TY - JOUR
T1 - An approach for the development and implementation of commissioning service configurators in engineer-to-order companies
AU - Mueller, Georg Otto
AU - Mortensen, Niels Henrik
AU - Hvam, Lars
AU - Haug, Anders
AU - Johansen, Janus
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The commissioning of newly developed, complex engineer-to-order (ETO) products, such as plants, buildings, and ships, entails the testing and validation of installed systems prior to operation. Challenges related to the delivery of such commissioning services are manifold, including high levels of uncertainty and challenging information management. In this paper, the question of how configurator technology can be developed and utilised for the specification of commissioning services is investigated. Specifically, while several studies have demonstrated the significant benefits of applying configurators to support product specification processes in ETO companies, none have explored their usefulness in relation to commissioning services. Thus, based on the literature pertaining to commissioning services and product configuration, a five-step approach to the development of commissioning service configurators is developed. The approach was tested in a case company, resulting in the creation of a commissioning configurator. The approach was well received by company employees. Moreover, its use resulted in a commissioning service configurator that reduced the service specification time by more than 70% and the number of people required for the specification by 40%. Other identified benefits included a reduction in planning efforts, improved utilisation of expert knowledge, and improved resource allocation.
AB - The commissioning of newly developed, complex engineer-to-order (ETO) products, such as plants, buildings, and ships, entails the testing and validation of installed systems prior to operation. Challenges related to the delivery of such commissioning services are manifold, including high levels of uncertainty and challenging information management. In this paper, the question of how configurator technology can be developed and utilised for the specification of commissioning services is investigated. Specifically, while several studies have demonstrated the significant benefits of applying configurators to support product specification processes in ETO companies, none have explored their usefulness in relation to commissioning services. Thus, based on the literature pertaining to commissioning services and product configuration, a five-step approach to the development of commissioning service configurators is developed. The approach was tested in a case company, resulting in the creation of a commissioning configurator. The approach was well received by company employees. Moreover, its use resulted in a commissioning service configurator that reduced the service specification time by more than 70% and the number of people required for the specification by 40%. Other identified benefits included a reduction in planning efforts, improved utilisation of expert knowledge, and improved resource allocation.
KW - Configuration system
KW - Service configuration
KW - Modular architecture
KW - Service modularity
U2 - 10.1016/j.compind.2022.103717
DO - 10.1016/j.compind.2022.103717
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0166-3615
VL - 142
JO - Computers in Industry
JF - Computers in Industry
M1 - 103717
ER -