Running Head: WHAT HAS MODULAR TECHNOLOGY
What Has Modular Technology Done in the Enterprise Setting?
Wesley Adams
Western Kentucky University
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WHAT HAS MODULAR TECHNOLOGY
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Abstract
To help cope with the ever-changing enterprise environments and technology, there has been a
shift towards adopting modular systems. Due to the nature of modular systems, they have
dynamic capabilities and are more scalable than a lot of traditionally made machines. Modular
systems can provide many benefits to a business and this paper’s purpose is to let the reader
know how they can figure out if these technologies are a good fit for their company.
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What Has Modular Technology Done in the Enterprise Setting?
This paper has a few main points, the first of which is to help the reader understand what
exactly modular technology is. Next comes explaining the purpose of these modular technologies
and how they have been created to suit business purposes. After that I’ll move to the financial
aspects of switching to modular systems, helping the reader to figure out if a switch would be
good for their business.
Defining Modular Technology
Before any decisions can be made about whether a company should adopt modular
technologies it is necessary to explain what exactly that includes. The computer-specific
definition of modular on Dictionary.com is, “composed of software or hardware modules that
can be altered or replaced without affecting the remainder of the system” (Definition of Modular.
(n.d.). The reality of modular systems that are currently available is quite a bit more complex
than this simple definition would suggest, but it is still fitting as it outlines the basics. To say that
a system is modular just means that it is made of independently functioning parts, that can be
anything from a physical component of an assembly line to automated supply chain management
software.
On the surface modular systems may not sound very special but due to the independent
nature of the parts that combine to make modular systems, many of these are highly compatible
and interchangeable. This is a major difference from traditional systems that are either bought
wholesale and supported by an external company or completely developed in-house for use by a
company. All of this leads to customizable machines and systems that have a high chance of
successfully integrating with each other to make systems more specific to a business’s needs.
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Benefits of Modular Technology for Businesses
These various parts and systems are all made with the rest of the market in mind so they
have standardized designs that can come together in a number of ways that can fit the needs of
any company. Not only can these custom systems be created to cater to specific needs, but also
they are often times reconfigurable. Systems that are classified as reconfigurable can be modified
in a remarkably short amount of time.
Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs) are designed to allow the rapid
adjustment of production capacity and functionality in response to new circumstances, by
adapting the functionality of their machining devices, by reconfiguring the arrangement
of their machines, and even by modifying the building structure of the manufacturing
system (Schmidt, 2015.)
Reconfigurable and Recyclable Systems
Being reconfigurable is a big advantage to a company for multiple reasons. If a hardware
unit breaks then it is possible to replace that with a compatible part from another existing system.
It’s also easier for a company to upgrade systems, there is no need to replace entire lines or
systems simultaneously if the company doesn’t have the resources to make that possible,
productivity can be improved one piece at a time. With all these parts moving around old
equipment can be recycled into new systems, extending their use and saving company money.
There are multiple steps to reconfiguring a system and while the parts are made to go
together it is still a bit more than just plug and play. Once a physical system has been altered it is
still necessary to modify how it communicates to the hardware, through the software. “Machine
reconfiguration takes place at three levels: reconfiguration of the mechanical platform, the
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control hardware, and the control software. The mechanical reconfiguration of the platform is
currently a manual process” (Padayachee, J., Bright, G., & Masekamela, I., 2009). It takes some
work to repurpose system parts but with traditional systems it is nearly impossible since you
must usually use a proprietary part from a specific vendor, so interchangeable systems have quite
the advantage in that department.
Web Applications
All sorts of web applications have been rapidly developing and are becoming more
important every day, it is necessary for a system to be compatible with these applications in
order to use these convenient services. I’ve already discussed how modular hardware is made in
a standardized fashion in which the pieces are made to go together, the same applies to software
with modular systems. Developers are aware that their applications will be used together in a
mixture with others and need to be highly compatible in order to make that possible. Also as web
services have become more prominent they have become more useful, like their functions on
embedded devices. By being able to connect embedded devices into a company network, it
becomes possible to perform services that were never possible before, most notably remote
device monitoring and control.
The use of the Service-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm implemented through Web
Service (WS) technologies is not new especially for high-level systems. However, due to
the powerful networked embedded devices, we can now have the same capabilities at the
device layer . . . it is not feasible nor wished to engage towards tackling the heterogeneity
and idiosyncrasies of devices but rather stay at abstract functional level, i.e. that of
services. This will enable third party service providers to provide much better and highperformance implementation of their services (since they know the specifics of the device
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much better) and therefore enable a decoupled parallel evolution of devices and
enterprise systems coupled only by standardized services; a win–win situation
(Karnouskos, 2012).
Cloud computing is term that is used to describe the range of remote services available to
the enterprise world today. There are three classifications for the way cloud computing can
function: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a
Service (IaaS). There are plenty of different service providers so there are no real restrictions on
where a business finds a service or how they manage to use it throughout their systems as long as
the applications are compatible.
Cloud Services (CS) are delivered by the specific service providers and are consumed by
consumers in real time over the World Wide Web. In this context, the ubiquity and the
variety of CSs impose a form of collaboration between actors at Cloud Computing layers.
The two main characteristics of potential Cloud critical infrastructure, which differentiate
it from traditional Integrating Software Agents and Web Services in Service Oriented
Architecture Based Cloud Services Discovery Framework enterprise infrastructure are
pay-per-use payment model and automated management services (Nabeeh, El-Ghareeb,
& Riad, 2015).
These cloud computing services and other network functions are carried throughout the
different network layers of a company similarly to the way information is carried through
machines in the Network OSI Model. The actual procedure of how a business process would
work through this are similar to how a process would have been carried out before, but
modernized and likely more efficiently. For a process to start it needs to be engaged by an agent,
likely an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in a modular system. Dictionary.com has
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another perfect definition for an ERP system, “Any software system designed to support and
automate the business processes of medium and large businesses. This may include
manufacturing, distribution, personnel, project management, payroll, and financials” (Definition
of ERP System, n.d.).Once an ERP system starts a process it will send a request to the web
service (can be external CS company), which will then forward the needed information to
internetwork agents and internal machines; that includes the embedded devices that are webaccess enabled.
Figure 1. Business processes that include web services. From “Realising next-generation web
service-driven industrial systems,” by Karnouskos, 2012, The International Journal of Advanced
Manufacturing Technology, 60(1-4) p. 411.
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I’ve included Figure 1 to illustrate a common procedure like I described in the previous
paragraph. ERP system starts a process that goes to the web services that it needs to and then
moves necessary data and web services onto devices that are included in the network. Another
way of describing these meshing wireless networks is the Internet of Things (IoT) as can be seen
on the diagram, IoT can be split up into three sections. Automatic sensing and communication
between devices, middleware which includes lots common functions that are shared by many
applications and services, and the application layer, which is the specific software application for
a given process, these are the ways that the IoT works together to improve web service based
processes. (Souleiman & Edward, 2015).
Financial Impact of Implementing Modular Systems
I’ve already discussed some of the benefits of switching to modular systems but now I’ll
get to the part that really matters to business owners, will changing to this kind of technology
help the company increase revenue? It should, but there’s a bit more to the problem a simple yes
or no answer. “Selection of the most appropriate assembly system can offer enormous benefits in
terms of product quality, cost reduction, and manufacturing productivity. However, selecting the
right system for a product depends on a large number of factors” (Heilala, Helin, & Montinen,
2006).
Even with modular technology it is as important as ever for a company to research what
existing systems would work most efficiently, it is important that money is spent on the most
relevant parts. That shouldn’t be much of a problem since many of these parts and software are
reconfigurable and highly compatible, but there is still potential to have a problem if ordering
blindly because it is impossible to make anything universally compatible. “The ability to
effectively identify cost drivers and manage cost reductions is a competitive advantage, and this
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should be done as early as possible in the assembly system concept evaluation and selection
phase” (Heilala, Helin, & Montinen, 2006). Luckily there are tools that exist to make this easier.
Simulation
One of the big advantages to modular systems is that it is possible to accurately simulate
how the parts will fit together, if they will be compatible, and even how much money they will
cost. One of the more prominent applications for this is Cppsim System Simulator, a program
created with C++. Cppsim uses a graphical interface so it is fairly intuitive compared to
alternatives and best of all it is free for anyone to use.
C++ is well recognized as an excellent language for representing complex systems due to
its object oriented nature and fast execution speed, but is often considered difficult for
new users. CppSim removes such difficulty by providing a simple and efficient approach
to automating much of the code generation process . . . For many systems, the users can
simply connect existing modules within the graphical environment provided (Learning
More About The CppSim System Simulator, n.d.).
Standardized Pieces
I touched on the standardization of modular parts earlier when I was discussing how this
is to the benefit of a company, I didn’t really get into why that leads to financial boosts though.
Parts are generally open-source and refined based on past performances, all the manufacturer is
doing most of the time is tweaking a design and producing it. Because of this open way of doing
things there is no single vendor or manufacturer that holds an unfair grip on the market, there are
plenty of places to go to get a part or application that meets the needs of a company. If a
traditional system ever breaks and there is no replacement ready to buy from the company selling
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proprietary parts then though luck, but such a long turnaround would never be a problem for
modular systems. Being reconfigurable and scalable are other traits that are advantageous to
companies using modular systems, it is possible to upgrade them slowly instead of replacing
entire systems at once which can be costly and be confusing to employees.
Conclusion
Modular systems are exciting technologies that have developed a lot and are quite fit for
the enterprise setting. Features such as standardized parts that are often reconfigurable and
extremely scalable make these systems that are both more efficient and cost-effective than
traditional systems. I would not hesitate to recommend upgrading to modular systems to any
business owner and hopefully the tools I have mentioned will help the reader to figure out if the
switch is feasible for their company.
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References
Definition of Modular. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2015, from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/enterprise+resource+planning
Definition of Modular. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2015, from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/modular
Heilala, J., Helin, K., & Montonen, J. (2006). Total cost of ownership analysis for modular
final assembly systems. International Journal of Production Research, 44(18-19), 39673988.
Karnouskos, S. (2012). Realising next-generation web service-driven industrial systems. The
International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 60(1-4), 409-419.
Learning More About The CppSim System Simulator. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2015, from
http://www.cppsim.com/about_cppsim.html
Nabeeh, N., El-Ghareeb, H., & Riad, A. (2015). Integrating Software Agents and Web
Services in Service Oriented Architecture Based Cloud Services Discovery Framework.
Journal of Convergence Information Technology, 60-79.
Padayachee, J., Bright, G., & Masekamela, I. (2009). MODULAR RECONFIGURABLE
MACHINE TOOLS: DESIGN, CONTROL AND EVALUATION. South African
Journal of Industrial Engineering, 127-143.
Schmidt, K. (2015). Computation of supervisors for reconfigurable machine tools. Discrete
Event Dynamic Systems, 25(1/2), 125-158.
WHAT HAS MODULAR TECHNOLOGY
Suleiman, H., & Edward, C. (2015). Thingsonomy: Tackling Variety in Internet of Things
Events. IEEE Internet Computing, 19(2), 10-18.
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