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MRO Configuration Management for Complex Products

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Abstract

Configuration management (CM) is an effective method for data modeling and change management in product development, but the study of how it can be adapted for complex product maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) has thus far been superficial. Research propositions are put forward on the basis of a literature review and verified by a case of a high-speed train MRO company. The findings show that CM can be used in MRO data management with adjustments in its functions. First, MRO-CM planning considers both multistage service and single-stage service to keep data consistent and continuous. Second, MRO data integration with the design/production phase should be considered during configuration identification. Third, baselines and change rules are developed for change control. Finally, status accounting and auditing can be repeatedly used in MRO data management. A systematic MRO-CM framework is generated to assist MRO practitioners in understanding the relationships among different MRO-CM functions. This paper contributes to expanding the theory of CM in MRO for complex products and provides an effective method for managing MRO data from systematic engineering insights.

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Acknowledgments

The supports provided by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) under Grant No.201806060035, the Open Fund of Key Laboratory of Anhui Higher Education Institutes under Grant No.CS2021-03, the Key Project of University Humanities and Social Science Research in Anhui Province under Grant No.SK2020A0173, the Research Fund for Young Teachers of Anhui University of Technology under Grant No.QS202014 are acknowledged. The authors would like to thank the CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co.,Ltd for their data support. The author would like to thank the reviewers for their constructive comments on the earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Multidisciplinary Management and Control of Complex Systems of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, 243002, China

    Chunliu Zhou

  2. School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, 243032, China

    Chunliu Zhou

  3. Rutgers Business School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Lian Qi

  4. School of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116023, China

    Xiaobing Liu & Hongguang Bo

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  1. Chunliu Zhou
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  2. Lian Qi
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Correspondence to Chunliu Zhou or Hongguang Bo.

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Chunliu Zhou is a lecturer of Department of Industrial Engineering at Anhui University of Technology. She received her Ph.D. in 2020 and MS degree in 2012 from Dalian University of Technology. Her research interest includes product lifecycle management, maintenance process management, and product service systems.

Lian Qi is the chair of the Supply Chain Management Department at Rutgers Business School. His research interests include supply chain design and management, production and inventory planning and control, operations management; and design and analysis of optimization algorithms. Dr. Qi was the recipient of Junior Faculty Teaching Award and Junior Faculty Research Award at Rutgers Business School, and Outstanding Faculty Award at University of Missouri Rolla, where he once worked.

Xiaobing Liu is a full professor at the School of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology. He services as the director of National Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Manufacturing Management Information Technology and the director of Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Manufacturing Management Technology. He received his Ph.D. degree from University of Dortmund, Germany, in 1992 and M.S. degree from Dalian Institute of Technology, China, in 1984. His research interests include logistics, supply chain management, production and manufacturing management for complex equipment manufacturing enterprises and their application systems.

Hongguang Bo is a full professor at the School of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology. He serves as the deputy director of the Institute of Operations and Logistics and a senior member of the Chinese Society of Automation. He obtained a master’s degree from Dalian Maritime University. In 2008, he graduated from Dalian University of Technology with a Ph.D. His main research interests include supply chain management, operations management, rapid response manufacturing, empirical research, and decision support systems.

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Zhou, C., Qi, L., Liu, X. et al. MRO Configuration Management for Complex Products. J. Syst. Sci. Syst. Eng. 31, 359–380 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11518-022-5524-x

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