. Logistics and industry 4.0 can facilitate the efficient and effective supply of food.

Originality/value

This research is the first to investigate the needs and wants of elder German food consumers and their implications for the German food demand chain in a more holistic demand-chain approach.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 46 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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