**3. Results**

Referring to the simulation execution steps, defining simulation objectives (1), identifying the system/process (2), and collecting data (3) have already been defined in previous sections. The research goal was to optimize the throughput time of the paints and coatings development process.

Different development processes (which are performed in practice by individual companies) without the use of the latest cloud-based ICT, can be roughly separated into two variants of the process:


A dissection of the process execution variants into key activities and the possible support of their execution with appropriate ICT equipment is presented in Table 1.

**Table 1.** Key activities of process variants and their support with information and communication technologies (ICT).


Since the research goal was to analyze the throughput time of the development process execution, data about the structure of individual activity times in the process were collected: waiting time, orientation time, and processing time. In the branching or aggregating processes, the probability assessment was also obtained (Table 2).

On the basis of the collected data and targeted interviews (with leading employees in the processes), the simulation model (4) in the Aris tool was designed. The simulation model is shown in Figure 4. The figure represents a value-added diagram of the existing process in three levels of decomposition. The improvement of the process is presented below.

The process model was validated and verified (5) with a dynamic simulation of the process execution. The process model segmen<sup>t</sup> during the simulation and part of the results report are shown in Figure 5.

The simulation was carried out for a period of one working year (231 working days, eight hours per day). The simulation results were completed within 14 min. These theoretical results were compared with the actual results achieved by the companies in question. Also, the transition time for a successfully executed repetition of the process and the number of successful process executions in one year were compared. The simulation results were consistent with the actual data, so the simulation model of the existing state could be verified. A possible error can only be relative to the execution time of individual activities. By collecting data through multiple iterations of an information supported process, this error will be eliminated.

**Table 2.** Activity time estimates and the probability of new product development process without ICT support.


1 The probability of executing an individual activity according to the decisions during the process. Except in the case of activity "10," there was a probability that the activity was included in the process. In merged fields, probabilities for activities that were executed in parallel (at the same time) were found.

**Figure 4.** Model overview of the existing new product development process without the support of ICT. (Due to the size of the process model, only two segments of the detailed process model are shown; the entire model is shown in Appendix A).


**Figure 5.** The segmen<sup>t</sup> of the existing process model and part of the dynamic simulation results.

*Processes* **2019**, *7*, 539

For the purpose of simulating (6) the impact of the proposed changes on the process execution, an appropriate model of the renewed process was developed (shown in Figure 6). It took into account the possibilities offered by the inclusion of process support with modern ICT and the use of a cloud-based database, which allowed for the changed sequence of key activities execution in the process (Table 3). This significantly influenced the time required for the successful execution of the renewed process.

**Figure 6.** The model overview of the modified (renewed) new product development process with ICT support and the use of a cloud-based database. (Due to the size of the process model, only one segmen<sup>t</sup> of the detailed process model is shown; the entire model is shown in Appendix B).


**Table 3.** Key activities of the new product development process with ICT support and the use of cloud-based database.

The process was checked in a medium-sized company which develops and produces paints and coatings using this technical enabler [41]. The tool is used to help with the safety data sheets preparation in developing new products [42]. The company can eliminate formulations that will be inadequate, in terms of environmental hazards or cost, in the first stage of the development process. It must be noted that the local database includes a finite amount of the raw materials data that are currently available. The results of the process verification confirmed the simulation results.

The impact of changes on the throughput time was verified by static simulation execution. The simulation of a new product development process without ICT support (taking into account the data in Table 2), as well as a simulation of the renewed process with cloud-based ICT support (taking into account the data in Table 4), were executed.


**Table 4.** Activity time estimates and the probability of the new product development process with ICT support and the use of a cloud-based database.

1 The probability of executing an individual activity according to the decisions during the process. Except in the case of activity "10," there was a probability that the activity was included in the process. In merged fields, probabilities for activities that were executed in parallel (at the same time) were found. 2 On the basis of an automatic calculation between the paint and coating formulations, the activity does not need extra time, so the parameter value is 0.

Table 5 presents the results of the executed simulation (7) for the new product development process without ICT support and for the renewed process with appropriate ICT support and a cloud-based database.


**Table 5.** Results of the new product development process static simulation without ICT support and results with ICT support and the use of a cloud-based database.

Based on the comparison of both simulations results (Table 5), the following conclusions about the executed simulation can be drawn (8); the inclusion of the appropriate ICT support and cloud-based database in the new product development process execution results in the following:



**Figure 7.** Gantt chart comparison of the existing new product development process (gray) and the modified (renewed) process (green).

Additionally, some other advantages of the renewed process were observed: environmental friendliness, lower cost, innovative, broader offerings, the possibility of manufacturing excellent (optimal) products, the ability to track progress, and a greater possibility of manufacturing niche products in smaller series.

A reduced number of laboratory tests leads to efficient reduction of the waste quantity generated during laboratory tests. Therefore, it helps to reduce the pollution degree (environmental advantage). Laboratory tests are much more expensive than computer simulations. The reason is the price of equipment, human work, energy, and materials (cost advantage). The repetitive work performed by formulators in the laboratory is tiring. With a reduced number of repetitions, formulators have more time to develop new products (innovative advantage).

Smaller companies that have insufficient laboratory capacities can also develop excellent products; there are 3865 such companies in the EU [43] (broader offerings). When the raw materials database is complete (containing thousands or tens of thousands of raw materials), the possibility that optimal raw materials will be selected for a certain product is much greater than in cases in which a formulator executes laboratory tests only from a selection of dozens or hundreds of raw materials (e.g., only those with which they are familiar or those that exist in their local database (manufacturing optimal products)). When the data exist in a global database, manufacturers have their own interest in constantly updating that database. In such a way, companies always have access to the most up-to-date raw materials data. The data changes are accessible to all users (the ability to track progress). The demand for such products increases constantly. In such a manner, it is possible to work on the engineering-to-order (EtO) principle and to use the mass customization principle (manufacturing niche products).

#### **4. Discussion and Conclusions**

In this research (which was performed in 2018), models of paints and coatings development processes in international companies were mapped. Data about development process's throughput times and data about the structure of process activities throughput times were collected. Moreover, data about return-loops in processes were ascertained. Significant differences were found between ICT-supported processes and processes executed in the classical way.

Static and dynamic temporal analyses were prepared. The analysis results showed that the most time was saved by a reduction in often-repetitious and time- and resource-consuming laboratory testing activities. According to customer requirements for products with better functionality, laboratory testing activities are necessary. Additionally, there is an increasing supply of raw materials (binders, pigments, additives, solvents and fillers), which lead to more complex development processes. Environmental acceptability and product price are determined only after the laboratory tests (in the classic process), and because of that, more laboratory tests in the development process are necessary. If, upon the completion of a laboratory test, all these properties are not within the limits of expectation and product functionality (both in terms of its functional use and its potential success on the market), the development process returns to the beginning. With requests for shorter processes, companies are faced with a di fficult problem: "How can customer requests be fulfilled in a more streamlined manner?"

Companies try to solve the problem by the shortening of individual laboratory tests. In the literature, one can find many innovative solutions that companies either already use or plan to introduce. The majority of these ideas are connected with new technologies or equipment. This can enable the shortening of individual laboratory tests and consequently shorten the development process. However, this is not the final solution to the problem. Because of the increasing complexity of development processes, the implementation of technological changes is not sufficient. Too many, ultimately unnecessary, laboratory tests are regularly undertaken, which slows down the process and can be wasteful in terms of time and materials.

In the present study, an alternative approach to problem resolution was explored. This was the digitalization concept, which is already used in other industries and has yielded excellent results. The fact that technology itself cannot o ffer the final solution to the problem was also taken into consideration. Technology can only become the "technical enabler," which leads to a renovation of the processes, allowing them to become radically more e fficient. To this end, two knowledge areas were explored in detail: new technologies and business processes renovation.

The latest findings on business processes renovation were reviewed. It was found that radical improvements can be achieved by reducing the number of activities. It was also ascertained that laboratory tests are often repeated, and they are on the processes critical path. Accordingly, the focus was shifted to the reduction of the number of laboratory tests, which can be accomplished through adequate selection of formulations ahead of time, before entering the lab. As the environmental acceptability and product price, mainly depend on the raw materials, these can be calculated without laboratory testing. Therefore, it is possible to find which formulations are not acceptable from an environmental or economic standpoint, and they can be excluded from further consideration. Only those formulations that are environmentally and economically acceptable can be included in laboratory testing. This leads to a radical reduction in laboratory testing repetitions and also enables e fficient reduction of the development process throughput time.

However, a necessary condition for the approach mentioned above is digital access to relevant, up-to-date, and complete, useable data on raw materials. It was explored whether accessible databases exist and it was found that the majority of data from various manufacturers are publicly available only in the form of safety data sheets, which must be enclosed with the substances or products. However, these data are mainly available in unstructured forms (PDF format), and as such are useless for formulation purposes, because combining data in unstructured documents is time-consuming and impractical. Formulators prefer to execute laboratory tests because that is often easier than searching through a large quantity of data on raw materials, which then will not be laboratory-relevant.

Therefore, technology that enabled rapid, e fficient access to relevant data was explored and an ICT solution that supports the development process through the creation of technical documentation (safety data sheets and print labels) found. This technical enabler is unique because it not only supports the creation of technical documentation in PDF format (based on local documents), but also enables the use of global databases. These global databases could be filled with data from raw materials manufacturers and are used by companies that produce paints and coatings when they prepare safety data sheets. Safety data sheets are not in PDF format, but exist in a structured form. Technical documentation is thus only presented as a printout. Formulators can prepare formulations and simultaneously observe all product characteristics. When data about raw material prices are available, the product price can also be calculated.

It was found that the technical enabler could be used in the initial stages of the development process, when the formulator designs the formulation. Instead of executing laboratory tests on a large quantity of formulations and checking the environmental and economic acceptability of formulations only after laboratory tests have been completed, the process was reversed. In the beginning, simulations of possible formulations were prepared using the technical enabler platform. Then, only those formulations that were within the range of tolerance, in terms of hazards and price points, were included in analog laboratory testing. The result was a large number of virtual simulations and a small number of actual laboratory tests. When the data for simulations were accessible, up-to-date simulations could be performed in a very short time and with no waste in terms of materials and non-value-added time. Therefore, the "vision" is to encourage raw materials manufacturers to import the product data into the cloud-based database, where data will be accessible to all formulators. When critical mass is achieved, the greater advantages of this approach will become evident in practice.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, T.K.; methodology, T.K. and B.U.; software, B.U.; validation, T.K., E.K., and B.U.; formal analysis, E.K. and B.U.; investigation, E.K., M.S., and B.U.; resources, T.K.; data curation, T.K. and B.U.; writing—original draft preparation, E.K., M.S., and B.U.; writing—review and editing, T.K.; visualization, B.U.; supervision, T.K.; project administration, T.K. All authors (T.K., E.K., M.S., and B.U.) read and approved the final manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors are grateful to the Laboratory of Enterprise Engineering, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor for supporting the project. The authors would also like to thank Noah Charney for proof-reading the article.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
