The future of engineering — scenarios of the future way of working in the engineer-to-order business

Vellmar, Jan; Gepp, Michael; Schertl, Andreas

doi:10.1109/syscon.2017.7934736

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For instance, other forms of coordination mechanisms, such as modularization (a form of standardization), were not observed in the selected cases, but these were addressed in previous studies as mass customization enablers for transitioning to less complex settings like MTO and Assemble-to-Order (ATO) settings (e.g. Vellmar, Gepp, and Schertl 2017). Moreover, other forms might be more relevant to standardized settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing complexity through integrative tactical planning in engineer-to-order environments: insights from four case studies

Shurrab

Jönsson

Johansson

2020

Production Planning & Control

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Fulfilling customer orders in engineer-to-order (ETO) settings entails customization and, thus, greater complexity: detail and uncertainty. Tactical planning aims at demand-supply (DS) balancing by ensuring cross-functional integration (CFI), which incorporates coordination as one dimension. This study uses a case study approach to identify the key coordination mechanisms applied in the customer order fulfilment processes (COFPs) to mitigate the negative impact of complexity on DS balancing in four ETO-oriented settings. Within-case analyses identify the applied mechanisms, and a cross-case analysis elaborates on how they influence the detail and uncertainty in decision-making and problemsolving activities. Findings suggest a positive effect of formalized activity sequences, balanced team compositions, effective task designs and supportive information systems (ISs); and a positive (but contingent) effect of the other mechanisms. Future research may address other CFI dimensions (collaboration), statistically test the findings, or qualitatively deepen the understanding of the forms and impacts of individual mechanisms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing complexity through integrative tactical planning in engineer-to-order environments: insights from four case studies

Shurrab

Jönsson

Johansson

2020

Production Planning & Control

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“…Consortia or Joint Ventures will likely be required to bring together the expertise and joint commitment to innovation. Hence, this is much more characteristics of the 'pioneer projects' described by Vollmar et al [27,28]. Situated at the bottom right of the model, bespoke solutions are developed but with lower relational linkages.…”

Section: Figure 4: Prescriptive Model Showing Investment Characteristmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Vollmar et al [27,28] suggest that a number of global forces are increasing the complexity and uncertainty related to departments managing engineering designs. Hence, different engineering approaches will be required depending on the technical complexity of engineering work, as well as the uniqueness and technological novelty involved.…”

Section: Engineering Design and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, different engineering approaches will be required depending on the technical complexity of engineering work, as well as the uniqueness and technological novelty involved. Vollmar et al [28] suggest four engineering scenarios: Easy Engineering, exploiting existing standardised designs, Perfect Engineering, where the focus is on the delivery of large scale projects, requiring integration of existing technological solutions, Pioneer Engineering, where there is a high degree of complexity involving implementation of 'first-of-a-kind' projects, and Crisis Engineering, where there is a need to cope with serious situations. Organisations that operate in design intensive engineer-to-order scenarios, for instance in construction, shipbuilding, machinery and capital goods, must be vigilant to ensure that there is not an assumption that only the 'Easy Engineering' scenario exists.…”

Section: Engineering Design and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relational Investments and Contractual Choices for Diverse Engineering Designs

Gosling

Hewlett

2022

IEEE Trans. Eng. Manage.

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Engineering design has a major impact on downstream performance, but is often guided, in both procurement and solution type, by intuition rather than a solid science base. Engineering is also increasingly collaborative, crossing organisational boundaries. However, the long-term close partnerships, as often proposed, are difficult to achieve in the context of individual engineering projects. Building on concepts related to investments in specific assets, this study describes the underlying characteristics of engineering design investments and then prescribes the relational investment and contract forms to select them, thereby contributing to our understanding of the engineering design and relational investments that can and should be made. We undertook multiple case study research, which is presented in two phases. The descriptive phase identifies positive outcomes for solutions based on off-the-shelf designs with fixed price mechanisms, for solutions based on adaptive designs with target cost mechanisms, and for bespoke solutions contracted either on cost-plus mechanisms or, if in bite-sized pieces, on fixed price mechanisms. Negative performance outcomes were found for adaptive solutions with Fixed Price mechanisms. A prescriptive phase, yielding a visualized model, then offers guidance for relational investments and contract mechanisms that are suitable for different engineering designs. Applicability zones and three potential transitions to challenge and guide current practice are developed to inform decision making. Managerial relevance statement Complex engineering projects are increasingly collaborative, involving multiple organisations, and involve innovative aspects. Sometimes these innovative aspects are developed especially for a single customer from fundamental research and development activity, whereas other times it may be possible to adapt previous engineering solutions. Clients of such projects must establish the conditions for project success through robust procurement approaches; on the one hand, contractors will be concerned that the risk and reward profile of their contracts is appropriate; on the other, there is little guidance for clients as to how to establish the right approach. Our paper focuses on establishing appropriate governance, including contractual forms and relational types, for different engineering design categories. This is operationalized through the concept of specialized investments. The descriptive model offers insights for practitioners into how governance is approached in a number of cases. The final visualized prescriptive model offers guidance for decision makers. Using our model, appropriate levels of relational investment, as well as a contract mechanism, can be aligned with different engineering design categories. Overall, we propose that the model forms an intellectual

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“…batchsize-1) using agile engineering and production systems. Systems that enable efficient mass-customization and pure-personalization through customer-and product-specific coordination across the entire life cycle [4][5][6].…”

Section: Grand Challenge 1: Agile Product Customization Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Production Management Systems: Issues, Trends, and Vision Towards 2030

Romero

Cieminski

Wuest

et al. 2021

IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology

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Since its inception in 1978, the IFIP Working Group (WG) 5.7 on Advances in Production Management Systems (APMS) has played an active role in the fields of production and production management. The Working Group has focused on the conception, development, strategies, frameworks, architectures, processes, methods, and tools needed for the advancement of both fields. The associated standards created by the IFIP WG5.7 have always been impacted by

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The future of engineering — scenarios of the future way of working in the engineer-to-order business

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

Managing complexity through integrative tactical planning in engineer-to-order environments: insights from four case studies

Managing complexity through integrative tactical planning in engineer-to-order environments: insights from four case studies

Relational Investments and Contractual Choices for Diverse Engineering Designs

Advances in Production Management Systems: Issues, Trends, and Vision Towards 2030

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