Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
  • Publication
    Impact of Platform Openness on Ecosystems and Value Streams in Platform-Based PSS Exemplified Using RAMI 4.0
    ( 2020)
    Zambetti, Michaela
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    Pezzotta, Giuditta
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    Exner, Konrad
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    Pinto, Robert
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    Stark, Rainer
    With the digital revolution, the IoT (Internet of Things) platform approach emerges as a supportive way for the implementation of IoT platform-based Product-Service System (PSS) offerings. To exploit the full potential of the platform economy and considering the complexity of the multitude of different actors in all the lifecycle stages, value creation architectures for digital and service platforms are one of the critical points to develop. In this work, the concept of Platform-based PSS is presented, and for representation purposes, an extension of the RAMI 4.0 reference model has been proposed. Specifically, the ecosystem perspective has been added to RAMI 4.0, to approach Platform-based PSS with a multi-actor lens. Moreover, the different contributions and benefits of the main participants in Platform-based PSS are illustrated. Therefore, three different scenarios have been exemplified with the proposed RAMI 4.0 extension relating the actors' possibilities to contribute to Platform-based PSS to the level of openness of a platform.
  • Publication
    Digitaler Zwilling für Smart Services
    ( 2019)
    Exner, Konrad
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    Preidel, Maurice
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    Stark, Rainer
  • Publication
    Prototyping von Produkt-Service Systemen und Smart Services in der Konzeptphase des Entwicklungsprozesses
    (Fraunhofer Verlag, 2019)
    Exner, Konrad
    Aus politischer und wirtschaftlicher Sicht wurden in den letzten Dekaden zwei Treiber eines notwendigen Wandels fokussiert: Zum einen die systematische Unterstützung des gesamtwirtschaftlichen Trends hin zu einer Dienstleistungsgesellschaft, zum anderen die Digitalisierung und Automatisierung der Industrie zur Steigerung der Qualität und Effizienz. Die Evolution und Synthese dieser beiden Perspektiven führte zur Verbreitung und Akzeptanz ganzheitlicher Leistungsangebote sowie der damit einhergehende Bedarf der Wirtschaft diese Produkt-Service Systeme (PSS) erfolgreich zu entwickeln. Die vorliegende Arbeit fokussiert dazu die frühe Phase des Entstehungsprozesses und adressiert Lösungen, die es ermöglichen erste Konzepte von PSS mittels innovativer Prototypen für die am Prozess beteiligten Stakeholder erlebbar und bewertbar zu machen. Zudem befähigt die Methode die Konzeptionierung von Smart Services. Beide Lösungen sind synergetisch in einer ganzheitlichen Entwicklungsvorgehensweise verortet und bieten somit die Möglichkeit einer systematischen Entwicklung. Die entwickelten Ergebnisse befähigen die digitale Transformation der Unternehmen im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung.
  • Publication
    A method to design Smart Services based on information categorization of industrial use cases
    ( 2019)
    Exner, Konrad
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    Smolka, Elisa
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    Stark, Rainer
    Smart Services can be described as a specific manifestation of Product-Service Systems, which mainly refer to customer individual solutions based on the utilization of data derived from cyber-physical products and production systems. In this context the usage data is allocated and analyzed on a platform in order to extract valuable information, thus enabling the development and operationalization of new data-driven business models. In order to support the initial design of Smart Services companies have to achieve a thorough understanding of their existing or obtainable data as well as the related potential options to utilize these data. Based on the analysis of 51 industrial Smart Service use cases data flows and areas of application have been derived and clustered. Moreover, the defined categories are interlinked and mapped to the use cases. The findings have been comprised into an applicable Smart Service design method addressing early design stages. Finally, the approach (DAU flow method) has been applied and evaluated with two case companies, indicating sound qualitative results and providing valuable feedback.
  • Publication
    A PSS maturity self-assessment tool
    ( 2018)
    Exner, Konrad
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    ;
    Stark, Rainer
    The ongoing discussion about digital transformation in combination with new digital services is increasing uncertainties in companies on how to proceed regarding their strategic development of new products, services as well as integrated offers. The main challenges for companies has been stated in several industrial workshops and projects. They comprise the assessment of the current situation, identifying the business value of digital transformation as well as the necessary capabilities needed regarding the implementation of a target vision. Based on the results of a literature analysis as well as initial prescriptive and descriptive study a revised PSS maturity model has been developed for assessing the status of a company reflecting on four dimensions: value proposition, business processes, customer and sustainability. The approach is complemented with an online self-assessment tool and generic action recommendations. The methodology has been applied and evaluated with a case company. The qualitative results indicate a good user acceptance and a very good ease of use as well as an improvable feedback regarding the action recommendations.
  • Publication
    Smart Service Lebenszyklus
    ( 2018)
    Exner, Konrad
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    Stark, Rainer
  • Publication
    Knowledge in engineering design
    ( 2018)
    Preidel, Maurice
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    Exner, Konrad
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    Stark, Rainer
    Intense collaboration within networks of stakeholders characterizes current engineering design processes. In these, engineers use IT systems to create artifacts, which manifest their knowledge allowing its circulation. Still, a research gap exists regarding the understanding of kinds, relations and interdependencies between IT systems, artifacts and knowledge types. This article addresses this gap by presenting results of a systematic literature review. The results contribute to close the mentioned gap, give insight on focusses of current research and identify further need for investigations.
  • Publication
    Innovation in product-service system engineering based on early customer integration and prototyping
    ( 2016)
    Exner, Konrad
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    Damerau, Thomas
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    Stark, Rainer
    Product-Service Systems (PSS) enhance product-centered offers with services and infrastructure in order to provide customer-oriented solutions. These new concepts enable companies to innovate their portfolio, thus supporting creative and adaptable solutions [1]. One of the major challenges is the integrated development of both tangible products and intangible services in respect to their interdependencies. For this reason researchers proposed a versatile set of methods and tools regarding the development of PSS. Nevertheless, two discrepancies can be stated: Firstly, prototyping has been studied inadequately in PSS research so far. For this reason Exner et al. proposed new approaches to fill this gap [2], including remarks to further proceed research with different degrees of technological utilization. Secondly, although customer-orientation and customer integration has been recognized as crucial for PSS, the involvement of clients or consumers in the design process is often disregarded. Consequently, this paper presents an extensive literature research regarding active customer integration and prototyping in PSS design processes. Based on these insights a concept for a new PSS prototyping approach is introduced. The method focuses on PSS concept development including the integration of the customer to evaluate and develop the concepts with intuitive touch technologies.
  • Publication
    SMART Engineering im Kontext Indsutrie 4.0: Baukastensysteme für die erlebbare Absicherung von Montageanlagen
    ( 2016)
    Kind, Simon
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    Exner, Konrad
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    Stark, Rainer
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    Neumeyer, Sebastian
  • Publication
    Virtual prototyping and validation of CPPS within a new software framework
    ( 2016)
    Neumeyer, Sebastian
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    Exner, Konrad
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    Kind, Simon
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    Hayka, Haygazun
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    Stark, Rainer
    As a result of the growing demand for highly customized and individual products, companies need to enable flexible and intelligent manufacturing systems. Such new production systems, so called ""Cyber Physical Productions Systems"" (CPPS) aim the vision of interlinked and autonomous production. The research project VIB-SHP envisions controller validation of manufacturing system covering aspects of asynchronous communicating, intelligent and autonomous acting production equipment and a service based production IT. To enable manufacturing system designers to validate CPPS, a software framework for virtual prototyping has been developed. A multi-disciplinary construction kit integrates discipline specific models and manages them in a PLM solution. The usage of the construction kit enables manufacturing designers to apply virtual technologies and ease the integration in the production-IT. The presented approach resolves the sequential design process for the development of mechanical, electric and software elements and ensures the consistency of these models. With the help of a BOM- and signal-based alignment of the discipline specific models in an integrated mechatronic product model, the communication of design status and changes is improved. The re-use of already specified and designed modules enable quick behavior modeling, code evaluation as well as tangible user interaction with the virtualized assembly system.