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  • Distributed Manufacturing: scope, challenges and opportunities

Tooze, James, 2016, Journal Article, Distributed Manufacturing: scope, challenges and opportunities International Journal of Production Research, 54 (20). pp. 1-19. ISSN 0020-7543

Abstract or Description:

This discussion paper aims to set out the key challenges and opportunities emerging from distributed manufacturing (DM). We begin by describing the concept, available definitions and consider its evolution where recent production technology developments (such as additive and continuous production process technologies), digitization together with infrastructural developments (in terms of IoT and big-data) provide new opportunities. To further explore the evolving nature of DM, the authors, each of whom are involved in specific applications of DM research, examine through an expert panel workshop environment emerging DM applications involving new production and supporting infrastructural technologies. This paper presents these generalizable findings on DM challenges and opportunities in terms of products, enabling production technologies, and the impact on the wider production and industrial system. Industry structure and location of activities are examined in terms of the democratizing impact on participating network actors. The paper concludes with a discussion on the changing nature of manufacturing as a result of DM, from the traditional centralized, large scale, long lead-time forecast driven production operations, to a new DM paradigm where manufacturing is a decentralized, autonomous near end-user driven activity. A forward research agenda is proposed that considers the impact of DM on the industrial and urban landscape.

Contributors:
ContributionName
AuthorSingh Srai, Jagjit
AuthorKumar, Mukesh
AuthorGraham, Gary
AuthorPhillips, Wendy
AuthorFord, Simon
AuthorBeecher, Paul
AuthorGregory, Mike
AuthorKumar Tiwari, Manoj
AuthorRavi, B
AuthorNeely, Andy
AuthorShanker, Ravi
AuthorCharnley, Fiona
AuthorTiwari, Ashutosh
Official URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0020754...
Subjects: Other > Engineering > H700 Production and Manufacturing Engineering
School or Centre: School of Design
Funders: EPSRC
Identification Number or DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2016.1192302
Date Deposited: 06 Oct 2016 10:22
Last Modified: 09 Nov 2018 14:27
URI: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/1874
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