Supplier's cooperation strategy with two competing manufacturers under wholesale price discount contract considering technology investment

Cooperation between upstream suppliers and downstream manufacturers in technology investment is a popular way to improve production technology for reducing suppliers' production costs of key components. Technology investments undertaken by manufacturers and wholesale price discount contract provided by suppliers have an important impact on their cooperation. This paper explores whether a supplier should cooperate with two downstream competing manufacturers to accept their technology investments to reduce the supplier's production cost of a key component. Specifically, we consider the following three cooperation strategies: the supplier does not accept manufacturers' technology investments, only accepts one manufacturer's technology investment and accepts both manufacturers' technology investments. Our results demonstrate that the wholesale price discount contract and the technology investment can enhance the profits of the supplier and two manufacturers when the discount degree is low. Further, we conclude that when the discount degree is relatively low or when the discount degree and the technology investment efficiency are relatively high, the supplier's optimal cooperation strategy with two manufacturers is to accept both manufacturers' technology investments for reducing the supplier's production cost of the key component and both manufacturers are also willing to invest simultaneously. At last, we extend the model to the asymmetric potential market size and show that our theoretical results are robust.

Fringe Projection Profilometry in Production Metrology: A Multi-Scale Comparison in Sheet-Bulk Metal Forming

Fringe projection profilometry in combination with other optical measuring technologies has established itself over the last decades as an essential complement to conventional, tactile measuring devices. The non-contact, holistic reconstruction of complex geometries within fractions of a second in conjunction with the lightweight and transportable sensor design open up many fields of application in production metrology. Furthermore, triangulation-based measuring principles feature good scalability, which has led to 3D scanners for various scale ranges. Innovative and modern production processes, such as sheet-bulk metal forming, thus, utilize fringe projection profilometry in many respects to monitor the process, quantify possible wear and improve production technology. Therefore, it is essential to identify the appropriate 3D scanner for each application and to properly evaluate the acquired data. Through precise knowledge of the measurement volume and the relative uncertainty with respect to the specimen and scanner position, adapted measurement strategies and integrated production concepts can be realized. Although there are extensive industrial standards and guidelines for the quantification of sensor performance, evaluation and tolerancing is mainly global and can, therefore, neither provide assistance in the correct, application-specific positioning and alignment of the sensor nor reflect the local characteristics within the measuring volume. Therefore, this article compares fringe projection systems across various scale ranges by positioning and scanning a calibrated sphere in a high resolution grid.

Investigation of Aerogel Production Processes: Solvent Exchange under High Pressure Combined with Supercritical Drying in One Apparatus

This work aims to contribute to the theoretical and experimental research of supercritical processes for intensification and combination in one apparatus. Investigation is carried out to improve production technology of organic alginate aerogels. It is proposed within the investigation to carry out the solvent exchange stage, an important stage of organic aerogels production, under pressure in a carbon dioxide medium in the same apparatus used for supercritical drying. The phase behavior in the system “carbon dioxide–water–2-propanol”, which arises during such a solvent exchange stage, is studied theoretically. An experimental study of the process of step-by-step solvent exchange under pressure was carried out through multiphase and homogeneous regions of the phase diagram of such a system. As a result, new highly efficient technology for the production of organic aerogels was proposed, which can be implemented by combining the two main stages of the process.

PROBLEMATIC ASPECTS OF DETECTION AND REMOVAL OF TRACES OF BIOLOGICAL ORIGIN (BLOOD), CRIME SCENE WHEN INSPECTING THE SCENE

Traces of biological origin, and in particular the traces of blood "most of the other evidence,” becoming in fact significant and important probative value. In accordance with longstanding practice, their value and functionality of every year repeatedly grows. As is known, the search of micro-objects of biological origin "traces of blood”, is part of the inspection of the scene, taking into consideration the number of certain kinds of features in working with similar biological traces. It is obvious that the specialists in the expert departments are experiencing a number of difficulties in doeks to expert examination-the examination of microscopic objects of biological origin, since they do not have on the one hand, appropriate technical means used during the inspection of the traces at the scene, and on the other hand appropriate external factors. In this article we consider the basic problems arising in the process of detection and removal of traces of biological origin and, in particular traces of blood. Keeping pace with time, we improve production technology, make innovation of technology, improve the technical properties of the devices and thereby improve processes in many areas. The theme of the article is dedicated to in particular, the problem of the improvement and modernisation of technical and criminalistic basis in the process of detecting traces of blood. That is, we want this article, give the soil and the basis for the creation and practical application of this forensic technique that would be called a specialist expert units, on the scene, without difficulty, to detect and removed the traces of biological origin, and in particular traces of blood.

Discussion on Burden Calculation of Ferromanganese Alloy Production

The burden calculation of ferromanganese alloy was calculated based on the slag composition and designed product. The calculation results showed the total error rate of this method was 1.53% and the error rate of ore, coke and silicon was 4.66%, 1.71%, and 5.66% respectively, which was much better than using the traditional elements recovery method with the total error rate was 8.00% and the silicon error rate reached to 18.55%. This new method is more accurate than the traditional method and much closer to the actual production data. And it can apply to different ferroalloy factories because it is based on phase diagram and the mass conservation law. At the same time, the calculation result can reflect the gap between enterprise production craft level and ideal production level. This method has certain reference value to improve production technology, product quality and economic profit of enterprise.