Digitalizing research and development in manufacturing sector

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, February, 2021Cataloged from the official version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 145-152).This thesis addresses the topic of data utilization and data analytics in research and development (R&D) functions of the manufacturing sector. Many companies in the manufacturing sector have generated significant quantities of data in their histories, but only a tiny part of these data is utilized. With the significant progress in big data analytics and machine learning, the companies in the manufacturing sector are able to upgrade their R&D capability by establishing a system to better collect and analyze their data. Using machine learning can tremendously enhance R&D's capability in interpreting data and giving recommendations regarding solutions. The data system could also help improve an R&D organization's productivity by significantly reducing repeated work. This thesis designs an R&D system that collects R&D data by lab automation, analyzes data by built-in machine learning algorithms, and provides recommendations by gathering inputs for development targets. This thesis also covers aspects of knowledge management within the corporation when implementing such a data system. The organizational capability to implement this data system is also discussed.by Xuedong Li.S.M. in Engineering and ManagementS.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Progra