When operating an Apache Flink cluster, performance problems may occur on all components of its setup. Reproducing those problems in different software or hardware components and on different nodes requires systematic experiments. We present an Apache Flink cluster benchmark set for server operators which is able to measure the performance of an Apache Flink cluster. This enables spotlighting irregularities in software or hardware behaviour.

Integrated product-service systems become complex sociotechnical services consisting of human and technological components. Existing management approaches are limited as they neglect changing resources and processes during the service lifecycle. The lack of proper procedures and methods going beyond the initial service engineering leads towards unsystematic and low-quality services. This contribution addresses this gap between the real service processes and the underlying service model. The paper will describe a 4-steps procedure model, which defines a framework for synchronization routines in sociotechnical service systems. The methodic approach focuses on the definition and integration of synchronization procedures in addition to standard service development. Besides the theoretical basis, we demonstrate the practicability with a case study.

During the last decades, the drastic changes in market, customer needs, technology and perceptions have stepped the world into an era of innovation, where organizations are continuously striving for an advancement of products, methods or processes to better meet the varying demands of society and keep their edge in a globally competitive environment. The way of innovation is not straight forward and encompasses different obstacles which need to be alleviated in order to design and implement a successful innovation that drives commercial value in the market and brings growth to companies. Subsequently, some dedicated and specialized physical environment is needed to support the innovative activities in a systematic way and minimize the effects of these barriers; this requisite has led to the emergence of innovation laboratories. Currently, a number of innovation laboratories exist around the globe, that are very divergent in terms of capabilities, features and resources; however, this variation and their potential have not been thoroughly investigated. We present the results of a study that identifies the salient features, potential and capabilities of existing innovation laboratories and serves to streamline further research in this domain in order to strengthen their existence and potential, and maximize the use of their innovative services.

The objective of this paper is twofold. The paper initially, based on the findings drawn from in-depth expert interviews with Innovation Laboratory (InnoLab) facilitators in field settings, explores the structural and functional diversity of existing InnoLabs. As a result, a service-based taxonomy of InnoLabs and a catalogue of their differentiating characteristics are constructed herein. Subsequently, the paper builds theory towards the inter-InnoLab collaboration. In this context, at first, the potential benefits of inter-InnoLab collaboration for the participating InnoLabs and their customers are determined. Successively, a roadmap of inter-InnoLab collaboration is constructed encompassing the various possible degrees of mutual integration of InnoLabs.

The path to successful innovation is rocky and paved with obstacles and risks. The adherence to outdated sales channels or lack of adaptation to customer needs led to bankruptcy for a great number of companies. However, there are companies which realized in time that adaptation to constantly changing markets or the creation of new markets is inevitable for being successful. A prominent example is Apple. This company was nearly bankrupt and ranks nowadays among the most valuable companies in the world because new innovative products were developed and, consequently, new markets were created. The software company SAP benefits from innovations as well and, therefore, experienced a real burst of growth. For several decades systematic research on Innovation Management and possible tools and methods is subject of science like summarized by Tidd and Bessant [2009] or Hauschildt and Salomon [2011]. Since about the 90s or even the 80s this knowledge gets used in dedicated innovation laboratories and their number seems to be growing. This laboratories can focus their expertise on the process of innovation. They can provide an ideal environment through tools and methods as well as their knowledge and experience. And as our analysis showed, similar to the big diversity of innovation approaches and fields there is a big diversity between the existing innovation laboratories.

For most goods-producing companies the provision of product-related services is already a necessary commodity (Wildemann 2009). Such services are regarded as necessary attachment to a successful production of goods by most companies. To manage products and services, companies rely on different methods and tools that span the entire lifecycle (Sendler 2009). With the goal of raising efficiency and quality at affordable costs, those methods and tools are implemented or supported with the help of information systems such as PLM/PDM solutions. In this context, it is observed that the development and management of services, even though, they increasingly become a vital part for many companies, is neglected. Furthermore a systematic, tool-supported approach using the existing PLM/PDM-systems can be seen as problem area (Blinn et al. 2009).The objective of our paper is to minimize problems with product related services such as fitting cost estimation, matters of quality control and communication inhouse or with the customer. Therefore, existing management approaches of service engineering (Ganz et al. 2010) need to find their implementation within PLM/PDM systems in a way, that product related services can be handled throughout the lifecycle and interrelationships between product and service (e.g. a maintenance service for a certain sold machine) can be accounted for. Our scope is the establishment of a Service Lifecycle Management for product related services. Our work is based on case study work conducted in the field of engineering that supports the problem and objective. Therefore, as results we can show the validated problem field and exemplary demonstrate with the help of the ARAS Innovator PLM solution (Aras Corporation 2012) and the Service Modeller (Klingner et al. 2011) how product related services can be developed and managed by using a service lifecycle PLM tool. The example focusses especially on the configuration of service components and how service instances can be connected to product data.

The delivery of product-related services is already a necessary commodity for most goods-producing enterprises [1]. These product-related services are regarded as necessary attachment to successful production of goods. Product and service management include different methods and tools that cover the whole lifecycle [2]. Information systems such as Product-Lifecycle Management/Product-Data-Management (PLM/PDM) systems help to support and implement these methods with the aim to raise efficiency and quality at affordable costs. However, there is a gap in modeling product-related services, with the aim to support the development and management of services. These services increasingly become a vital part for many companies, yet are often neglected. The objective of our paper is to reduce problems with product-related services focusing on the modeling of services and their lifecycles in companionship with the lifecycle of the products they support. It can help to solve problems such as fitting cost estimation, matters of quality control and communication in-house or with the customer. Therefore, modeling approaches of service engineering need to find their implementation in PLM/PDM systems, in the way, that the interrelationships between product and service (e.g. a maintenance service for a certain sold machine) can be accounted for. Our work derives from case study work realized in the field of engineering. Therefore, as result, we are able to show exemplarily how this model can be integrated in an existing PLM system [3].