Department of Engineering - Annual Report 1997/98

Manufacturing Engineering

CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Management of Technology
Technology Management Network
Strategic Technology Management: Linking Technology Resources to Company Objectives
Assessment of Decision Quality: The Supplier Selection Decision
New Product Introduction
Engineering Re-use

CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING
International Manufacturing Capabilities

CENTRE FOR STRATEGY AND MANUFACTURING PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
Manufacturing Strategy and Performance
Strategy and Performance Networks
Industrial Make versus Buy Decisions
Assessing the Impact of Product Introduction on Manufacturing Systems

CENTRE FOR BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
The Evolution of Business Performance Measurement Systems
The Evaluation of IT Investments
European Innovation: Comparative Industrial Practices

MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION AND CONTROL GROUP
Analysis of Production Responsiveness
Monitoring, Detection and Diagnosis
Design of Manufacturing Control and Decision Support Mechanisms
Specification/Development of Reconfigurable, Intelligent Control and Information Systems

PRODUCT PROCESSES
Optimum Fibre Orientation in Composites
Aircraft Wing Skin Forming Processes
Wood and Wood Composites
Deformation Strain Fields in Two-Phase Alloys: Theory and Experiment
Highly Deformed Metal Structures

DECISION SUPPORT GROUP
Artificial Intelligence and Decision Support

DESIGN
Identification of Requirement and their Influence on the Design/Manufacturing Process
Computer Support for the Exploration and Evaluation of Design Ideas at the Conceptual Phase
Design of Vision-assisted Robots
A Support System to Increase the Independence of those with Reduced Arm Muscle Function due to Muscular Dystrophy or Motor Neurone Disease
Solar Furnace for Hydrogen Production, Glass Melting, and Combined Electric Generation and Desalination
A Concurrent Integrated CAD Method for Ship and Sailing Yacht Design

GENERAL
Effective Models for Postgraduate Education in Engineering
Ownership and Leadership in Manufacturing
Sustainable Manufacturing

References

Research in manufacturing is carried out mainly in Centres and Groups, with a number of independent projects.

Centre for Technology Management

Now in its second year of operation, the Centre has seen a development across all its activities, with new staff recruited and new projects undertaken. The regular programme of fora, workshops and the annual symposium is attracting increasing industrial and academic attendance. The EPSRC has funded the Centre to run its national academic/industrial network in technology management which also involves leading overseas institutions. Sponsorship has been obtained from DTI/OST, the European Commission and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Special projects have included work in support of the UK Foresight programme and the EU Framework V. Members have funded new research into the growth of high technology companies and the application of technology management techniques to software development and production.

Management of Technology

This project was completed in March 1998. Core collaborators were BAe, GEC-Marconi and T&N. The project has resulted in a methodology for auditing technology management processes which has been widely tested, and will be published by the IEE during 1999(M34,M35,M38,M39,M47).

Technology Management Network

The Centre for Technology Management has been awarded EPSRC funding to co-ordinate the UK technology management network. This brings together researchers and practitioners to exchange current good practice and research outcomes, identify issues of general interest, and develop the research agenda. The network started with 17 companies and 15 academic institutions, mainly in the UK but with links to Europe and the USA. A programme of regular day forums has led to the formation of smaller interest groups and increased membership of the network, together with an active website.

Strategic Technology Management: Linking Technology Resources to Company Objectives

Work started on this project in April 1998, with EPSRC funding and project partners BAe, GEC-Marconi, Federal Mogul and Domino Printing Sciences. The plan is to develop three practical tools to assist managers to integrate technology considerations into their business planning. Early work has concentrated on technology route mapping, a technique which facilitates technology strategy formulation.

Assessment of Decision Quality: The Supplier Selection Decision

This project is developing a means of assessing the quality of the decision process applied to the supply selection decision in manufacturing business. This decision is closely associated with make or buy strategy, another important area of work for the Centre.

New Product Introduction

A draft workbook has been developed to enable SMEs to assess their own New Product Introduction activities. It provides tools for investigating process performance and the perceptions of all those involved in the process to indicate areas for improvement. One of the tools is software-assisted to enable management to gather and process survey data from across the company with minimal cost. The NPI Audit project is funded by the EPSRC and is being tested by high-technology SMEs.

Phase 2 of the Design and Development Benchmarking Project, in collaboration the Judge Institute, started with the development and trial of the full benchmarking methodology. The project is supported by the Design Council and the EPSRC.

The Teaching Company Programme on World Class Software Delivery, with GPT and the University Computer Laboratory, completed with the testing of processes for software Make-or-Buy and Performance Measurement System Design in a software organisation. The project has shown the applicability to a software engineering environment of processes developed for manufacturing systems.

The New Product Introduction Club continues to meet, providing a forum for managers from the member companies to discuss areas of common interest. The Industrial Workshop Series focused on a number of Product Development and Introduction areas, including resourcing and benchmarking. The series attracts managers from companies across the region for early-evening presentations and discussion on manufacturing-related topics.

Engineering Re-use

Engineering re-use is increasingly seen as an important route to cost and lead time reduction. Work in collaboration with GEC-Marconi has led to the creation of a reuse framework which is being developed as an integral part of the Company's business processes.

Centre for International Manufacturing

The Centre, established at the end of 1997, continues to develop its programme of research, meetings and an annual symposium. At the 1998 symposium, participants from 14 countries agreed to establish an international network for researchers in this field.

International Manufacturing Capabilities

Work in this area is developing, with industry new approaches to the creation of international manufacturing and strategy, and to the dissemination of knowledge in networks(M50,M51,M52,M53,M60).

Centre for Strategy and Manufacturing Performance Measurement

The Centre was founded in 1998 to address issues concerned with the development of strategy in manufacturing businesses and methods for developing and embedding performance measures.

Manufacturing Strategy and Performance

This project, now in its sixth year, has continued to work closely with industry in developing competitive manufacturing strategies, and appropriate performance measurement systems. Work on the strategy side is currently exploring the resource based view of strategy development and has produced tools to enable companies to identify and assess their competences and capabilities. Work on performance measurement is exploring how new performance measurement systems are embedded. Work on representation and presentation of information is investigating the applicability of computer-based multi-media in the processes(M8,M9,M24,M25,M27,M28,M29,M31,M40,M41).

Strategy and Performance Networks

The network project was completed during the year. As well as producing valuable findings on the facilitation of manufacturing strategy and performance measurement of processes, the network provided a successful dissemination vehicle for the processes and the research methodology. Links made during the project are continuing on an informal basis(M3).

Industrial Make versus Buy Decisions

This project started in January 1998, funded by the EPSRC, with industrial collaboration from Rolls Royce plc, Kenwood plc, and Philips Paging. A series of interviews and case studies, coupled with an extensive literature survey has resulted in a comprehensive "Make vs Buy" framework, which is to form the basis of a Make vs Buy decision-making methodology. Plans are in place to test this in industry.

Assessing the Impact of Product Introduction on Manufacturing Systems

This research builds on the earlier work on measuring the complexity of manufacturing systems. It is designed to assess the impact of product introduction on the operational effectiveness of companies. A measure of "novelty" as part of the research was developed and its impact on product introduction explored. Using direct measurement, it was possible to show how product flows through a plant by reducing the level of novelty(M11,M12).

Centre for Business Performance

The Evolution of Business Performance Measurement Systems

This EPSRC project has two main objectives: (i) to research what factors influence the "evolution" of the portfolio of performance measures used by an organisation; and (ii) to establish a "catalogue" of performance measures which details the main measures of performance described in the literature and used in industry. Satisfying the first of these objectives will enable organisations to better manage the evolution of their measurement systems. Achieving the second will provide a reference guide which can be used by people seeking information on how they might measure specific dimensions of performance(M32).

The Evaluation of IT Investments

Numerous organisations are making substantial investments in information technology, but how can these investments be evaluated? The aim of this project is to develop and test a framework for evaluating IT investments. This framework will help organisations assess the business impact of implementing information systems. The project, sponsored by the EU and industrial collaborators, will be extended to include the evaluation of an EDI implementation and the development of transnational information systems in a manufacturing firm. The main output will be the evaluation framework and methodology. Partners in the project will be provided with feedback on the effect of the system implementation and an indication of areas for improvement(M17,M18,M48).

European Innovation: Comparative Industrial Practices

In 1996 a team from the Judge Institute of Management Studies and the Manufacturing Engineering Group undertook a study, sponsored by the Government Office for the Eastern Region, which compared the performance of manufacturing firms in the East of England with those in Baden Württemberg. The findings of this study emphasized the importance of innovation in ensuring business performance. The second phase of this project has now been launched. In this phase the focus will be innovation. Further comparative studies are planned - specifically one involving the Veneto Region of Italy(M30).

Manufacturing Automation and Control Group

Analysis of Production Responsiveness

Systematic approaches are sought for assessing how production operations perform in the face of unplanned or uncontrollable disturbances(M23). Disturbances may be external to production (e.g. sudden demand changes, variations in raw material supply) or internal (e.g. machine breakdowns). The work aims to develop an understanding of how such disturbances affect production, provide a quantification of response capabilities for a given plant and provide a means of identifying improvement strategies, particularly in the area of control and decision support systems(M13,M19).

Many fault detection methods rely on complex models to represent both normal and faulty behaviour of the process or machine being monitored. The focus of this work is on the development of methods which support the detection of production abnormalities using only simple process representations or models and with minimal a priori anticipation of specific faults or defects(M36,M40). Several industrial studies and reports have also been completed in this area.

This work is based on the design of so-called cooperative control algorithms or mechanisms. Co-operative control is a set of strategies for the distributed generation and allocation of tasks. Such strategies require that local resources or production units are capable of making decisions about via interactive cooperation between local resources or production units(M22). The rationale for such an approach includes:

• Fast identification of disturbance incidence and impact
• Ability to exploit local process capability information in a timely manner
• Compatibility with localised decision making processes already in place (both human/automated)
• Ability to dynamically reschedule in robust manner given current conditions.

Issues also under investigation include the likely stability properties of production systems controlled in such a way(M21).

This research is investigating modular production systems as a means of achieving greater responsiveness to short term disturbances and reconfigurability in the face of longer term changes(M20). A benefits analysis for the use of modularity in manufacturing production systems has been carried out and assessment of the role of modularity in the design, construction and use of production equipment has been completed(M26). The principal focus of this work is now concentrating on the development of control system software architectures which both support co-operative control algorithms and will also provide for easy reconfiguration in the future(M7). A further project is investigating appropriate procedures for allowing manufacturing control to adapt to changing production requirements(M36).

Product Processes

Within small three-dimensional components using composite materials, layers of unidirectional fibres cannot match the desired stress trajectories efficiently. A new design approach which yields optimised three-dimensional fibre layouts at a detailed level, and a matching fibre placement method to manufacture the designed shapes, are now being tested on aircraft landing gear components, in collaboration with Messier Dowty Limited(M16).

Modelling algorithms and simulation software for peen forming, press forming and creep age forming of aircraft wing skins and stringers are being developed in conjunction with BAe Airbus, to allow optimisation and control of these processes.

Work on the inter-relation of manufacturing process and mechanical properties of wood composite materials has continued in collaboration with groups from France and the University of Bath. Studies have also been made on the effect of extreme pressures on the structure and mechanical properties of solid wood samples(M10).

Work has continued on characterising and modelling the cold-deformation of aluminium-based metal-matrix composites. The particular focus has been to investigate the local strain fields around the reinforcement particles or whiskers using transmission electron microscope microdiffraction techniques. Previous studies have highlighted discrepancies between modelled fields and experimental measurements, but recent models incorporating a strain-gradient factor have enabled a good fit to be obtained. The work is being carried out in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA and the Risø National Laboratory, Denmark(M3,M4).

Work has begun on characterising deformation structures in aluminium alloys at high strains. Although there is currently a great deal of research activity in developing highly deformed metal structures to act as the starting point for further processing, little is currently known about how the mechanical properties relate to the mechanical properties of the materials. The work is being carried out in collaboration with Risø National Laboratory, Denmark.

Decision Support Group

Artificial Intelligence and Decision Support

The theme uniting ongoing research is that of methods and technology for managing organisational knowledge resources and assisting decision-making. This has been interdisciplinary in nature, building upon the group's earlier activity in artificial intelligence, knowledge-based systems, CADCAM and business system modelling.

Achievements include: a method for unifying best knowledge-practices in cross-cultural partnerships; an ethnographically informed approach to designing workfloor decision-support systems(M15); artificial intelligence aided techniques for information system design(M57) and neural-network supported software for knowledge capture, sharing and mining(M56).

Two new research themes are emerging. The first is collaborative with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and is concerned with Knowledge Management and its application to the mitigation of Operational Risk. The second involves a collaboration with a South African group of companies that manufacture laser tools machining precious stones and concerns the description of aesthetic criteria using quantitative measures.

The `requirements' of a design have an enormous influence on the process and outcome of the design. Being able to identify these and rank the appropriateness of each is of vital importance for a successful design. Using a number of protocol studies of real design processes, the project aims to identify useful, as well as harmful mechanisms whereby requirements are rightly or wrongly identified and used in the design process, and to develop guidelines and means for supporting designers in this difficult yet crucial phase.

Having conceived a number of ideas, designers all too often do not adequately evaluate them before selecting one for further development. FUNCSION, a software package developed in the Engineering Design Centre, was developed to support designers by exposing them to a wide variety of ideas synthesised by the programme. However, while these ideas are useful, and often not conceived by the designers, there are far too many and they are too abstract in representation to be explored and evaluated easily by the designer. This project aims to rectify this problem(D14).

In molecular biology, one of the most tedious laboratory tasks is manual colony picking. This involves transferring tiny colonies (0.3mm in diameter) of yeasts, E-coli and phages from agar to small test tubes, in the form of microtitre plates. For example, in the Human Genome programme, a typical library would require 100,000 colony picks. In a joint programme between the Departments of Engineering and Pathology, an instrument consisting of a specially designed robotic arm and a leading edge vision system has been designed to accomplish this task. Laboratory tests are complete and many machines have been delivered by BioRobotics Limited to leading laboratories in the UK, USA, New Zealand, Japan and most European countries. A gridding and a filling robot are now available. This project aims to continue the development of appropriate instruments using the above technology, such as a microgridder for the life sciences.

A Support System to Increase the Independence of those with Reduced Arm Muscle Function due to Muscular Dystrophy or Motor Neurone Disease

A support system is being developed for field trials with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It is being designed for economic manufacture and a business plan is being developed. The aim of the project is to enable a small business to manufacture and sell these units.

A new concept for the design of heliostats for a solar furnace has been produced, which overcomes most of the existing problems. The aim of this project is to design a prototype, being built by the University Teknology, Malaysia, to test the feasibility of a large solar furnace for the production of hydrogen or the large scale melting of glass(M2,M6,M59).

A Concurrent Integrated CAD Method for Ship and Sailing Yacht Design

The aim of this programme is to develop a new approach to the ship design process which eliminates the long sequential nature of the present process. The programme will establish a concurrent computer-aided design procedure, instead of following the traditional Ship Design Spiral concept(M54,M55,M56).

General

This project seeks to explore some of the factors that contribute to an effective programme for postgraduate education and research in engineering and technology. Issues such as benefits that accrue to the individuals, institutions, and the nation are explored. Two models for postgraduate education which have stood the test of time, that of North America and the UK, are discussed in detail. The aim of the project is to reach recommendations for a successful postgraduate programme in a rapidly changing world(M14).

Understanding the different views of the nature and purpose of manufacturing industry held in different parts of the world, and during different periods in Britain's history, is an important aspect of manufacturing leadership(M42,M43,M44,M46).

Work has begun on the identification of appropriate methodologies for environmentally-conscious manufacturing. The project includes studies of issues concerned with specific materials and processes.

M1. Al-Najjar, M., Neely, A.D. Customer satisfaction drivers and the link to financial performance: case study. Performance Measurement - Theory and Practice: Papers, 1st International Conference on Performance Measurement, Cambridge (July 1998); Edited by A.D. Neely, D. Waggoner (Centre for Business Performance, Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge, 1998).

M2. Alloway, R., Bligh, T.P. The calculated energy collected by a novel solar concentrator design. Cambridge University Department of Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering Report, Solar Report 1 (1997).

M3. Barlow, C.Y., Lui, Y.L. Microstructure, strain fields and flow stress in deformed metal matrix composites. Acta Materialia, 46, (16), 5807-5817 (1998).

M4. Barlow, C.Y., Shu, J,Y. Local strain fields in metal matrix composites. Proceedings, 19th Risø International Symposium on Materials Science, Modelling of Structure and Mechanics of Materials from Microscale to Product, Roskide, Denmark; Edited by J.V. Carstensen and others, 207-212 (September 1998).

M5. Barnes, D., Platts, K.W. Researching manufacturing strategy and performance measurements using an academic network. Operations Management: Future Issues and Competitive Responses: Proceedings, 5th International Conference of the European Operations Management Association, Dublin, Ireland, 39-44 (June 1998).

M6. Bligh, T.P., Chen, Y.T. Improvements in and relating to heliostats and solar furnaces. United Kingdom Patent GB 9721019.9 (1998).

M7. Bongaerts, L., Monostori L., McFarlane, D.C., Kadar, B. Hierarchy in distributed shop-floor control. Proceedings, IMS-EUROPE 1998, 1st International Workshop on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Lausanne, Switzerland (April 1998).

M8. Bourne, M.C.S., Neely, A.D. Why do performance measurement initiatives succeed and fail? Performance Measurement - Theory and Practice: Papers, 1st International Conference on Performance Measurement, Cambridge (July 1998); Edited by A.D. Neely, D. Waggoner, 165-172 (Centre for Business Performance, Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge, 1998).

M8. Bourne, M.C.S., Wilcox, M., Neely, M., Mills, A.D., Platts, K.W. Embedding performance measurement systems in SMEs: lessons from three longitudinal case studies. Operations Management: Future Issues and Competitive Responses: Proceedings, 5th International Conference of the European Operations Management Association, Dublin, Ireland, 93-98 (June 1998).

M10. Bucur, V., Ansell, M.P., Barlow, C.Y., Pritchard, J., Garros, S., Deglise, X. Physical methods for characterising wood composite panel products. Holzforschung, 52, (5), 553-561 (1998).

M11. Frizelle, G. Complexity in the production process: to what extent is this a barrier to synchronous production? Proceedings, Synchronous Production in Fast Moving Consumer Goods, London (November 1997).

M12. Frizelle, G. Learning complexity in production processes. Proceedings, Managing and Optimising Production Capacity Conference, London (February 1998).

M13. Frizelle, G, McFarlane, D.C., Bongaerts, L. Disturbance measurement in manufacturing production systems. Proceedings, ASI 98, 1998 Advanced Summer Institute on Life Cycle Approaches to Production Systems: Management, Control, Supervision: 5th Annual Conference of ICIMS-NOE, Bremen, Germany (June 1998).

M14. Holburn, D.M., Bligh, T.P. Effective models for postgraduate education in engineering, science and technology. Proceedings, Southeast Asia Conference on Postgraduate Education, Johor Bahru, Malaysia (September 1998).

M15. Holden, T., Rosenberg, D. Information, technology and organisational change. Proceedings, Managing the Complex, Annual Colloquium on Complex Systems and the Management of Organizations, Toronto, Canada (April 1998).

M16. Jones, S.E., Platts, M.J. Practical matching of principal stress field geometries in composite components. Composites, Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 29A, (7), 821-828 (1998).

M17. Kennerley, M., Neely, A.D. Evaluating the impact of information systems on business performance. Operations Management: Future Issues and Competitive Responses: Proceedings, 5th International Conference of the European Operations Management Association, Dublin, Ireland (1998).

M18. Kennerley, M.P., Neely, A.D. Organisational learning through the evaluation of information system investments. Strategic Management of the Manufacturing Value Chain, Proceedings, International Working Conference of International Federation for Information Processing Working Group 5.7, Troon; Edited by U. Bititci, A.S. Carrie (August 1998).

M19. Matson, J., McFarlane, D.C. Tools for assessing the responsiveness of existing production operations . Proceedings, IEE Colloquium on Responsiveness in Manufacturing, London, 8/1-8/6. IEE Colloquium Digest 1998 No. 213 (February 1998).

M20. McFarlane, D.C. Modular distributed manufacturing systems and the implications for integrated control. Proceedings, IEE Colloquium on Choosing the Right Control Structure for Your Process, London, 5/1-5/6. IEE Colloquium Digest 1998 No. 280 (March 1998).

M21. McFarlane, D.C. Stability of co-operative control systems. IMS-WG, Working Group on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Workshop 4, Nancy, France (September 1998).

M22. McFarlane, D.C., Matson, J. Manufacturing goal decomposition as a means of structuring co-operative control systems. Proceedings, IMS-EUROPE 1998, 1st International Workshop on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Lausanne, Switzerland (April 1998).

M23. McFarlane, D.C., Studer, N. (Editors) Manufacturing responsiveness in the face of market change and uncertainty. Great Britain Department of Trade and Industry DTI - OSTEMs Report (1997).

M24. Mills, J.F., Bourne, M.C.S., Platts, K.W., Neely, A.D., Richards, A.H., Gregory, M.J. Developing a service competence: an analysis of underlying resources. Operations Management: Future Issues and Competitive Responses: Proceedings, 5th International Conference of the European Operations Management Association, Dublin, Ireland (June 1998).

M25. Mills, J.F., Neely, A.D., Platts, K.W., Richards, A.H., Gregory, M.J. The manufacturing strategy process: incorporating a learning persepctive. Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 9, (3), 145-155 (1998).

M26. Milner, J., McFarlane, D.C. Modularity in production systems - an approach to system design for a turbulent future. Great Britain Department of Trade and Industry DTI-OSTEM Report (1998).

M27. Neely, A.D. Performance measurement. In: Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Operations Management; Edited by N. Slack, 134-137 (Blackwell, Oxford, 1997).

M28. Neely, A.D. The performance measurement revolution: why now and where next. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 19, (2), 205-228 (1998).

M29. Neely, A.D. Three modes of measurement: theory and practice. International Journal of Business Performance Management, 1, (1), 47-64 (1998).

M30. Neely, A.D., Filippini, R., Forza, C.,Vinelli, A., Hii, J. The impact of innovation on business performance: the perceptions of managers and public policy makers in Italy and the UK. Operations Management: Future Issues and Competitive Responses: Proceedings, 5th International Conference of the European Operations Management Association, Dublin, Ireland (June 1998).

M31. Neely, A.D., Richards, A.H., Mills, J.F., Platts, K.W., Bourne, M.C.S Designing performance measures: a structured approach. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 17, (11), 1131-1153 (1997).

M32. Neely, A.D., Waggoner, D. (Editors) Performance Measurement: Theory and Practice: Papers, 1st International Conference on Performance Measurement, Cambridge (July 1998), 2 volumes. (Centre for Business Performance, Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge, 1998).

M33. Ooi, G., McFarlane, D.C. Non standard applications of SPC within the sugar industry. Proceedings, IEE International Conference on Control, Swansea. IEE Conference Publication 455 (September 1998).

M34. Paterson, C.J., Phaal, R., Probert, D.R., Gregory, M.J. Technology management process assessment: implementation factors. 7th Conference of the International Association for the Management of Technology, Orlando, FL, USA (February 1998).

M35. Paterson, C.J., Phaal, R., Probert, D.R., Gregory, M.J., Wright, J.R. Developing a tool for the relative valuation of R&D programmes. Challenges for the 21st Century: Networking East and West: Proceedings, 7th International Forum on Technology Management, Kyoto, Japan; Edited by R. Hirasawa (November 1997).

M36. Peng, Y., McFarlane, D.C., Matson, J. Modelling and design methodologies towards an adaptive manufacturing. Proceedings, IMS-EUROPE 1998, 1st International Workshop on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems, Lausanne, Switzerland (April 1998).

M37. Peterson, I.R., McFarlane, D.C., Rotea, M. Optimal quadratic guaranteed cost control for uncertain linear systems. International Journal of Robust and Non Linear Control, 8, (8), 649-657 (1998).

M38. Phaal, R., Paterson, C.J., Probert, D.R. Technology management in manufacturing business: process and practical assessment. Technovation, 18, (8/9), 541-553 (1998).

M39. Phaal, R., Paterson, C.J., Probert, D.R., Hughes, D.J. Linking technology to the market: a top-down appraisal within a multi-business organisation. Challenges for the 21st Century: Networking East and West: Proceedings, 7th International Forum on Technology Management, Kyoto, Japan; Edited by R. Hirasawa (November 1997).

M40. Platts, K.W., Mills, J.F., Bourne, M.C.S., Richards, A.H., Neely, A.D. The implementation of a facilitated manufacturing strategy process. Preprints, 10th International Working Seminar on Production Economics, Innsbruck, Austria, 3, 503-512 (February 1998).

M41. Platts, K.W., Mills, J.M., Neely, A.D., Gregory, M.J., Bourne, M.C.S., Richard, A.H. Testing manufacturing strategy formulation processes. International Journal of Production Economics, 56-57, 517-523 (1998).

M42. Platts, M.J. The Cambridge manufacturing leaders' programme. Dienstleistungen - Innovation für Wachstum und Beschäftigung, Bonn, Germany, 303-314 (August/September 1998).

M43. Platts, M.J. Creativity in technology design: in praise of Skunkworks. Advances in Industrial Engineering, Preprints, 9th Symposium on Information Control in Manufacturing, Nancy-Metz, France; Edited by G. Morel, F.B. Vernadat, 3, 177-182 (June 1998).

M44. Platts, M.J. Participating in the work of creation. European Journal of Engineering Education, 23, (2), 163-169 (1998).

M45. Platts, M.J. Redefining productivity. Challenges for the 21st Century: Networking East and West: Proceedings, 7th International Forum on Technology Management, Kyoto, Japan; Edited by R. Hirasawa, 390-393 (November 1997).

M46. Platts, M.J. The way of the craftsman. Challenges for the 21st Century: networking East and West: Proceedings, 7th International Forum on Technology Management, Kyoto, Japan; Edited by R. Hirasawa, 411-415 (November 1997).

M47. Probert, D. (contact name). Getting Value From Technology: a Guide to Technology Management (with the support of the DTI, IEE, EPSRC) (Centre for Technology Management, Institute of Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, June 1998).

M48. Sain Ley Berry, P., Neely, A.D. Building the single market - implementation and evaluation of a transnational IT system. Proceedings, Competing in the Information Society Conference, Genoa, Italy (June 1998).

M49. Shi, Y. Understanding the sustainable development mechanisms: from a perspective of transnational corporations' globalisation. Proceedings, 3rd Chinese National Young Scientist Conference, Beijing, PR China (August 1998).

M50. Shi, Y., Gregory, M.J. International manufacturing networks: a new manufacturing system. In: International Operations, EurOMA Workshop on International Operations, Birmingham; Edited by D. Bannett (March 1998).

M51. Shi, Y., Gregory, M.J. International manufacturing networks: new configurations, capabilities and strategic process. Proceedings, 4th International Conference on Manufacturing Technology, Hong Kong (December 1997).

M52. Shi., Y., Gregory, M.J. International manufacturing networks: new requirements and new capabilities. Operations Management: Future Issues and Competitive Responses, Proceedings, 5th International Conference of the European Operations Management Association, Dublin, Ireland, 415-420 (June 1998).

M53. Shi, Y., Gregory, M.J. International manufacturing networks - to develop global competitive capabilities. Journal of Operations Management, 16, 195-214 (1998).

M54. Tan, K.T., Bligh, T.P. A new approach to an integrated CAD method for sailing yacht designs. Proceedings, 4th International Conference on Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Singapore (October 1997), 2, 873-882 (Springer-Verlag, 1997).

M55. Tan, K.T., Bligh, T.P. A new approach to an integrated CAD method for sailing yacht designs. Proceedings, International Conference on the Modern Yacht, Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Portsmouth (March 1998).

M56. Tan, K.T., Bligh, T.P. A new approach to an integrated CAD method for surface ship design. Naval Engineers Journal, 110, (1), 35-48 (January 1998).

M57. Wallis, C., Holden, T. A fast object-oriented Kohonen self-organising feature map for time- and safety-critical applications. Proceedings, Workshop on Neural Networks, HELNET 1997, Montreux, Switzerland (October 1997).

M58. Wang, B., Holden, T. The design of a hybrid authoring tool for modelling complex business applications. Expert Systems with Applications, 13, (3), 231-247 (October 1997).

M59. Wood, S., Bligh, T.P. A system design for a combined solar power and desalination plant. Cambridge University Engineering Department, Manufacturing Engineering Report, Solar Report 2 (1998).

M60. Zhai, P., Gregory, M.J., Shi, Y., Minshall, T. Developing a pre-alliance analytical process. Proceedings, 4th International Conference on Manufacturing Technology, Hong Kong (December 1997).

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Last modified: October 1999