Process planning connects product designs and the production of the designed products. It determines the production cost, quality and production cycle time. Usually one process plan is built and fixed for a unique product design before the production. However in mass customization, the possible number of unique products can be astronomical in order to satisfy diversified individual customer nee...

Mergers or acquisitions tend to complicate the bank’s business portfolio, adding a slew of products and services — many of which overlap with one another. The same goes for IT infrastructure, where multiple core-banking systems collide by offering redundant systems and processes. Without a rationalization and harmonization of the product portfolio and IT systems, it is difficult to achieve any ...

A first-principles DFT study of the electronic structure of the two-chain molecular conductor NMP-TCNQ is reported. It is shown that the charge transfer occurring in this salt is not 1 but 2/3, finally settling the debate concerning the real charge transfer in this molecular metal. These calculations also lead to a simple rationalization of the three different regimes of 2kF and 4kF CDW instabi...