Case study / 2021
An exploration of connected product information across a simulated supply-chain lifecycle.
Context
An Indiana-sponsored pilot initiated by the Indiana Defense Network and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. Mursix led the collaboration with Cummins, Purdue Polytechnic, ICTT System Sciences, and IntelAdvise.
The challenge
Product information is distributed across independent organizations and systems. A design change or warranty failure can require tracing requirements, models, inspection records, and decisions across those boundaries. The pilot explored how a digital thread could preserve that context through the lifecycle.
IntelAdvise contribution
Representing IntelAdvise, Mark Seidman facilitated nine in-depth stakeholder interviews for the regional economic value study, examining adoption barriers, data ownership, and interoperability.
Approach
Using a real Cummins product, the team traced a simulated lifecycle from quotation and design through manufacturing, inspection, production approval, and a warranty failure investigation.
The scenario used a Cummins idler shaft insert. Purdue Polytechnic student groups represented the manufacturer and supplier, communicating with industry participants and tracking exchanges across the scenario.
The team explored model-based frameworks and configurable metadata that could travel with models. The emphasis was on information exchange between separate organizations, not replacing all their existing software with one system.
IntelAdvise's interviews gathered stakeholder perceptions of implementation. The wider study also included team discussions and a regional questionnaire to explore perceived business value and readiness.
Outcomes and learning
The pilot documented how information could support decisions from quoting to a warranty investigation. It demonstrated an approach to lifecycle traceability, not a measured production-wide deployment.
Interviewees identified potential benefits in decision-making, logistics, record-keeping, and use of skilled staff. They also raised challenges around consistent processes, intellectual property, and collaboration between manufacturers and suppliers.
The team recommended continued work on shared information frameworks, standards, model access, awareness, and workforce learning. These were recommendations and anticipated benefits, not quantified efficiency gains.
Related expertise
Investigate user needs, technology adoption, and market opportunities to inform product and commercialization decisions.
Explore Research & Market StrategyBring research, technology, and industry collaborators together around practical innovation challenges.
Explore Public Sector & PartnershipsSupporting context
A video introduction to the Digital Thread for Supply Chain collaboration and its manufacturing context.
Read articleThe 2020 announcement of a $250,000 grant to the team collaborating on Mursix digital thread capabilities, with IntelAdvise, Cummins, Purdue Polytechnic, and ICTT System Sciences.
Read articleDiscuss your organization's research and technology challenges with IntelAdvise.
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