Past Research
Our research activities can be broadly classified into the following six areas:
Low Cost Automation
Reference Architectures for Low-Cost Digital Manufacturing Systems
This research project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of reference architectures in supporting low-cost digital manufacturing system design, design extension and integration.
Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring
Shoestring offers a step-by-step approach to digitalisation using off-the-shelf technology to create low-cost, low-risk digital solutions.
Digital Logistics on a Shoestring
This project aimed to increase the digital capabilities of logistics companies using low-cost, easily accessible "off-the-shelf" components.
Low Cost Automation using Off the Shelf Technologies (LoCOST)
LoCOST (Low Cost Automation using Off the Shelf Technologies) is a research project funded by Boeing with the aim of establishing a pathway, justification and prioritisation for the exploitation of low-cost, off-the-shelf technologies within their operations.
Digital Construction on a Shoestring
The Digital Construction on a Shoestring Project is derived from Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring. The project focuses on breaking down the barriers in digital construction, such as cost and complexity, by developing individual digital solutions for which the total cost of deployment is kept low.
Distributed Automation
Low Cost Automation using Off the Shelf Technologies (LoCOST)
LoCOST (Low Cost Automation using Off the Shelf Technologies) is a research project funded by Boeing with the aim of establishing a pathway, justification and prioritisation for the exploitation of low-cost, off-the-shelf technologies within their operations.
Enhancing the Port Efficiency Through 5G and Predictive Data Analysis (5G Ports)
This project brings together the technological advancements in the fields of 5G, IoT and predictive data analytics to improve the efficiency of the operation of the quay cranes at the Port of Felixstowe.
Next Generation Converged Digital Infrastructure (NG-CDI)
This was an ambitious programme geared to create an agile, resilient internet and telecommunications network capable of meeting the future needs of our rapidly changing society and ensure that the UK’s digital infrastructure continues to be world leading.
Auto-ID Lab
Cambridge Auto-ID Lab was one of seven labs world wide leading research efforts in the area of Automated Identification of objects in the supply chain. The Lab was part of the Auto ID Center project (1999-2003) which drove numerous industry mandates in the adoption of RFID technology.
Disruption Management for Off-Site Construction
Off-site construction operations can be subject to downstream construction site disruptions, which delay on-site construction and impact on the effectiveness of the off-site production of construction modules. This project investigates how different disruption management strategies can be used to improve system performance in the face of disruptions.
Materials and Process Tracking and Analysis for Production Efficiency (MaPTAPE)
An industrial project funded by Boeing to develop and implement a flexible tracking system and information architecture, for resilient production operations.
Aerospace ID Technologies programme (Aero-ID)
The Aerospace ID Technologies Programme was an industry led independent research initiative that provided answers to key deployment challenges to automated ID in the Aerospace sector. It was made up of a number of discrete, finite research projects each centred on a particular aspect of the technology and its application.
Building Radio Frequency IDentification for the Global Environment (BRIDGE)
BRIDGE was a European Union funded 3-year Integrated Project addressing ways to resolve the barriers to the implementation of RFID in Europe, based upon GS1 EPCglobal standards.
Disruption Tolerant Automated Lean Factories (DisTAL)
A 3-year project funded by Boeing, to improve the resilience of manufacturing automation in the face of operational disruptions.
Organising Production Technology Into Most Responsive States - 3D Print Machine Enabled Networks (OPTIMOS PRIME)
A major challenge for manufacturing supply networks is that of making operations lean for cost and efficiency reasons while at the same time maintaining a level of responsiveness that enables the organisation(s) to meet demands for customised products, fluctuating requests for spares and repairs and to demonstrate resilience to delays in the supply base in manufacturing operations.
PROduct lifecycle Management and Information tracking using Smart Embedded systems (PROMISE)
PROMISE aimed to develop a new generation of PLM system that uses smart embedded IT systems, allows the seamless flow and transformation of data and information to knowledge and to allow all actors in a product's lifecycle to manage and control product information at any moment of its lifecycle, at any place in the world.
Self-Serving Assets In A Highly Networked Environment (SAHNE)
The SAHNE project aimed to bring the intelligent asset vision alive in the aerospace sector, where parts are self-aware, and have the goal to maximise their life in service by contacting, selecting and procuring service providers autonomously. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Boeing Company.
Intelligent Logistics
Quantifying the Impact of Low-Cost Digitalisation on the Economic Performance of Logistics SMEs
This research aimed to quantify the economic benefits of affordable digitalisation for logistics SMEs. By addressing the slow digital adoption in this sector the thesis demonstrates that low-cost digital solutions can significantly improve operational decision-making.
Digital Logistics on a Shoestring
This project aimed to increase the digital capabilities of logistics companies using low-cost, easily accessible "off-the-shelf" components.
Statistical Hierarchical Modelling for Industrial Collaborative Prognosis
This thesis explores statistical hierarchical modeling for collaborative prognosis and anomaly detection in industrial asset fleets. By leveraging shared information across assets, hierarchical models improve accuracy for sparse-data assets, outperforming independent and fleet-wide models, with validation on a long-haul truck fleet case study.
Airline Performance & Disruption Management Across Extended Networks (APEMEN)
This project is exploring how short term optimisation and disruption management strategies can be better used to cater for within-day airline operational delays.
Towards Automatically Generating Supply Chain Maps from Natural Language Text
This project investigated automated methods to generate supply chain maps from openly available text sources for the purpose of improving resilience-related decision-making.
Virtual Intelligent Production, Procurement and Prediction system (VIPr)
A 3-year project funded by Boeing, which aimed to look at challenges that manufacturers face if suppliers do not deliver an assembly or component on time and at the right quality.
Dynamic and Adaptable Supply Chain Logistics System (DASHLog)
The vision of this project was to enable YH Global to improve organisational performance by adapting quickly to new requirements, adapting to requirements from a greater number of projects/clients, and systematically supporting project variations more closely in IT and operations.
Achieving Leveraged Advantage from Distributed Information (ALADDIN)
A 3-year project funded by the Boeing Company, looked at how the vast amounts of data Boeing deals with on a daily basis could be turned into a more valuable commodity for the business.
Dynamic Order-Picking Strategy
This project aims to address the flexibility challenge by investigating how order-picking, which is a key factor affecting warehouse performance, can be dynamically managed.
Building Radio Frequency IDentification for the Global Environment (BRIDGE)
BRIDGE was a European Union funded 3-year Integrated Project addressing ways to resolve the barriers to the implementation of RFID in Europe, based upon GS1 EPCglobal standards.
Infrastructure Futureproofing
This project aimed at developing a framework to understand the futureproofing needs of infrastructure assets, and to develop a tool to measure the level of futureproofedness of such systems.
IT Architectures for Logistics Integration (ITALI)
Developing new logistics IT architectures to enable more efficient and flexible logistics operations.
Organising Production Technology Into Most Responsive States - 3D Print Machine Enabled Networks (OPTIMOS PRIME)
A major challenge for manufacturing supply networks is that of making operations lean for cost and efficiency reasons while at the same time maintaining a level of responsiveness that enables the organisation(s) to meet demands for customised products, fluctuating requests for spares and repairs and to demonstrate resilience to delays in the supply base in manufacturing operations.
PROduct lifecycle Management and Information tracking using Smart Embedded systems (PROMISE)
PROMISE aimed to develop a new generation of PLM system that uses smart embedded IT systems, allows the seamless flow and transformation of data and information to knowledge and to allow all actors in a product's lifecycle to manage and control product information at any moment of its lifecycle, at any place in the world.
Self-Serving Assets In A Highly Networked Environment (SAHNE)
The SAHNE project aimed to bring the intelligent asset vision alive in the aerospace sector, where parts are self-aware, and have the goal to maximise their life in service by contacting, selecting and procuring service providers autonomously. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Boeing Company.
Cyber-Physical Systems
CDBB Digital Twin Project
This project aims to provide a demonstrator to address the challenges associated with the production of a National Digital Twin (NDT), an ecosystem of connected digital twins, securely sharing infrastructure and built environment data to support better economic and societal outcomes.
Value of Information
Digital Logistics on a Shoestring
This project aimed to increase the digital capabilities of logistics companies using low-cost, easily accessible "off-the-shelf" components.
Information Quality for Asset Management (IQAM)
IQAM was an EPSRC funded project that aimed to develop a methodology and tool to quantify and optimise information quality in the context of asset management to improve the economic sustainability of asset-intensive organisations.
Information Futureproofing
The amount of information created and used in infrastructure and construction sectors is huge and diverse by nature. Organizations need to understand specific requirements for efficient information management throughout infrastructure life cycles and their supply chains.
Strategies for Asset Information Management (SAIM)
SAIM aimed to develop and test new strategies for managing information associated with complex engineering assets. In particular, we aimed to examine and demonstrate the impact of key emerging technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) on the effectiveness with which these assets are managed throughout their lifecycle - particularly during the usage and retirement phases.
Asset Management
Risk-Informed Bridge Management
This research project provided rational means to enable asset managers to evaluate the factors that affect bridge failure risk, select, and prioritise appropriate mitigation measures, and improve the allocation of scare monitoring and maintenance resources.
Statistical Hierarchical Modelling for Industrial Collaborative Prognosis
This thesis explores statistical hierarchical modeling for collaborative prognosis and anomaly detection in industrial asset fleets. By leveraging shared information across assets, hierarchical models improve accuracy for sparse-data assets, outperforming independent and fleet-wide models, with validation on a long-haul truck fleet case study.
Enhancing the Port Efficiency Through 5G and Predictive Data Analysis (5G Ports)
This project brings together the technological advancements in the fields of 5G, IoT and predictive data analytics to improve the efficiency of the operation of the quay cranes at the Port of Felixstowe.
Next Generation Converged Digital Infrastructure (NG-CDI)
This was an ambitious programme geared to create an agile, resilient internet and telecommunications network capable of meeting the future needs of our rapidly changing society and ensure that the UK’s digital infrastructure continues to be world leading.
CDBB Digital Twin Project
This project aims to provide a demonstrator to address the challenges associated with the production of a National Digital Twin (NDT), an ecosystem of connected digital twins, securely sharing infrastructure and built environment data to support better economic and societal outcomes.
Digitally Optimised Through-Life Engineering Services (DO-TES)
Digitally Optimised Through-Life Engineering Services (DO-TES) that embrace legacy TES practices with digital technology, including prognostics, and logistics and inventory management.
Distributed Collaborative Prognostics
The principal aim of this research project is to enable industrial machines with communication, deep-learning and decision making capabilities in order to improve failure prediction in a cost-effective way.
Distributed Workload Planning and Predictive Maintenance
The aim of this project was to develop a model to assist with integrated optimisation of both load allocation and condition-based maintenance in order to maximise system-level profit in the long run.
Predictive Maintenance Under the Conditions of Limited Data Availability
With the scale and need for industrial operations increasing, industrial systems are becoming far more complex than they had ever been. As a consequence, traditional maintenance strategies are not only failing to prevent downtime, they introduce additional costs due to over-maintenance. Predictive maintenance (PdM) aims to address this problem by delivering on the promise of an optimal maintenance policy that allows maintenance to be delayed until the risk of failure is not critical and the performance of the equipment remains unaffected.
Value-Driven Approaches to Portfolio Asset Management
This project aims to establish a value-driven framework that integrates the information across diverse assets to offer evidence-based solutions to the problem of portfolio management which cannot be addressed by existing frameworks for multi-component systems.
Information Management Processes within Asset Management
This project aims to address the challenges provided in industry standard PAS 1192-3 that says organisation should develop asset information requirements by providing a top-down practical methodology for defining asset information requirements.
Maintenance Optimisation for Multi-Component Asset with Fault Propagation
The aim of this research is to design a novel approach for optimizing condition-based maintenance policies for such assets by modelling their deterioration as a multiple dependent deterioration path process.
Dynamic Criticality-Based Maintenance
This project seeks to address the dynamic nature of assets’ criticality by developing a model that will combine several multi criteria decision making techniques to identify factors that influence changes in criticality.
Information Quality for Asset Management (IQAM)
IQAM was an EPSRC funded project that aimed to develop a methodology and tool to quantify and optimise information quality in the context of asset management to improve the economic sustainability of asset-intensive organisations.
Failure Diagnosis and Fault-Data Management for Modern Locomotive Systems
Funded by Hitachi Europe Ltd, this project aimed to develop an intelligent, adaptive, self-learning fault data management approach and fault-diagnosis tool for train systems.
Designing Performance Measures for Engineering Asset Management in Asset-Intensive Production Industry
This project proposed frameworks by refining existing approach of designing performance measures for asset-intensive organisations’ EAM.
Strategies for Asset Information Management (SAIM)
SAIM aimed to develop and test new strategies for managing information associated with complex engineering assets. In particular, we aimed to examine and demonstrate the impact of key emerging technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) on the effectiveness with which these assets are managed throughout their lifecycle - particularly during the usage and retirement phases.
Resilient Architectures for Design and Manufacture
A 4-year project funded by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills looked at ‘how the resilience of novel construction elements and their associated design and manufacturing processes can be improved'?
