University-industry collaboration for radical innovation in flat glass manufacturing

Mature materials industries such as steel and flat glass manufacture often exhibit a "dichotomy" between upstream, inflexible, continuous manufacturing processes, designed for high volume and low cost, and specialized down stream processing and discrete part fabrication steps. In periods of increasing user demand for diverse part types with decreased lot size, this dichotomy exacerbates the need for radical technological innovation to achieve manufacturing flexibility required for delivery to customer schedules while maintaining control on inventories. The current study assesses the manufacturing systems in the flat glass industry exhibiting this dichotomy, with the objective to understand its behavior and thus determine opportunities for stimulating radical innovation.