Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Technology Readiness Level (TRL)'

To remain competitive and create a sustainable business, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) need to develop both incremental and radical innovation. What many companies struggle with is to evaluate the potential of innovation initiatives. The development of products and innovations has over the years changed from a traditional technocentric view into a more human-centered view with the user’s desirability in focus. Also, the increased global competition and interest in business model innovation are forcing companies to verify the viability of the offering to their customers. While Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is an established tool for evaluating the technology, there are no holistic methods which also evaluates the readiness of the users and business.  The purpose of this thesis was to review available theory and methods used for evaluating the potential and readiness of innovation initiatives and to develop a holistic methodology to link the business, user, and technology related innovation activities. The innovation readiness is a combination of business, user, and technology readiness. The study started with a literature study where existing methods were presented from the three aspects; business, user, and technology. Since many critical decisions are made in the front-end of the innovation, the focus in the study has been to identify methods in the early stages of the process. This thesis was performed in collaboration with Company X, a global equipment manufacturer which also was the main object in this study. The findings from a case study performed at Company X were verified by comparing the identified methods and processes used at five external companies. Data was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews both at Company X and the external companies and finding were compared in a cross-case analysis. In general, the methods used at the OEMs are quite similar, and all manage to balance the three aspects; business, user, and technology.  Based on the findings from the study of the companies and the literature review, a methodology framework is suggested which presents existing evaluating methods from the three aspects business, user, and technology.
För att förbli konkurrenskraftiga och för att skapa en hållbar affärsmodell behöver OEM:s utveckla både inkrementell och radikal innovation. Vad många företag arbetar hårt med är att utvärdera potentialen i innovationsinitiativ. Utvecklingen av produkter och innovationer har genom åren förändrats från en traditionell utveckling med tekniken i centrum till en mer användare-centrerad vy med fokus på användarens intresse av produkten. Dessutom har den ökade globala konkurrensen och intresset för affärsmodellinnovation har ökat intresset hos företagen att verifiera lönsamheten i deras erbjudanden till sina kunder. Medan TRL är ett etablerat verktyg för utvärdering av teknik finns det inga holistiska metoder som även utvärderar användarnas och företagets mognadsgrad och beredskapsnivå. Syftet med detta var att se över tillgänglig teori och metoder för att utvärdera potentialen och mognadsgraden av innovationsinitiativ och att utveckla en holistisk metod för att länka innovations aktiviteter relaterade till affär, användare och teknik. Mognadsgraden av innovation består av en kombination av affärens, användarens och teknikens mognadsgrad. Studien inleddes med en litteraturstudie där befintliga metoder presenterades från de tre aspekterna affär, användare och teknik. Fokus i studien har varit att identifiera metoder i de tidiga stadierna av processen då många kritiska beslut tas i början av innovationsprocessen. Detta examensarbete utfördes i samarbete med Företag X som är en global utrustningstillverkare och som även var huvudobjektet i denna studie. En fallstudie utfördes på Företag X och resultaten från studien verifierades genom att jämföra det med de identifierade metoder och processer som används på fem externa företag. Data samlades in genom att genomföra halvstrukturerade intervjuer både hos Företag X och de externa företagen och resultatet jämfördes i en tvärgående analys. Generellt sätt är metoderna som används hos OEM-tillverkarna ganska lika och alla lyckas balansera de tre aspekterna affär, användare och teknik. Baserat på resultaten från studien av företagen och litteraturundersökningen föreslås en metod som presenterar befintliga utvärderingsmetoder från de tre aspekterna affärer, användare och teknik.

When developing new products, it is important to be able to evaluate their readiness as this helps organizations manage three major challenges of product development, performance, schedule, and budget. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered this in 1990 and developed a nine-level framework to measure the progression of technology development, Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).  The framework has since then been adopted by many different industries, among them OEMs. However, there are more aspects of the innovation process than just technology. Research topics such as user centered design and business model innovation has lately gained much attention, indicating that user and business aspects of the innovation are important. Therefore, the purpose of his thesis was to propose a framework to evaluate the readiness of business, user and technology aspects. To do so, a case study was performed at the Swedish OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Husqvarna Group, a global producer of equipment for garden and park care, as well as for the construction industry. A literature study was performed to create an understanding of the current knowledge on the topic. Semi structured interviews were used to investigate how innovation is performed at the researched company. The result from these interviews was contrasted with the results from interviews at four other Swedish OEMs, to increase external validity. Lastly the findings were validated through focus group interviews at Husqvarna Group. The case study resulted in the identification of important steps when developing viable, desirable, and feasible products. From these, the nine most important for business and user was identified and frameworks for business and user readiness respectively were developed, along with attainment criteria for each level. The findings showed that the TRL framework still holds relevance, however the attainment criteria were adjusted to better suit OEMs. Together these three frameworks create the Innovation Readiness Level (IRL) framework.
Vid utveckling av nya produkter finns det tre stora utmaningar i produktutvecklingen; prestanda, tid och budget, därför är det viktigt att ständig stötta processen genom att utvärdera projektets mognadsgrad. År 1990 utvecklade NASA en niogradig skala som kan tillämpas som ett ramverk för att mäta mognadsgraden av en teknikutveckling, Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), detta har sedan dess införts av många industriföretag. När det kommer till innovation finns det dock fler aspekter än enbart teknik att ta hänsyn till. Forskning inom användarfokuserad design och affärsmodellsinnovation har fått ökad uppmärksamhet den senaste tiden, vilket indikerar att användare och affär är viktiga aspekter inom innovation. Syftet med denna studie är att föreslå ett ramverk för att utvärdera mognadsgraden utifrån ett affärs-, användar- och teknikperspektiv. För att genomföra detta gjordes en fallstudie på det svenska industriföretaget Husqvarna Group, en global tillverkare av skogs-, park- och trädgårdsprodukter samt utrustning för konstruktionsindustrin. För att skapa en förståelse av den befintliga kunskapen inom ämnet gjordes en bred litteraturstudie. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomfördes för att undersöka hur innovation hanteras inom Husqvarna Group. Resultatet från det undersökta företaget ställdes i kontrast med intervjuresultat från fyra andra svenska industriföretag för att skapa ett mer generaliserbart resultat. Till sist testades resultatet genom validering med fokusgruppsintervjuer på Husqvarna Group.  Fallstudien resulterade i identifiering av betydelsefulla steg vid utveckling av en ny produkt som ordnades kronologiskt. Vid varje nivå i skalan föreslogs en rad kriterier från ett affärs- respektive användarperspektiv som ett produktutvecklingsprojekt bör uppnå för att öka chansen att bli väl mottagen när den når marknaden. Resultatet visade även att TRL-ramverket fortfarande är aktuellt och relevant, men uppnåendekriterier anpassades för ett industriföretag. Tillsammans skapar dessa tre faktorer det föreslagna ramverket Innovation Readiness Levels (IRL).

The aim of this thesis is to create a tool which quantifies qualitative measures into an indicator system. The system is created on behalf of a company which is associated with investments in new technologies on the energy market. The indicator system is to take into consideration important factors in the first part of an investment cycle, in other words, the screening phase. Qualitative measures will, in each indicator, become quantified and will together create a weighted grade on a potential investment that can help the investor decide whether or not to move forward with said investment. The aim of the thesis is also to evaluate the indicator system on current possible investment options in order to analyse and discuss how the final product will work in the investor company ́s actual context. The method consists of two main parts, a gap analysis which is conducted within the investor company and its owners and a compilation of which indicators that are of greatest importance in a screening phase according to earlier research. The main result of the study is the full indicator system which consist of four indicators: technology readiness of the potential investment, contextual analysis of the potential investment, diversity within the company and the financial burn rate of the company. When applied to current potential investments the result showed that there was negligible to moderate correlation between the indicators, which was important for the system to be validated. It was also concluded that a potential investment should exceed 60 percent of the possible maximum grade in order to pass through the screening phase. The results also showed that there were four apparent gaps, namely consensus between the involved actors, utilization rate of the organizations competencies, to enter new markets and the right competency to do so. The future potential investments of the investor company should therefore aim to fill in these gaps in order to strengthen the role of the company. If doing so while using the indicator system, the risks of choosing investment options that does not fit into the investor company ́s context, will be minimized.

Producing the strongest bio-based material called nanocellulose, in the form of filaments, has shown to be technically feasible at lab-scale, but the production costs remain unknown. The research has focused on technical feasibility and less on costs, which is a common phenomenon when developing new technologies. Constructing a Process-Based Cost Model (PBCM) can link the technical aspects of a technology to its costs of production. However, the accuracy of such a model might be dependent on the data availability of the technology. In this study, the technology of producing nanocellulose filaments has been evaluated along the scale of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to understand the maturity of the technology and a PBCM has been constructed to show the economic prerequisites for the production of nanocellulose filaments. The main results indicate that at TRL 4, with parts of TRL 5 fulfilled, parameters such as Capital Expenditures cannot be allocated to unit production cost, only Operational Expenditures. Therefore, the relevant cost elements become material and energy as these constitute the currently available data. The PBCM can thus be used to estimate the production costs of different scenarios while highlighting the areas of future research. In the empirical context of nanocellulose filament production, utilizing deionized water in the production is a more promising option compared to utilizing solvents as the cost of recovering the solvent becomes high. Furthermore, using deionized water also becomes more promising due to the fact that other scenarios have not yet been evaluated experimentally. However, as the technology matures and more data becomes available, the model accuracy will increase as more parameters can be included in the model and the basis increases for decisionmaking regarding techno-economic concerns of the technology.
Produktionen av världens starkaste biobaserade material, nanocellulosa i filamentform, har visat sig vara tekniskt möjligt på labbskala, men produktionskostnaderna är idag okända. Forskning som fokuserar mer på den tekniska genomförbarheten och mindre på produktionskostnader är ett vanligt förekommande fenomen i utveckling av ny teknologi. Genom att konstruera en processbaserad kostnadsmodell (PBCM) kan en teknologis tekniska aspekt länkas till dess produktionskostnader. Dock påverkas en sådan modells noggrannhet av datatillgängligheten för teknologin. I denna studie har teknologin för produktionen av nanocellulosa filament utvärderats längs med Technology Readiness Level (TRL) skalan för att förstå teknologins mognadsgrad. Därefter har en PBCM konstruerats för att visa de ekonomiska förutsättningarna för en produktion av nanocellulosafilamenten på industriell skala. Huvudresultaten indikerar att på TRL 4, med delar av TRL 5 uppfyllda, kan somliga parametrar såsom investeringskostnader inte allokeras till enhetsproduktionskostnaden, utan bara löpande kostnader. De relevanta kostnadselementen blir därför material och energi då dessa utgör den aktuellt tillgängliga datan. PBCM kan därför användas för att beräkna produktionskostnader av olika scenarion och lyfta fram områden för framtida forskning. I den empiriska kontexten av produktionen av nanocellulosafilament är användningen av avjoniserat vatten ett mer lovande alternativ jämfört med användningen av lösningsmedel då kostnaden för återvinningen av lösningsmedlet blir högt. Dessutom är användningen av avjoniserat vatten mer lovande eftersom övriga scenarion inte har testats experimentellt än. Allteftersom teknologin mognar och mer data blir tillgänglig, så kommer modellens noggrannhet öka då fler parametrar kan inkluderas i modellen och därmed kan underlaget öka för beslutsfattning gällande teknoekonomiska frågor om teknologin.

Ces travaux de thèse visent à aborder la fiabilité des composants RF-MEMS (commutateurs en particulier) pendant la phase de conception en utilisant différents approches de procédés de fabrication. Ça veut dire que l'intérêt est focalisé en comment éliminer ou diminuer pendant la conception les effets des mécanismes de défaillance plus importants au lieu d'étudier la physique des mécanismes. La détection des différents mécanismes de défaillance est analysée en utilisant les performances RF du dispositif et le développement d'un circuit équivalent. Cette nouvelle approche permet à l'utilisateur final savoir comment les performances vont évoluer pendant le cycle de vie. La classification des procédés de fabrication a été faite en utilisant le Technology Readiness Level du procédé qui évalue le niveau de maturité de la technologie. L'analyse de différentes approches de R&D est décrite en mettant l'accent sur les différences entre les niveaux dans la classification TRL. Cette thèse montre quelle est la stratégie optimale pour aborder la fiabilité en démarrant avec un procédé très flexible (LAAS-CNRS comme exemple de baisse TRL), en continuant avec une approche composant (CEA-Leti comme moyenne TRL) et en finissant avec un procédé standard co-intégré CMOS-MEMS (IHP comme haute TRL) dont les modifications sont impossibles
This thesis is intended to deal with reliability of RF-MEMS devices (switches, in particular) from a designer point of view using different fabrication process approaches. This means that the focus will be on how to eliminate or alleviate at the design stage the effects of the most relevant failure mechanisms in each case rather than studying the underlying physics of failure. The detection of the different failure mechanisms are investigated using the RF performance of the device and the developed equivalent circuits. This novel approach allows the end-user to infer the evolution of the device performance versus time going one step further in the Design for Reliability in RF-MEMS. The division of the fabrication process has been done using the Technology Readiness Level of the process. It assesses the maturity of the technology prior to incorporating it into a system or subsystem. An analysis of the different R&D approaches will be presented by highlighting the differences between the different levels in the TRL classification. This thesis pretend to show how reliability can be improved regarding the approach of the fabrication process starting from a very flexible one (LAAS-CNRS as example of low-TRL) passing through a component approach (CEA-Leti as example of medium-TRL) and finishing with a standard co-integrated CMOS-MEMS process (IHP example of high TRL)

Sustainable transportation solutions are the goal for the future. With the technological shit happening in the transportation market towards electric vehicles, the electric road system (ERS) is a necessary technology required to reach the sustainability goals for the future. While many studies show the role of innovation in a socio-technical landscape, many neglect the diffusion process of the innovation which occurs to create a socio-technical change. The nature of this thesis is an exploratory case study with a qualitative approach. To address the study, a literature review for the diffusion of innovation, its characteristics, multi-level perspective, and technology readiness level (TRL) was presented in order to provide a better understanding and build a foundation for the research. A review of scientific articles regarding the electric road system was performed to provide insights and obtain information on the technology. The data from scientific articles were complemented by interviews from experts regarding electric road systems to obtain an understanding of technology if it was to be implemented in the future in Sweden. The empirics collected were analyzed using the literature framework and conclusions were drawn. Analyzing the data was required to find the factors hindering the technology and if there is a window of opportunity for the technology to exist in the Swedish market. Environmental sustainability has been the driving factor, but the rate of diffusion for the technology will depend on the complexity and the maturity of the technology to function as a whole working system. The study contributes to evaluating the implementation of an inductive electric road system in the Swedish context and if it could be a viable solution in the transportation market. The perspectives of the technology in the Swedish market and the motivation for the solution are discussed. An analytical contribution by evaluating if the technology could exist in the future and insights on the diffusion of the technology into the existing landscape.

Thesis (M.S. in Human Systems Integration)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2010.
Thesis Advisor(s): O'Connor, Paul E. ; Acosta, Hector M. ; Second Reader: McCauley, Michael E. "June 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on July 16, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Human systems Iitegration, human readiness level, technology readiness level, human view, Defense Acquisition. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-62). Also available in print.

Abstract The transportation sector has a vital role in today’s society and accounts for 20 % of our global total energy consumption. It is also one of the most greenhouse gas emission intensive sectors as almost 95 % of its energy originates from petroleum-based fuels. Due to the possible harmful nature of greenhouse gases, there is a need for a transition to more sustainable transportation alternatives. A possible alternative to the conventional petroleum-based road transportation is, implementation of Electric Road Systems (ERS) in combination with electric vehicles (Evs). There are currently three proven ERS technologies, namely, conductive power transfer through overhead lines, conductive power transfer from rails in the road and inductive power transfer through the road. The wireless charging or inductive charging electric vehicles (EV) are a type of EVs with a battery which is charged from a charging infrastructure and using the wireless power transfer technology. The wireless charging EVs are classified as stationary or dynamic charging EVs. The stationary charging EVs charge wirelessly when they are parked as well as dynamic charging EVs can charge while they are in motion. Number of studies have reported that, one of the main benefits of dynamic charging is, it allows smaller as well as lighter batteries to be used due to the frequent charging using in the charging infrastructure embedded under roads. The purpose of this thesis is to understand the recent developments of technologies in wireless charging system globally and find out the best effective method which can use for fuelling all Electric vehicles. The findings show that not all countries are viable for ERS from an economic standpoint, however, a large number of countries in the world do have good prospects for ERS implementation. Findings further indicated that small and developed countries are best suited for ERS implementation. From a technological and Business perspective, the wireless charging system in road was found to be the most attractive ERS technology followed by overhead conductive road ERS technologies.

Transportations role in society is increasingly important and today it has a prominent role in business, citizens lives as well as in the world economy. The increasing globalization and urbanization puts significant pressure on the existing transport system, with increasing demand for high-speed travel. However, this comes with implications on the environment, and the environmental concerns constitutes one of the biggest pressures in transport. And as the contemporary modes are bound by their technologies, enabling marginal rather than radical improvements, a possible window of opportunity for new radical technologies to enter the market can emerge. One new technology emerging within transportation today is called hyperloop, a technology that could prove to meet demand for faster, cheaper, safer and more environmentally efficient transportation. However, the technology is still in an early stage of development and hence surrounded by major uncertainties. Further, the nature of the technology necessitates overcoming several obstacles before it can reach commercial practice. And this together with a limited knowledge of the concept in Sweden makes it difficult to predict if hyperloop can become a viable transport alternative on the Swedish market. Which condensed lays the foundation to the purpose of this paper: "To give an overarching understanding of the Swedish transport market dynamics, together with a comprehensive evaluation of the hyperloop concept. And hence contribute to more inclusive knowledge and understanding of hyperloop’s viability in the Swedish context." Since the phenomenon has not been comprehensively studied previously, the elected research design is that of an exploratory case study, with an inductive, qualitative approach. To address the purpose, a literary review of the theoretical field was conducted. Looking in to previous research on disruptive innovation, diffusion of innovations, technical transitions, transformational pressure as well as window of opportunity. The empirical material gathered during the research process was derived from two main channels. Firstly, an extensive review of scientific articles about the hyperloop technology was conducted, providing insights on the technology and its surroundings. This was complemented by qualitative interviews to obtain material on the dynamics of the Swedish transport market as well as for understanding hyperloop in the Swedish context. The empirical study was further accompanied by a review of news articles and websites to map the most recent progress in the hyperloop development. By analyzing the empirical material through three frameworks; Characteristics of Diffusion, the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and Technology Readiness Level (TRL), interesting findings and conclusions were drawn. These together points towards that hyperloop, if the technology reaches its predicted performance, will have significant relative advantages and observable effects in the relation to the contemporary modes of transportation. Further, a noticeable window of opportunity, sprung from capacity shortages and pressure towards environmental sustainability, seems to exist on the Swedish market. A window which could be capitalized upon and justify hyperloop in the Swedish context. The current state of the technology does however come with implications as it so far is insufficient to decrease uncertainty amongst the potential adopters. Factors that likely will prolong the adoption of the technology in Sweden relates to the relative complexity of the system, its limited compatibility with existing practices and the low maturity of the technology. Hence, the hyperloop companies must prove the concept feasible and increase the maturity to gain sufficient acceptance and recognition. This paper contributes to the academic community by assessing the compatibility of hyperloop on the Swedish market, as well as if hyperloop could become a viable alternative transport solution in Sweden. It provides insight to specific perspectives of the Swedish market, its requirements and the demand for alternative transport solutions. Hence, this paper is considered to make both an analytical contribution in terms of evaluating the viability of disruptive technologies. And an empirical contribution by shedding light on new important insights for the potential diffusion of hyperloop. Insights that are significant for hyperloop actors as well as for dominant actors on the Swedish transport market.
Transporters roll i samhället blir allt viktigare och de har idag en framträdande roll inom näringsliv, medborgares liv samt världsekonomin. Den ökande globaliseringen och urbaniseringen sätter dock ett betydande tryck på det existerande transportsystemet, med ökande efterfrågan för höghastighetsalternativ. Detta medför implikationer för miljön, och oron kring transporters miljöpåverkan är ett av de största bekymren för transportsektorn. Eftersom de existerande transportalternativen är bundna av sin teknik, vilket begränsar dem till inkrementella snarare än radikala förbättringar, kan en möjlighet för nya transportsätt att komma in på marknaden öppna sig. En kommande ny teknik som utvecklas inom transport idag kallas hyperloop, en teknik som kan visa sig möta efterfrågan för snabbare, billigare, säkrare och mer miljösmarta transporter. Tekniken är dock i ett tidigt utvecklingsskede och är därav omgärdad av stora osäkerheter. Vidare kräver teknikens natur att flertalet hinder kommer att behöva överkommas innan tekniken kan nå kommersiellt bruk. Detta tillsammans med den begränsade kunskap som finns kring konceptet i Sverige gör det svårt att förutspå om hyperloop kan bli ett möjligt transportalternativ på den svenska marknaden. Kondenserat ligger detta till grund för syftet med den här uppsatsen: "Att ge en övergripande förståelse av dynamiken på den svenska transportmarknaden, tillsammans med en djupgående utvärdering av hyperloop konceptet. Och därav bidra till en mer inkluderande kunskap och förståelse kring hyperloops möjligheter i den svenska kontexten." Eftersom detta fenomen inte tidigare har studerats i större utsträckning valdes en forskningsdesign i form av en undersökande fallstudie med ett induktivt, kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. För att adressera syftet gjordes en litterär översyn av det teoretiska fältet. Med inblickar i tidigare forskning kring disruptiv teknik, diffusion av innovation, tekniska övergångar, transformationstryck samt möjlighetsfönster. Det empiriska materialet till studien samlades in genom två kanaler i huvudsak. Först, genom en djupdykning i tidigare forskning och vetenskapliga artiklar relaterade till hyperlooptekniken, för att generera insikter kring tekniken och dess omgivning. Detta kompletteras med kvalitativa intervjuer för att erhålla material om dynamiken på den svenska transportmarknaden samt för att ge en förståelse av hyperloop i den svenska kontexten. Den empiriska studien kompletterades ytterligare med en översyn av nyhetsartiklar och webbplatser för att kartlägga de senaste framstegen i hyperlooputvecklingen. Genom att analysera det empiriska materialet med hjälp av tre ramverk; Egenskaper för Spridning av Innovation, Perspektiv i Multipla Nivåer (MLP) och Teknisk Mogenhetsnivå (TRL), kunde flertalet intressanta upptäckter och slutsatser dras. Vilka tillsammans pekar mot att hyperloop, om tekniken lyckas uppnå den predikterade prestandan, kommer att ha betydande relativa fördelar och synliga effekter i förhållande till dagens transportsätt. Vidare kan ett märkbart möjlighetsfönster, sprunget ur kapacitetsbrist och tryck mot miljömässig hållbarhet, identifieras på den svenska marknaden. Detta fönster skulle kunna kapitaliseras på och motivera hyperloop i den svenska kontexten. Teknologins nuvarande tillstånd har emellertid konsekvenser, eftersom den hittills inte är tillräcklig för att minska osäkerheten hos potentiella adopterare. Faktorer som sannolikt kommer att förlänga processen att adoptera tekniken i Sverige härstammar från systemets relativa komplexitet, dess begränsade kompatibilitet med befintliga metoder samt teknikens låga mogenhet. Därav är det essentiellt för hyperloopbolagen att bevisa konceptet möjligt och öka mogenheten för att få tillräcklig acceptans och erkännande. Detta arbete bidrar till det akademiska samhället genom att bedöma kompatibiliteten mellan hyperloop och den svenska marknaden, samt om hyperloop kan bli ett genomförbart transportalternativ i Sverige. Arbetet bidrar med insikter i specifika perspektiv på den svenska marknaden, dess krav samt efterfrågan för alternativa transportlösningar. Därav kan denna uppsats anses utgöra både ett analytiskt bidrag genom dess utvärdering av genomförbarheten av disruptiv teknik. Samt ett empiriskt bidrag genom att belysa viktiga insikter för den potentiella spridningen av hyperloop. Insikter som är viktiga för såväl hyperloopaktörer som de dominanta aktörerna på den svenska transportmarknaden.

Development of new Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) for the aerospace industry is critical to enhance the manufacture and assembly of aerospace products. These novel AMTs require high development cost, specialist resource capabilities, have long development periods, high technological risks and lengthy payback durations. This forms an industry reluctance to fund the initial AMT development stages, impacting on their success within an ever increasingly competitive environment. Selection of suitable AMTs for development is typically performed by managers who make little reference to estimating the non-recurring development effort in resources and hardware cost. In addition, the performance at the conceptual stage is predicted using expert opinion, consisting of subjective and inaccurate outputs. AMTs selected are then submerged into development research and heavily invested in, with incorrect selections having a detrimental impact on the business. A detailed study of the UK aerospace manufacturing industry corroborated these findings and revealed a requirement for a new process map to resolve the problem of managing AMT developments at the conceptual stages. This process map defined the final research protocol, forming the requirement for a Cost-Benefit Forecasting Framework. The framework improves the decision making process to select the most suitable AMTs for development, from concept to full scale demonstration. Cost is the first element and is capable of estimating the AMT development effort in person-hours and cost of hardware using two parametric cost models. Benefit is the second element and forecasts the AMT tangible and intangible performance. The framework plots these quantified cost-benefit parameters and is capable of presenting development value advice for a diverse range of AMTs with varied applications. A detailed case study is presented evaluating a total of 23 novel aerospace AMTs verifying the capability and high accuracy of the framework within a large aerospace manufacturing organisation. Further validation is provided by quantifying the responses from 10 AMT development experts, after utilising the methodology within an industrial setting. The results show that quantifying the cost-benefit parameters provides manufacturing research and technology with the ability to select AMTs that provide the best value to a business.

The objective of this study is to understand how the integration of digital technology (DT) in the Bangladesh Film industry has been responded to by its production, distribution and exhibition related organisations. Since no research on digital integration has been considered in a developing country context, and specifically within the area of concentrating on the industry rather than the films themselves, this research therefore addresses the gaps within the knowledge field. The Bangladesh Film Industry (BFI) used to be a centre for film production, distribution and exhibition, but this traditional industry has been in decline for decades. In response to the decline, the government started an integration process of DT in 2003, yet eight years after the launch only a fraction of the project has been completed. Apart from its partial adoption in the film production sector, distribution and exhibition have appeared to resist the adoption of new technology. This thesis therefore sets out to explore the causes of partial integration of DT in the film industry in Bangladesh through a study of the workforce, business owners, practitioners, scholars, government officials and executives functioning in and outside the industry. With the mixed method approach and emphasis on qualitative engagement (two case studies and 38 interviews), this thesis explores current attitudes and beliefs and identifies potential barriers to effective integration. In particular this dissertation examines five areas: technology integration, training for workforce development, production, distribution and exhibition capabilities, and argues that the political factor was the most important driver in integrating DT, while knowledge integration, training, and development of digital production, distribution and exhibition compatibility at individual and organisational levels were ignored. Moreover, the greatest concern of losing a job or business within the industry community due to inadequate knowledge, skills and finance is impeding the possibility of full completion of the integration process within the industry. Overall, two important contributions of this research include 1) an exploration of factors that impeded progress of the film industry in responding to the DT and 2) a formulation of some suitable recommendations to overcome the challenges in order to completely realise the integration of DT within the Bangladesh Film Industry. However, further research is recommended to investigate whether completion of the integration process will save the industry from decline or not.

Circular economy is considered one of the most viable approaches to sustainability and it has gained a lot of traction in recent years. It challenges the linear approach to production and consumption that generates waste and is unsustainable for the planet and future generations. It is crucial to counteract the negative impacts of production on the environment by implementing new and effective business strategies that are compatible with circular economy. Nowadays, manufacturing industries are struggling to make the transition towards circularity because of the intrinsic complexity of adapting new business models, product development, production processes and supply chain management to a non-linear approach. The literature on the transition towards circular economy extensively covers the aspects connected to either one of the above-mentioned domain-specific areas, developing different tools such as roadmaps and frameworks to support companies in the transition for a specific area. Yet, there is a lack of a systematic tool that can give support in each stage of the process based on the different business areas that need to be adapted to circularity. The purpose of this study is to explore the existing state-of-the-art knowledge with a systematic and holistic approach to factors that are connected to circular economy, so to create a practical tool for facilitating the process of transitioning towards circularity in a step- by-step manner, in connection to activities and strategies that can be implemented in different business domains. An explorative case study in a manufacturing company in the construction equipment industry was carried out, with a twofold purpose: firstly, to gather, analyse and frame the existing state-of-the-art knowledge on the implementation of circular economy. Secondly, to explore the suggested multi readiness level model with the case study company in order to validate it. In order to do so, a set of ten semi-structured interviews with senior managers and experts in the field was carried out to gather valuable insights and practical knowledge. The outcome of this study is a multi-readiness level model for transitioning towards circular economy that explores the most important strategies and activities that should be implemented by a manufacturing company in four different areas of intervention, namely Ecosystem of External Partners, Customer and Business model, Company’s Culture and Internal Capabilities and Design and Product Development. Each area of intervention will be presented in connection to identified strategies and activities that must be implemented to reach circularity.

Management of water resources are the cornerstones of environmental protection. There willbe an increase in demand for water in the coming years and it is our responsibility to reserveour resources whether it is salt or fresh water. While analysing the paths of water being utilized,major amount is getting wasted through toilet flush. An average amount of water used in asingle toilet flush is about 9 litres and an individual will be using the toilet on an average of 5times a day which will be huge gallons of water in a minute around the world. In order to savethe ecosystem and to become sustainable waterless toilet systems are the optimum solution. Inthis thesis, waterless toilet technologies marketed by different manufacturers are deeplyanalysed and scaled the maturity level of technologies using the technology readiness level. Atechnology-market portfolio is created which helps to provide the current status of the waterlesstoilet technology systems in the international market. The pandemic created due to the coronavirus have led this paper to identify the opportunities that waterless toilets can have in the futurewith the help of innovations like smart toilet and artificial intelligence.

The U.S Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration continue to face common challenges in the development and acquisition of their space systems. In particular, space programs repeatedly experience significant schedule slippages, and spacecraft are often delivered on-orbit several months, sometimes years, after the initially planned delivery date. The repeated pattern of these schedule slippages suggests deep-seated flaws in managing spacecraft delivery and schedule risk, and an inadequate understanding of the drivers of schedule slippages. Furthermore, due to their long development time and physical inaccessibility after launch, space systems are exposed to a particular and acute risk of obsolescence, resulting in loss of value or competitive advantage over time. The perception of this particular risk has driven some government agencies to promote design choices that may ultimately be contributing to these schedule slippages, and jeopardizing what is increasingly recognized as critical, namely space responsiveness. The overall research objective of this work is twofold: (1) to identify and develop a thorough understanding of the fundamental causes of the risk of schedule slippage and obsolescence of space systems; and in so doing, (2) to guide spacecraft design choices that would result in better control of spacecraft delivery schedule and mitigate the impact of these "temporal risks" (schedule and obsolescence risks). To lay the groundwork for this thesis, first, the levers of responsiveness, or means to influence schedule slippage and impact space responsiveness are identified and analyzed, including design, organizational, and launch levers. Second, a multidisciplinary review of obsolescence is conducted, and main drivers of system obsolescence are identified. This thesis then adapts the concept of a technology portfolio from the macro- or company level to the micro-level of a single complex engineering system, and it analyzes a space system as a portfolio of technologies and instruments, each technology with its distinct stochastic maturation path and exposure to obsolescence. The selection of the spacecraft portfolio is captured by parameters such as the number of instruments, the initial technology maturity of each technology/instrument, the resulting heterogeneity of the technology maturity of the whole system, and the spacecraft design lifetime. Building on the abstraction of a spacecraft as a portfolio of technologies, this thesis then develops a stochastic framework that provides a powerful capability to simultaneously explore the impact of design decisions on spacecraft schedule, on-orbit obsolescence, and cumulative utility delivered by the spacecraft. Specifically, this thesis shows how the choice of the portfolio size and the instruments Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) impact the Mean-Time-To-Delivery (MTTD) of the spacecraft and mitigate (or exacerbate) schedule risk. This work also demonstrates that specific combinations/choices of the spacecraft design lifetime and the TRLs can reduce the risk of on-orbit obsolescence. This thesis then advocates for a paradigm shift towards a calendar-based design mindset, in which the delivery time of the spacecraft is accounted for, as opposed to the traditional clock-based design mindset. The calendar-based paradigm is shown to lead to different design choices, which are more likely to prevent schedule slippage and/or enhance responsiveness and ultimately result in a larger cumulative utility delivered. Finally, missions scenarios are presented to illustrate how the framework and analyses here proposed can help identify system design choices that satisfy various mission objectives and constraints (temporal as well as utility-based).

Förbränning av fossila bränslen är den största orsaken till ökade växthusgasutsläpp i atmosfären som i sin tur ligger till grund för klimatförändringarna. Europeiska Unionen uttrycker klimatförändringarna som ett existentiellt hot och har som mål att Europa ska bli en klimatneutral kontinent till år 2050. Arbetsmaskiner, som vanligtvis drivs på diesel, är ett energikrävande fordonsslag vid användning som år 2016 stod för 6 % av Sveriges totala växthusgasutsläpp. Vätgas kan vara ett alternativt drivmedel till diesel eller andra fossila drivmedel för att minska de utsläpp som arbetsmaskiner ger upphov till. Syftet med studien är att uppmärksamma arbetsmaskiners roll i en omställning till vätgasdrift samt sprida kunskap om vad en omställning skulle innebära för dagens användare av arbetsmaskiner. Detta görs genom att belysa möjlig etablering i nutid av fem utvalda vätgasdrivna arbetsmaskiner samt gestalta dem i ett framtida vätgassamhälle. De arbetsmaskiner som inkluderas i studien är hjullastare, pistmaskin, sopmaskin, traktor och motviktstruck. Metoden består av en förenklad litteraturöversyn i kombination med personlig kommunikation samt en anpassning av verktyget Technology Readiness Level (TRL) i syfte att bedöma den tekniska mognaden. Resultatet visar att det i dagsläget finns etableringsmöjligheter i olika former för samtliga arbetsmaskiner i regionen baserat på TRL. Vätgasdrivna motviktstruckar och sopmaskiner är båda tillräckligt mogna tekniker för att etableras direkt på marknaden genom inköp. Vätgasdrivna hjullastare, traktorer och pistmaskiner är fortfarande under utveckling och kan därför etableras i regionen genom forskning och ytterligare utveckling eller först efter produktlansering på marknaden. De utvalda vätgasdrivna arbetsmaskinerna kan verka i ett framtida vätgassamhälle på liknande vis som motsvarande fossildrivna arbetsmaskiner gör idag med fördelar som mindre miljöpåverkan, vibrationer och buller som i sin tur medför mindre underhållsbehov med tillhörande kostnader. Resultatet visar att det finns möjligheter redan idag att påskynda en förändring, inte bara i Gävleborg utan i hela Sverige. De utvalda arbetsmaskinerna är verksamma inom branscher som motsvarar stora delar av det svenska näringslivet, en omställning till vätgasdrift kan därför ha en stor betydelse för en nationell reducering av växthusgasutsläpp. Det finns stor potential, särskilt för aktörer inom industrin, att upprätta egen vätgasproduktion och därmed bli självförsörjande på vätgas som drivmedel till arbetsmaskiner. Detta kan bli en av de radikala förändringar som enligt EU behövs för att uppnå målet om att åstadkomma klimatneutralitet år 2050.
Burning of fossil fuels is the biggest cause of increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere, which in turn leads to climate change. The European Union expresses climate change as an existential threat and aims to make Europe a climate-neutral continent by 2050. Non-road machinery vehicles (NMV), which are usually powered by diesel, are an energy-intensive type of vehicle during usage that in 2016 accounted for 6% of Sweden's total GHG emissions. Hydrogen can be an alternative fuel to diesel or other fossil fuels in order to reduce the emissions that originate from NMVs. The aim of this study is to draw attention to the role of NMVs in a conversion to hydrogen operation and to spread knowledge about what a conversion would mean for today's users of work machines. This is done by highlighting possible establishment in the present of five selected hydrogen powered NMVs and illustrate them in a future hydrogen society. The NMVs included in the study are wheel loaders, snow groomers, street sweepers, tractors and counterbalanced forklifts. The method consists of a simplified literature review in combination with personal communication and an adaptation of the tool Technology Readiness Level (TRL) in order to assess technical maturity. The results show that there are establishment opportunities in the present in various forms for all NMVs in Gävleborg based on TRL. Hydrogen powered counterbalanced forklifts and street sweepers are both sufficiently mature technologies to be established directly in the market through purchasing. Hydrogen powered wheel loaders, tractors and snow groomers are still under development and can therefore be established in the region through research and further development or after product launch. The selected hydrogen powered NMVs can operate in a future hydrogen society similarly to fossil-fueled NMVs but with benefits such as less environmental impact, vibrations and noise which in turn entails less maintenance needs with associated costs. There are opportunities already today to accelerate a change, not only in Gävleborg but throughout Sweden. The selected NMVs are active in industries that correspond to large parts of the Swedish business community, a transition to hydrogen operation can therefore be of great importance for a national reduction of GHG emissions. There is great potential, especially for players in the industry, to establish their own hydrogen production and thereby become self-sufficient in hydrogen intended for NMVs. This could be one of the radical changes that, according to the EU, are needed to achieve the goal of accomplishing climate-neutrality by 2050.

The impact of gravity on organic material such as the human body has been a growing research field ever since the dawn of space flight. The Random Positioning Machine (RPM) is used to simulate microgravity on organisms without the use of real microgravity that is both expensive and scarcely available. This enables in-depth studies on the effect of weightlessness on organic materials in a controlled environment with relatively small means. The RPM has not yet been commercialized to a broader market but the most recent improvements to the machine creates possibilities for a start-up business revolving around the RPM. A method including both qualitative and quantitative models based on a case study were used to capture both aspects and to understand both how far in development the technologies were and the potential in the different market segments. The TRL for the different UVP’s of the RPM were generally ranked high except for the modularity and the market segment ranking shows that, from the four chosen segments, the food fermentation and fat crystallization segments have the most potential. The watch industry showed a minimal amount of potential. The SWOT-analysis on the two segments shows that the biggest weakness is the inexperience with start-ups but that is countered by the possibility for support by the university. For the food fermentation, there is an opportunity for a partnership where the company Swiss Culture Collection has shown interest in cooperation but there is also the threat of end customers equating organisms produced in microgravity with GMO, and by that having a negative impact. For fat crystallization, there is an opportunity with improving the process for producing low-fat products if research shows that microgravity can affect the density of the product. On the other hand, there is a lot of research that needs to be done to get the results.

This investigation was a post-hoc, quantitative analysis of secondary academic performance and participation choices of Hispanic students. Three years of longitudinal student-level data was collected to examine the likelihood of college enrollment based on college and career readiness (CCR) factors. At the time of the study, CCR was defined as qualifying exam scores, credit for at least two advanced/dual enrollment courses, or enrollment in a career and technology education (CTE) coherent sequence of courses. Research participants (N = 803) consisted solely of Hispanic high school graduates from the 2014 cohort. Frequency statistics indicate 45.5% (n = 365) attended an institute of higher education (IHE) within 2 years of high school graduation. Findings reveal Hispanic females were more likely than Hispanic males to meet CCR indicators as well as postsecondary resiliency outcomes. Analysis of chi-square tests of independence suggests a moderately strong association exists between CCR indicators and postsecondary participation among high school graduates. Differences were found in terms of gender and postsecondary enrollment, x^2(6) = 24.538, p < .001. Differences were also found in terms of type of IHE and postsecondary resiliency, x^2(3) = 34.373, p < .001. More Hispanic CCR graduates enrolled at 2-year and 4-year IHE than expected by chance. While non-CCR graduates enrolled in IHE, they were less likely to meet postsecondary resiliency outcomes. CCR graduates who initially enrolled at 2-year IHE were also less likely to persist. Furthermore, the greatest contribution to differences in resiliency existed for Hispanic CCR graduates who enroll at 4-year IHE.

The industry is facing major challenges today. The challenges are tougher global competition, customers who require individualized products and shorter product lifecycles. The predicted industrial revolution is a way to deal with these challenges. Industry 4.0 includes strategies linked to several technologies that will meet the new needs. Smart factory is a central concept in industry 4.0, which involves connected technologies of various kinds. Such as digital manufacturing technology, network communication technology, computer technology, automation technology and several other areas. In this work, these were defined as smart factory technologies. Implementing such technologies will result in improved flexibility, resource productivity and efficiency, quality, etc. But, implementing smart factory technologies poses major challenges for the companies. Laboratory environments can be utilized to address the challenges. This results in a new problem, how to transfer a smart factory technology developed in a laboratory environment to a full-scale production system. In the literature study no, structured approach was identified to handle this challenge. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to: create a work process that supports the technology transfer from a smart factory compliant laboratory environment to a full-scale production system. To justify the purpose, the following research questions were answered: RQ1: What are the differences in the operating environment between the laboratory and the full-scale production system? RQ2: How is a smart factory technology determined ready to be implemented into a full-scale production system? RQ3: What critical factors should a work process for the implementation of smart factory technologies include? The research questions were answered by conducting a multiple-case study in collaboration with Scania CV AB. During the case studies, interviews, observations and other relevant types of data collection were conducted. The results were as follows: RQ1: How difficult it is to transfer a technology from a laboratory environment to a full-scale production system depends on how large the differences between these are. The general difference is that laboratory environments are used to experiment and develop technologies and a full-scale production system is used to produce products. Some want the laboratory environment to be an exact copy of a full-scale production system, but this is not appropriate because it means you lose the freedom of experimentation and it would be much more expensive. RQ2: Determining whether a smart factory technology is ready consists of two parts, laboratory activities and pilot testing. A structured assessment method has been developed. The laboratory operations reduce the risks and contribute to raising the degree of maturity of the technology. In pilot testing, it is important not to interfere with the full-scale production system stability. This is the reason for doing pilot testing in a delimited area first and checking that the technology works as desired. RQ3: The critical factors identified were: competence and knowledge, technology contributing to improvements, considering risks with implementation, cost versus potential improvement, clear goals and reason for implementation and communication.

IT solutions must be protected so that the business can continue, even in the case of fatal failures associated with disasters. Business continuity in the context of disaster implies that business cannot continue in the current environment but instead must continue at an alternate site or data center. However, the BC/DR concept today is too fragmented, as many different frameworks and methodologies exist. Furthermore,many of the application-specific solutions are provided and promoted by software vendors, while hardware vendors provide solutions for their hardware environments. Nevertheless, there are concerns that BC/DR solutions often do not connect to the technical components that are in the lower layers, which function as the foundationfor any such solutions; hence, it is equally important to connect and map the requirements accordingly. Moreover, a shift in the hardware environment, such as cloud computing, as well as changes in operations management, such as outsourcing,add complexity that must be captured by a BC/DR solution. Furthermore, the integrated nature of IT-based business solutions also presents new challenges, as it isno longer one IT solution that must be protected but also other IT solutions that are integrated to deliver an individual business process. Thus, it will be difficult to employa current BC/DR approach. Hence, the purpose of this thesis project is to design, develop, and present a novel way of addressing the BC/DR gaps, while supporting the requirements of a dynamic IT environment. The solution reuses most elements fromthe existing standards and solutions. However, it also includes new elements to capture and present the technical solution; hence, the complete solution is designatedas a framework. The new framework can support many IT solutions since it will havea modular approach, and it is flexible, scalable, and platform and application independent, while addressing the solution on a component level. The new framework is applied to two application scenarios at the stakeholder site, and theresults are studied and presented in this thesis.

Nel presente studio sono stati considerati parametri costruttivi e di processabilità dei cavi a fine vita e parametri identificativi delle loro plastiche. Del primo insieme, i dati sulla tipologia del conduttore, sul numero di anime del cavo e sul loro diametro, hanno dimostrato la possibilità di recuperare gli spezzoni di cavo attraverso granulazione. La tipologia di isolante e le sigle di designazione, ove possibile, hanno permesso di definire la composizione media polimerica dei campioni di cavi a fine vita. Il dato utilizzato di composizione media polimerica, è riferito alla presenza di tali materiali in almeno una delle componenti strutturali di cavo a fine vita, di cui siano disponibili dati forniti direttamente dal produttore o tramite decifrazione delle sigle di identificazione. Il compound di PVC, è la tipologia prevalente nei tre campioni rappresentativi della popolazione di cavi elettrici a fine vita (77.8%; 45% e 80%). Per motivi anche ambientali, se ne è studiato il recupero definito dalle attività R3-R13. Tecnologie elettrostatiche basate sull’effetto corona e triboelettrico, dimostrano la possibilità di separare i granuli di compound di PVC, rispettivamente da granuli di conduttori (rame e alluminio) e di plastiche (PE e gomma) costituenti gli isolamenti e le guaine dei cavi elettrici a fine vita. Con l’applicazione di tali tecniche, si è ottenuto il 50.3% del compound di PVC al 95%. Il suo riciclo meccanico, può completarsi con la Melt Filtration combinata alla sua miscelazione col polimero vergine. Con la metodologia basata sul Livello di Maturità Tecnologica (TRL- Technology Readiness Level), si è dimostrato che il riciclo meccanico, combinato alla filtrazione del polimero fuso, costituisca un’alternativa fortemente competitiva al riciclo operato attraverso processo Vinyloop®. Allo stato attuale, costituisce un’alternativa tecnologicamente più qualificata e matura rispetto al riciclo chimico operato attraverso incenerimento convenzionale.

博士
國立交通大學
科技管理研究所
105
This study proposes an R&D technology roadmapping (TRM) process, which consists of four phases: Identification of Strategic Areas, Technology Assessment and Selection, Technology Portfolio Planning (TPP) and Generation of Development Plan. The first phase was to use the STEEP (Social, Technology, Economic, Ecological, Political)/SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) tool to find five Strategic Areas (SA) for a research organization. The second phase was to decompose the five strategic areas into 101 technology items through literature survey and industry consultation. A fuzzy Delphi method was utilized to select 34 items which have reached the consensus from industrial experts based on two major factors: (a) future potential; (b) Taiwan advantage. The third phase was to employ strategy map in TPP model to cluster the technology items located in the medium-risk and medium-impact zone, which were considered as the potential topics to establish the main streams of KTDP “Advanced Functional Fibers and Textiles” for the institute. The last phase was to draw up a TRM framework along the timeframe, adopting Phaal T-Plan tool, to link market needs, product functions, and technology solutions for the program. Furthermore, the TRL adopted from NASA, were used to find their Critical Technology Elements (CTEs) and TRLs of the technology elements, where the research efforts should be dedicated to and the research resources should be allocated. Thus, a technology maturity plan (TMP) should be put forward to solve the problems of key technological gaps that CTEs have been identified. A case study was applied at the Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) to validate the process by aligning with their strategic goal, and a comprehensive R&D planning roadmap suitable for the TTRI was presented from 2017 to 2020.

This dissertation provides a novel methodology to assess the impact of additive manufacturing (AM) on the aerospace supply chain. The focus is serialized production of structural parts for the aeroengine. This methodology has three fundamental steps. First, a screening heuristic is used to identify which parts and assemblies would be candidates for AM displacement. Secondly, the production line is characterized and evaluated to understand how these changes in the bill of material might impact plant workflow, and ultimately, part and assembly cost. Finally, the third step employs an integer linear program (ILP) to predict the impact on the supply chain network. The network nodes represent the various companies – and depending upon their tier – each tier has a dedicated function. The output of the ILP is the quantity and connectivity of these nodes between the tiers.

It was determined that additive manufacturing can be used to displace certain conventional manufacturing parts and assemblies as additive manufacturing’s technology matures sufficiently. Additive manufacturing is particularly powerful if adopted by the artifact’s design authority (usually the original equipment manufacturer – OEM) since it can then print its own parts on demand. Given this sourcing flexibility, these entities can in turn apply pricing pressure on its suppliers. This phenomena increasing has been seen within the industry.