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Welcome from Professor Duncan McFarlane
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Welcome to the Spring edition of the DIAL Newsletter.
The 2020/21 Academic Year marks the 25th birthday of DIAL. In that time DIAL has been able to contribute to the
industrial automation and information area in many different ways and some of these will be reviewed later in the newsletter. This newsletter also sees the UK emerging from a lengthy lockdown, and in this issue we also spotlight DIAL’s work supporting the logistics of the COVID 19 student testing programme at Cambridge. We also provide a short update on developments in the Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring programme and some of its spin off activities.
Enjoy the newsletter…
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DIAL started out as the Manufacturing Automation & Control Systems Group (MACSG) in late 1995 with three people, became the Centre for Distributed Automation & Control (CDAC) in 2002 and finally settled on Distributed Information & Automation Laboratory (DIAL) in 2006… mainly because of the acronym! The focus on distributed systems was largely driven by the evolution of the role the internet began to play in automation & information systems, and also the work the group was doing on distributed algorithms and protocols.
The flow diagrams tries to capture some of the developments DIAL has been involved in since 1995. The five phases described are – in reality – not as neatly deliniated as the diagram implies. But they do indicate that
from an initial focus that was exclusively production-focused, the work of DIAL has evolved into encompassing logistics, supply chains, construction (as manufacturing), services – especially most recently healthcare. Meanwhile as DIAL has expanded to a centre of 30-40 people the range of tools and methods has grown too. DIAL’s six current themes reflect this expansion.
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However the original guiding principles remain more or less intact…
· Focusing on industrially motivated automation & information problems and issues
· Bridging the gaps between academic development and industrial need
· Examining the resilience of systems and operations in the face of change and disruption
· Making the best use of available
information
· Keeping automation simple
With luck this will continue to underpin DIAL for the next 25 years…
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Intelligent Logistics in DIAL
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DIALs Intelligent Logistics theme involves the introduction of new logistics technologies, systems and practices to improve and change industrial logistics processes. Currently we are involved in over 20 logistics related projects which cover procurement, transport, warehousing, inventory, spare parts management and logistics networks. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are under development ranging from multi agent modelling of network behaviour, to low cost digital devices for logistics operations, to modelling the flow of patients though a hospital, to examining the role of 5G communications on port operations. We are collaborating with a wide range of end users, logistics providers, technology providers and industry associations in this area and welcome enquiries relating to industrial problems and challenges in this area.
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In August 2020 we were called in to advise on the logistics of an innovative proposed student testing programme across 15,000 students in all 37 colleges and institutes in the University. The suggestion of “sitting in on a few meetings” grew into designing and operating a “mini supply
chain” for assembling and distributing test kits to students and then gathering their completed samples for PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing. The story of the first three months of the programme is recorded here but in brief, the development, which had to be put in place in four weeks, involved:
- Establishing a set of “pop-up” warehouses to manage inbound test kit items and outbound test kits
- Building an assembly facility to assemble up to 1000 test kits per day
- Designing a delivery/collection
service that complied with regulations on handling medical samples
- Implementing a tracking system for determining the status of boxes of test kits as they moved through multiple locations
The programme has been subject to continual change since it began on 2nd October and because of some good initial decisions the logistics team have been able to adapt relatively easily. With luck, the operation will NOT be needed in the 2021/22 academic year…
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Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring Update
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The Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring programme is focused on the development of simple, low cost digital devices and systems that improve the effectiveness of operations of small manufacturing companies.
The Shoestring programme has now been running for two years and is beginning to produce an impressive set of outputs including:
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1.
A prioritised “catalogue” of the most important digital solutions for small companies2. A simple step-by-step design procedure for producing a wide range of digital solutions (from low cost components)3. A set of “ready-to-go” solutions including:- Digitising of legacy analogue display panels
- Digital job tracking system
- Shopfloor inventory tracking system
- Cloud based vibration monitoring
4. 15 demonstrator systems and industrial pilots In the next year the programme plans to develop a foundation that will support these solutions into the future and provide training and skills development for SME participants.
Meanwhile Shoestring “spin offs” in other domains are evolving. Programmes in construction, logistics and medical devices are underway, and various Shoestring-like initiatives for large companies have begun.
For more information see www.digitalshoestring.net or watch our recent webinar.
To read the full article, please click here.
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IfM-hosted webinar sees leading industry manufacturers explore potential of Supply Chain Digital Twins
On 16th April, an online workshop hosted by DIAL provided the opportunity for academia and industry to explore how collaboration and future partnerships could maximise the potential value offered by Supply Chain Digital Twins. The workshop, led by Dr Alexandra Brintrup and Dr Ani Calinescu (University of
Oxford) was an opportunity for the 25 participants from across industry and higher education to discuss whether the promise of Supply Chain Digital Twins - to utilise real-time data along the supply chain to monitor operations and conduce ‘what-if’ scenario planning - can deliver value and be operationalized and maintained.
The participatory workshop included insights from leading manufacturers including John Lewis, Unilever (pictured), Tesco and Siemens, on the potential benefits of Supply Chain Digital Twins and of the challenges faced by both small to medium sized companies and large corporates.
Discussions re-enforced the importance of successful partnerships, and how the main driver for
these is the need to demonstrate common values, such as sustainability, health, well-being and ethics. The workshop forms part of the ‘IoT-based supply chain digital twin
to optimise supply chain’ project which is funded by Pitch-In. Pitch-In aims to identify ways to
encourage the successful development, introduction and further exploitation of the Internet of Things (IoT).You can read more about the project here.
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Pitch-In WebinarsThe Pitch-In Project has three upcoming webinars planned: 5 May 2021 14:00-15:30 - Developing the Internet of Things in low-carbon energyThe move to low-carbon energy systems opens up opportunities for technologies and services based around the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is relevant to low-carbon energy generation, distribution and control, as well as for users in the provision of electricity, heat and mobility. A move to IoT presents challenges beyond technical innovation, in particular around data (quality, use, sharing etc.), education (familiarity within the energy sector) and new business models.For more
information or to register for this event, please click here. 12 May 2021 14:00 - 15:30 - The Internet of Things in Smart Cities and Smart
RegionsIoT has sparked a revolution of ‘Smart Cities’, utilising embedded sensors and data collection to understand cities at scale. However, further expansion of Smart Cities into Smart Regions is needed to further understand large-scale economic, social, natural and commercial entities within Regions.For more information or to register for this event, please click here.
19 May 2021 14:00-15:30 - Successful innovation in manufacturing using the Internet of Things
Adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) is critical to support the UK’s Industrial Strategy. IoT describes a world in which everyday objects are connected to a network so that data can be shared. For more information or to register for this event, please click here.
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DIAL Seminars
The following DIAL
Seminars are planned in the coming months:
- 6 May 2021 - Artificial Intelligence in Supply Chain Research: The Case for Explainability - George Bargiannis
- 21 May 2021 - A Visual Environment for Designing and Deploying Low Cost Digital Manufacturing Solutions in
SMEs - Lavindra de Silva
All of our seminars take place over Zoom. If you are interested in attending any of these sessions, please contact Rebecca Evans.
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Congratulations
Congratulations to Janet Chang who has been named one of the
select program of Queen's Stamps Scholars for 2021. The Queens' Stamps Scholars Program seeks to attract the most promising PhD candidates from the United States and foster their development as scholars, leaders and citizens of the world, through purposeful programming, mentoring and enhanced educational opportunities.
To read more about the program please click here.
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Congratulations
Congratulations to Brian Robertson who successfully defended his PhD at the end of March. Brian's thesis On-site installation flexibility for disruption management in modular off-site construction systems involved pioneering
work examining the way that new methods of off-site construction could be used in conjunction with more traditional on site methods - particularly when disruptions occur in the construction process.
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Thayla Zomer is joining DIAL as Research Assistant/Associate and will work with Professor McFarlane and Dr Chander Velu on the Elastic Manufacturing Systems (EMS) project. Thayla is completing her PhD in Engineering at the University of Cambridge, where she was part of the Cambridge
Service Alliance (CSA) and the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB). Thayla’s PhD research looked at the practical implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the digital transformation of the UK’s construction industry. Thayla holds a double degree (summa cum laude) in Civil Engineering and Production Engineering and a master’s degree in Production Engineering. She has previously worked on a range of collaborative projects with industry, looking at servitisation of manufacturing firms and business transformation from a range of perspectives.
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Examining the value of flexible logistics offerings
Giannikas, E., McFarlane, D., 2020, European Journal of Operational Research
To read the full paper, please click here.
Resilient planning strategies to support disruption-tolerant production operations
Puchkova, A., McFarlane, D., Srinivasan, R., Thorne, A., 2020, International Journal of Production Economics
To read the full paper, please click here.
Allocation strategies in a dockless bike sharing system: a community structure based approach
Zhang, J., Meng, M., Wang, D. Z. W., 2021, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation
To read the full paper, please click here. Relaxing platform dependencies in agent-based control systemsPerez Hernandez, M., McFarlane, D., Parlikad, A. K., Herrera, M., Jain, A. K., 2021, IEEE Access To read the full paper, please click here. Road Network Layout Planning based on Evaluation of Connectivity and Asset CriticalityHadjidemetriou, G., Herrera, M., Parlikad, A. K., 2021, In the proceedings of the European Conference on Computing in Construction To read the full paper, please click here. Does historical data still count? Exploring the applicability of smart building
applications in the post-pandemic periodXie, X., Lu, Q., Herrera, M., Yu, Q., Parlikad, A. K., Schooling, J., 2021, Sustainable Cities and Society To read the full paper, please click here. Digital interoperability in logistics
and supply chain management: state-of-the-art and research avenues towards Physical InternetPan, S., Trentesaux, D., McFarlane, D., Montreuil, B., Ballot, E., Huang, G. Q., 2021, Computers in Industry To read the full paper, please click here. What does Operational Excellence mean in the Fourth Industrial Revolution eraTortorella, G., Cauchick M., Paulo, A., Li, W., Staines, J., McFarlane, D., 2021, International Journal of Production Research To read the full paper, please click here. Low Cost Monitoring on a Shoestring: Solutions for Digital ManufacturingHawkridge, G., Mukherjee, A., McFarlane, D., Tlegenov, Y., Parlikad, A. K., Reyner, N. J., Thorne, A., 2021, In the proceedings of the 21st IFAC World Congress To read the full paper, please click here. Digital interoperability and transformation in logistics and supply chain management: Editorial.Pan, S., Trentesaux, D., McFarlane, D., Montreuil, B., Ballot, E., Huang, G. Q., 2021, Computers in Industry To read the full paper, please click here. Life duration of bike sharing systemsZhang, J., Meng, M., Koh, P. P., Wong, Y. D., 2021, Case Studies on Transport Policy To read the full paper, please click here. A business case for risk-informed bridge monitoring using the value of informationSasidharan, M., Parlikad, A.K., 2021, In the proceedings of IABSE Congress 2021 - Structural Engineering for Future Societal Needs To read the full paper, please click here.
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