The present economic and social environment has given rise to new situations within which companies must operate. As a first example, the globalization of the economy and the need for performance has led companies to outsource and then to operate inside networks of enterprises such as supply chains or virtual enterprises. A second instance is related to environmental issues. The statement about the impact of ind- trial activities on the environment has led companies to revise processes, to save - ergy, to optimize transportation.... A last example relates to knowledge. Knowledge is considered today to be one of the main assets of a company. How to capitalize, to manage, to reuse it for the benefit of the company is an important current issue. The three examples above have no direct links. However, each of them constitutes a challenge that companies have to face today. This book brings together the opinions of several leading researchers from all around the world. Together they try to develop new approaches and find answers to those challenges. Through the individual ch- ters of this book, the authors present their understanding of the different challenges, the concepts on which they are working, the approaches they are developing and the tools they propose. The book is composed of six parts; each one focuses on a specific theme and is subdivided into subtopics.

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Production Systems.- Integration of Supplier and Customer's Production Processes.- Methodology of Designing Disassembly and Reassembly Processes Using Lean Thinking Approach.- Evaluating Energy Efficiency Improvements in Manufacturing Processes.- Integrated Micro Process Chains.- Improvement Tools for NEH Based Heuristics on Permutation and Blocking Flow Shop Scheduling Problems.- A Basic Study on the Installation of Distributed Autonomous Production Scheduling System in Ubiquitous Environment.- Experimental Evaluation of Inventory-Based Discrete-Updating Market Maker for Intra-firm Prediction Market System Using VIPS.- Database Scheme Configuration for a Product Line of MPC-TOOLS.- Balancing Mass Production Machining Lines with Genetic Algorithms.- A Top-Down Approach for an Automatic Precedence Graph Construction under the Influence of High Product Variety.- A Conceptual Model for Production Leveling (Heijunka) Implementation in Batch Production Systems.- The Moderating Role of JIT Links with Suppliers on the Relationship between Lean Manufacturing and Operational Performances.- Type Toyota Management Systems (MSTT) of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Mechanical and Electrical Industry.- Production Leveling (Heijunka) Implementation in a Batch Production System: A Case Study.- Towards a Maintenance and Servicing Indicator.- Monitoring of Collaborative Assembly Operations: An OEE Based Approach.- The Value of Sampling Inspection in a Single-Period Remanufacturing System with Stochastic Returns Yield.- The Impact of Behavior-Based Strategies on Supply Uncertainty.- MRP Offsetting for Assembly Systems with Random Component Delivery Times: A Particular Case.- From Product End-of-Life Sustainable Considerations to Design Management.- A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Manufacturing by Focusing on Risks in Supply Chains.- Introducing Energy Performances in Production Management: Towards Energy Efficient Manufacturing.- Supply Chains.- Supply Chain Reactivity Assessment Regarding Two Negotiated Commitments: Frozen Horizon and Flexibility Rate.- Principles for Real-Time, Integrated Supply Chain Control: An Example from Distribution of Pharmaceuticals.- Capacity Adjustment through Contingent Staffing Outsourcing.- Coordination in Supply Chains: From Case Studies to Reference Models.- Construction Logistics Improvements Using the SCOR Model - Tornet Case.- Interoperability Constraints and Requirements Formal Modelling and Checking Framework.- A Study on VMI-Based Supply-Chain System by Simulation Analysis.- How do the Key Determinants of a Distributed Planning Process Impact on the Performance of a Supply Chain?.- The Application of Lean Production Control Methods within a Process-Type Industry: The Case of Hydro Automotive Structures.- A Data Aggregation Methodology to Assess the Global Production Capacity of Complex Supply Chains.- The Behavior of Suppliers in Supplier-Customer Relationships.- Multi-supplier Systems with Seasonal Demand.- A Concurrent Newsvendor Problem with Rationing.- A Model for Vendor Selection and Dynamic Evaluation.- Customer Driven Capacity Setting.- Decision Making Tool for the Selection of Urban Freight Transport Project.- Making PROFIT at the Intermodal Terminal - A Research Agenda.- The Value of Lead Logistics Services.- Interoperable and Distributed Systems.- High Resolution Supply Chain Management - Resolution of the Polylemma of Production by Information Transparency and Organizational Integration.- Superior Performance of Leagile Supply Networks by Application of Autonomous Control.- Analysis of the Harmonizing Potential of Order Processing Attributes in Spread Production Systems.- HLA Multi Agent/Short-Lived Ontology Platform for Enterprise Interoperability.- Model Based on Bayesian Networks for Monitoring Events in a Supply Chain.- Simulation Model Driven Engineering for Manufacturing Cell.- VirtES (Virtual Enterprise Simulator): A Proposed Methodology for Enterprise Simulation Modeling.- Strategy and Innovation.- Measuring the Intangible Aspects of the Manufacturing Strategy - A Case Study from the Automotive Industry.- Managing Innovation: A Multidisciplinary Scenario Development Approach.- Industrialization and Manufacturing Steps within the Global Product Lifecycle Context.- Analysis of End-of-Life Vehicle Processes: A Case Study in Sardinia (Italy).- Improving Project Control and Guidance Through a Time-Frame Simulation Approach.- Advanced Topics in Project Management Process.- Knowledge Based Enterprise Engineering (KBEE): A Modeling Framework for Enterprise Knowledge Capitalization.- The Knowledge Dimension of Production Transfer.- A Framework for Enhancing Responsiveness in Sales Order Processing System Using Web Services and Ubiquitous Computing Technologies.- How to Foresee and Capture the Effects of RFID Implementation.- Network Compatibility Blocs as Basis of Partner's Selection.- Knowledge Based Product and Process Engineering Enabling Design and Manufacture Integration.- Performances.- Proposal of a Performance Measurement System for Professional Non-profit Service Organizations.- Total Cost of Ownership Considerations in Global Sourcing Processes.- Designing and Implementing a Framework for Process-Oriented Logistics-Costs Measurement in an Automotive-Supplier Group.- Analysis of Quality in Brazilian E-Commerce (B2C).- Implementing Six Sigma in Challenging Times: A Case Study.- Development of Manufacture Support System Using Taguchi Methods.- Integration of Requirements for Performance Indicator System Definition and Implementation Methods.- Innovation Management in European Projects.- Understanding Process Quality in the Context of Collaborative Business Network Structures.- Service.- The Concept of Modularisation of Industrial Services.- A Multi-dimensional Service Chain Ecosystem Model.- Hypergraph of Services for Business Interconnectivity and Collaboration.- Lean First, Then Automate: An Integrated Model for Process Improvement in Pure Service-Providing Companies.- Implementing Lean into a Servicing Environment.- Health Care Provider Processes Analysis.- Networked Service Innovation Process in the Production of a New Urban Area.- Health Care Provider Value Chain.- Contribution to the Definition and Modeling of Service and Service Activities.- A Structured Comparison of the Service Offer and the Service Supply Chain of Manufacturers Competing in the Capital Goods and Durable Consumer Goods Industries.- Business Process Management Systems - Enabling Continuous Improvement in Industrial Services.- A Framework for Pr…