Country Of Manufacture Research Articles

Digital Transformation of Enterprises in the Mode of IoT - A Case Study of Haier

With the advent of the Internet of Things era, China, as the largest manufacturing country, should actively carry out digital transformation to enhance the independent innovation ability, improve industrial structure, and optimize the quality and level of the existing manufacturing industry in order to enhance the brand competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises. This paper will provide a reference for other companies by examining the digital transformation path of Haier, the leader of Chinese home appliances, under the IoT model. This paper uses the case study method to analyze Haier's own business situation in recent years vertically by studying its digital transformation in terms of products and finances, and horizontally by comparing Haier's business situation with that of companies in the same industry. The study has found that changing business strategies based on the needs of the IoT era, constantly adjusting and optimizing internal structures and management models of enterprises, can help carry out digital transformation of enterprises in today's era.

Digital Transformation Motivations and Pathways for Manufacturing Enterprises: A Case Study of Lenovo Group

In the 2022 Government Work Report, the emphasis on "strengthening the core competitiveness of manufacturing" underscores the significance of robustly developing digital transformation in the manufacturing sector, which stands as a cornerstone of our national economy. The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 adversely affected our country's manufacturing industry. However, some digitally mature enterprises displayed resilience and vitality, thereby stimulating traditional manufacturing companies to embark on digital transformation. This paper selects Lenovo Group as the subject of study for two reasons: firstly, Lenovo Group represents a traditional manufacturing enterprise, and secondly, Lenovo Group stands out as an exemplary enterprise in the field of digital transformation in 2023. This paper investigates the internal motivations of Lenovo Group for digital transformation, including suboptimal results in mergers and acquisitions integration and a lack of core technologies in the "trade, work, and technology" research. It also examines external motivations, such as robust support from national policies and intensified industry competition. The paper analyzes the pathway to Lenovo Group's digital transformation, encompassing data intelligence, intelligentization of the upstream and downstream supply chain, and the expansion of digital transformation consultancy services, with the aim of providing insights for other manufacturing companies undergoing digital transformation.

Study on energy use and carbon emission from manufacturing of OPC and blended cements in India.

The demand for production of cements is ever increasing to meet the infrastructure development globally. The energy and emission factors available for cements in most of the life cycle assessment (LCA) databases may not exactly suit for all the geographical locations. The main challenge in Indian scenario is the absence of database for LCA study. This study attempts to develop the energy and emission factors for the manufacturing of cements in Indian context. In the present study, five different cement manufacturing plants located in north, south, east, west and central zones of India are considered to assess the energy dissipation and carbon dioxide emission involved during the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Most of the data is collected from the field, so that the energy and emission factors determined will be suitable for the zonal study. The study is then extended to assess the energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission for three blended cements, viz. Portland Pozzolan cement (PPC), Portland slag cement (PSC) and composite cement (CC) with permissible known replacement levels of fly ash, granulated blast furnace slag and both fly ash and slag, respectively. The average energy use and carbon emission is found to be on higher side in India by 15.14% and 12.64%, respectively, compared to other countries in manufacturing of cements. An average energy consumption in manufacturing of PPC, PSC and CC is found to be respectively 24.5%, 35.3% and 43.13% less compared to that of OPC. The CO2 emission intensity for OPC is found to vary between 893 and 940kg/tonne of cement from five different zones, and an average of respectively 24.8%, 40.97% and 47.18% lower CO2 emission was observed from PPC, PSC and CC compared to OPC. From the inventory results, CC has proven to be a more sustainable cement with low energy consumption and lower CO2 emission compared to other cements.

Analysis of the inclusion of therapeutic nutrition products in the list for subsidized provision for disabled children in the Russian Federation for 2016-2024

The article is devoted to the analysis of the inclusion of specialized therapeutic nutrition products (STNP) in the list for subsidized provision for disabled children in the Russian Federation for the period from 2016 to 2024. The analysis is based on data regarding the registration and inclusion of STNP in the state list, and also considers changes in the legislation governing this process. The distribution of products by nosological groups, country of manufacture, and the average time from registration to inclusion in the list has been analyzed. The results demon- strated a significant increase in the number of domestic STNPs and the expansion of the geography of foreign manufacturers, which contributes to the improvement of the quality of provision for disabled children. It is also noted that there has been a substantial reduction in the time from registration to inclusion of STNPs in the list, indicating the optimization of relevant procedures and an increase in the time- liness of access to necessary products. The findings of this analysis contribute to a deeper understanding of the current state and development trends of the STNP market in the Russian Federation.

Cabin Assembly Balancing Line on Welding Using Ranked Positional Weight Method

The Indonesian automotive industry has become an essential pillar in the country's manufacturing sector. As production capacity increases, problems will also increase, including disparities in the level of efficiency and productivity of each sub-sector of the manufacturing industry in Indonesia. This problem occurs due to the need for a good process path, such as the uneven distribution of work tasks machines in the work process so that it is possible to harm the company, so a solution is needed to increase the efficiency of the production line. This research aims to improve production efficiency, particularly concerning the use of electricity costs and operator wages on the cabin type S L assembly line, by applying the Ranked Positional Weight (RPW) method. The research phases include data collection, analysis, processing, and evaluation. Based on the SL-type cabin calculations using the RPW method, the track efficiency improved by 4.69% from the initial conditions, while the track effectiveness increased by 75.02% to 79.71%. Increased the production line efficiency has impacted on the decrease in production costs Rp. 13,827,249/month.

Mismatch Between Anthropometric Measurements of Occupational Drivers in Southwest Nigeria and Vehicle Seat Design Parameters

Most commercial vehicles used for transportation are not manufactured in Nigeria. As a result, the design of these vehicles, which relies on anthropometric measurements from the manufacturing countries, does not adequately accommodate the variations in anthropometric measurements of Nigerian drivers. This mismatch can lead to ergonomic risk and musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, this study investigated the level of mismatch between drivers’ anthropometric characteristics and seat design variables of selected commercial vehicles. A total of 161 male drivers were randomly selected, and data was collected using standard Nordic questionnaires. The anthropometric characteristics of the drivers were measured using a stadiometer and measuring tape. Seat design variables were also measured using a tape rule and steel rule. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis, including the calculation of means, standard deviations, and 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles of the anthropometric measurements. The results revealed the average anthropometric measurements for sitting height (erect), sitting height (normal), shoulder height, buttock-knee length, and buttock-popliteal length to be 83.01, 77.86, 52.71, 57.07, and 50.20 cm, respectively. Comparing the results of the seat variables with the relevant anthropometric characteristics, a mismatch in the measurements was observed. This led to the conclusion that the existing commercial vehicle seats in the Southwest region are not compatible with the anthropometric dimensions of the drivers.

CO2 emission of polycarboxylate superplasticizers (PCEs) used in concrete

At an annual production of ∼15 million tons, polycarboxylate (PCE) based superplasticizers (cement dispersants) present the most widely used concrete admixture. In this paper, their carbon footprint was quantified considering the three most common kinds of PCE polymers, namely methacrylate ester (MPEG), methallyl ether (HPEG) and isoprenol ether (IPEG) based PCEs produced in four major manufacturing countries: EU-27, US, Japan and China. A cradle-to-gate approach was applied to estimate CO2 emissions from raw materials extraction to PCE fabrication. On this basis, and depending on their chemical composition and country-specific electricity grid CO2 emission factors, their carbon footprints were calculated. The results show a strong dependence on the kind of PCE, their structural design as well as the producing country. For all PCEs, the main components ethylene oxide, unsaturated acids (methacrylic/acrylic acid) and NaOH were found to be mainly responsible for the entire CO2 footprint. The average total CO2 emissions of the three kinds of PCEs vary between 2.98 ± 0.54 kg CO2/kg (MPEG), 2.48 ± 0.48 kg CO2/kg (HPEG), and 2.40 ± 0.47 kg CO2/kg (IPEG). Evidently, MPEG PCEs reveal the highest footprint which is owed to methacrylic acid whereas HPEG and IPEG PCEs contain acrylic acid. The range of total CO2 emissions is caused by significant differences in the carbon footprints of the electrical grids in various countries. An impact study revealed that at common field dosages the contribution of PCEs to the CO2 balance of a standard concrete (CO2 footprint ∼ 300 kg CO2/m3) varies between approx. 3 and 22 kg CO2/m3 in Europe, with ready-mix type PCEs contributing more than precast concrete PCEs. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the CO2 footprint of PCE superplasticizers can be reduced by almost 80% if predominantly renewable energy is used in the chemical industry.

Quality of medicines in Sri Lanka: a retrospective review of safety alerts

BackgroundMany medicine quality problems are detected after they arrive at health facilities. Thus, critically defective medicines that may pose health risks to patients need to be withheld or recalled.AimsTo investigate the withheld and recalled medicines in relation to the types of defects, their total numbers, therapeutic categories, pharmaceutical dosage forms, and country of manufacturer during the study period.MethodsA retrospective review was performed on withheld and recalled medicines published on the publicly available National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) official website in Sri Lanka between June 2018 and August 2021. Details on substandard medicines (SM) were extracted and documented. Each record of SM was individually reviewed to determine the type of defect, subsequent action taken by NMRA, therapeutic category, pharmaceutical dosage form, and country of manufacturer.ResultsA total of 163 defects were identified in 143 defective medicines, among which the most common types of defects were contamination (n = 59, 36.2%), stability defects (n = 41, 25.2%), packaging and labelling defects (n = 27, 16.6%) and active pharmaceutical ingredient defects (n = 26, 15.9%). Out of 143 total defective medicines identified, anti-infectives accounted for 41.9%, while parenteral preparations (44.0%) were found to be frequently defective. Nearly 70% of the recalled and withheld medicines were of Indian origin, and some manufacturers were identified to be repeatedly involved.ConclusionsThis study revealed that contamination was the most frequent cause of defective medicines, while parenteral preparations and anti-infectives were the most susceptible pharmaceutical dosage form and therapeutic category found to be substandard, respectively. In addition, the findings show that some manufacturers were accountable for repetitive withholdings and recalls, which reflects the ignorance of quality control measures and weak regulatory inspections as a violation of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

The economic costs of trade sanctions: Evidence from North Korea

This paper investigates the economic costs of the recent United Nations sanctions on North Korea. Exploiting a novel data set on North Korean firms, we construct measures of regional exposure to export and intermediate input sanctions and show that trade sanctions cause sharp declines in local nighttime luminosity. Additional analysis of newly available product-level price data reveals that import sanctions led to significant increases in market prices. We then estimate a quantitative spatial equilibrium model using cross-region variations. The model implies that the sanctions reduced the country's manufacturing output by 12.9% and real income by 15.3%. We further quantify the potential impact of alternative sanction scenarios.

Computational study of multiphase flow in cement plant gas conditioning towers: a review

Gas conditioning towers (GCTs) or cooling towers have broad industrial applicability, especially in the cement industry. Most cement factories deal with the same problems faced by other factories. However, the solutions to these problems are barely internationally published and have not received much attention, meaning a lot of time and money is spent on researching previous solutions. Iran is among the top ten cement manufacturing countries in the world. Therefore, many of these problems have occurred in Iranian cement factories. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of studies in this field over the last couple of decades, with a particular focus on advances in Iran. The most important findings in the literature are summarised in order to suggest the best possible solutions for improving the performance and lifetime of GCTs and decreasing common problems such as dust build-up and wet bottom. Numerical methods for modelling different aspects of GCTs are reviewed. The results can be used to reduce water and energy consumption, air pollution and the repair and maintenance costs of cement factories.

Technological innovation toward sustainability in manufacturing organizations: A circular economy perspective

Technological innovation has been widely recognized both as a trigger and catalyzer towards sustainability. However, hardly ever manufacturing companies are ready and mature enough to employ technological innovations in their processes and business. Given the relevance of technological innovation in pursuing sustainability, it is hard to comprehend what are the prominent factors affecting the role of technological innovation to address sustainability and prioritize them. Therefore, the prime purpose of this study, applied to an emerging economy, is to analyze the contributions of technological innovation toward sustainability in manufacturing organizations with a circular economy (CE) perspective. To address this objective, a questionnaire has been developed and conducted, also using the Grey VIKOR method and a sensitivity analysis. The findings from the study illustrate that entrepreneurship direction towards innovation and market direction towards innovation are the two potential factors of technological innovation towards sustainability. The implications highlight that CE, sustainable education and stakeholder engagement solutions can be crucial to the competitiveness of a developing country's manufacturing businesses.

Literature Review on Smart Manufacturing Upgrades for Manufacturing Enterprises

Smart manufacturing is an important way to achieve a strong manufacturing country and a power engine to promote the rapid development of the country's secondary industry economy. As smart manufacturing enters the stage of comprehensive promotion, there is an urgent need to put forward reasonable suggestions for the measurement of capability elements and their evolution. This paper compares the research results about the leap of smart manufacturing hierarchy in recent years, summarizes the issues related to smart manufacturing from the connotation, development paradigm, role mechanism, capability elements and hierarchy, and discusses the future research directions about the leap of smart manufacturing hierarchy.

Critical analysis of ginkgo preparations: comparison of approved drugs and dietary supplements marketed in Germany

Demographic change is taking place in the population of western industrialized countries, and the population is aging constantly. As a result, the mortality rate of patients due to dementia is rising steadily. To counteract this, the relevance of neuroprotective agents is increasing. Preparations from the medicinal tree species Ginkgo biloba (“gingko”) are becoming increasingly popular. In this study, 63 ginkgo preparations marketed in Germany were analyzed. The following data were collected from the package inserts of the preparations: Country of manufacture, approval as a drug, compliance to target values of flavone glycosides, compliance to target values of terpene lactones, compliance to target values of ginkgolic acids, dosage per unit in milligrams (mg), duration of use, interactions with other drugs, contraindications, adverse effects and daily defined dose costs. In the next step, these data were compared in the following form: Total preparations versus preparations with drug approval versus dietary supplements. Almost without exception, the results indicate a pharmaceutical reliability of the preparations with drug approval and a dubious reliability of the preparations marketed as dietary supplements. Thus, ginkgo preparations marketed as dietary supplements appear to have an economic rather than a medical focus. We discuss the evidence of efficacy, and other criteria mentioned above, to evaluate the adequacy of the costs for the statutory health insurance that pay for preparations with drug approval in Germany. From the analysis of our results it is very doubtful that ginkgo biloba extract preparations of the food industry have any health benefit. It must be evaluated whether prohibition of selling ginkgo biloba extract as a dietary supplement is an option.

An absence of evidence breeds contempt: A qualitative study of health system stakeholder perceptions of the quality of medicines available in Senegal.

Poor-quality medicines pose a significant challenge for health systems in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs),with recent deaths in multiple countries following ingestion of substandard cough syrups emphasising the need for quality-assurance of medicines in our increasingly interconnected global markets. Research also suggests that the source (country of manufacture) and type of medicine (generic/brand) are perceived to be associated with medicine quality. This study explores perceptions of medicines quality among national stakeholders of a medicines quality assurance system (MQAS) in sub-Saharan Africa. Through semi-structured interviews (n = 29) with managers from organisations responsible for the MQAS, public-sector doctors and nurses, and regulated private-sector pharmacists in three urban centres in Senegal in 2013. A thematic approach to analysis was undertaken with themes organised under three main categories, the source of drugs, the type of medicine, and medicines storage. A key emerging theme was the perception of the inferior quality of generic medicines, especially those produced in Asia and Africa, as they were lower in cost and thus believed to be less effective in alleviating symptoms than their brand versions. Medicines in Senegal's less regulated (informal) street markets were also thought to be of poor-quality as they were not subjected to national regulatory processes or stored appropriately, resulting in exposure to direct sunlight and high temperatures. In contrast, the interviewees expressed confidence in medicines quality within the regulated sectors (public and private retail pharmacies) attributed to stringent national medicines regulation, secure medicines supply chains and adequate technical capacity to survey and analyse for medicines quality. Also, the views expressed typically described a medicine's quality in terms of its effectiveness in alleviating the symptoms of ill health (efficacy of a medicine).These perceptions may have implications for developing national medicines policy, the procurement and supply of affordable medicines and consumers' decision-making when purchasing medicines. Indeed, a proclivity for supplying and purchasing more expensive brand medicines may act as a barrier to accessing essential medicines.

Green Development Policies for China’s Manufacturing Industry: Characteristics, Evolution, and Challenges

Since the start of the industrial revolution, the manufacturing industry has been essential for economic growth but has also contributed to environmental pollution problems. The United Nations declared the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda to make sure that the well-being of the global environment is taken care of alongside the expansion of the world economies. As the leading manufacturing country worldwide, studying the evolution of China’s green development policies in manufacturing has significant implications for pollution management in manufacturing in other countries. This research analyzes China’s legal and policy documents on green development in the manufacturing industry based on planning objectives and actual effects with qualitative content analysis. It divides them into four periods: the exploring period (1949–1977), the formal establishment period (1978–2001), the improvement and strengthening period (2002–2011), and the comprehensive improvement period (2012 to present). Although the Chinese government has made progress in implementing green development policies, it still faces many challenges: (1) compatibility between economic development and environmental protection needs to be strengthened; (2) primarily command-and-control based policy structure needs to be reformed; (3) collaboration of multi-departmental management system needs to be enhanced. These challenges are the primary obstacles to China’s manufacturing industry achieving its environmental goals. The future policies for the green development of the manufacturing industry should focus on three aspects: (1) aligning environmental and manufacturing policies in setting strategic objectives and benchmarks; (2) concentrating on the systemic nature of policies and the interdependence of policy tools; (3) enhancing processes for policy creation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

The Impact of Green Finance on Upgrading the Manufacturing Industry of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Based on the Spatial Econometric Model

China’s economic development has made world-renowned achievements which have subsequently brought serious environmental pollution problems. As a large manufacturing country, the industrial value added in China accounts for nearly 30% of the global share. However, the manufacturing industry lacks competence. Therefore, considering environmental protection issues while promoting manufacturing industry upgrading (MIU) is a critical goal for China at present. By applying panel data from China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 2010 to 2019, this paper uses a spatial econometric model to study the effect of green finance (GF) on upgrading (hereafter, upgrading refers to the improvement of the manufacturing structure and the transition toward green manufacturing) the manufacturing industry. This study found that the impact of GF on MIU in the YREB is significantly positive. GF has a good positive spatial spillover effect. Moreover, the high level of urbanization and high freight volume have positive impacts, the impacts of foreign investment and government fiscal expenditure are significantly negative, and the effect of the level of human capital on upgrading is not obvious. Therefore, vigorously developing green finance, optimizing the environment for manufacturing upgrades, and cultivating green and high-quality talents should be the future direction of government policy formulation.

High-quality development of China’s power industry: Measurement, spatial pattern, and improvement paths

As the largest manufacturing country, China is striving to improve the development quality of its power industry with the goal of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality, in order to sustain its high-quality economic growth. In this regard, it is of importance to reveal both the regional development level of China’s power sector and its characteristics in terms of inspiring the next improvement direction. Motived by this purpose, this paper constructs an evaluation indicator system from three dimensions at the province level based on the connotation of high-quality development of the power industry (HDPI). Next, it calculates the HDPI indexes of 30 provinces and explore their development trend and spatial pattern. The results indicate that the total comprehensive performance of all regions was improved in general in the recent decade, but the spatial distribution characteristics of clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient are different. In the aspects of improvement space in future, not only do actively ameliorate the related management regimes or technical fields so as to improve the corresponding indicators’ value, but also passively rely on the macro-development such as China’s urbanization level improvement, technological level improvement, and industrial structure upgrading as usual.

The Impact of Urban Digital Economy Development on Manufacturing Innovation Efficiency: Evidence from Chinese Listed Manufacturing Firms

As we enter the digital era, the digital economy provides an opportunity for China’s manufacturing industry to achieve ‘smart manufacturing’ and provides important support for China to move from a ‘big manufacturing country’ to a ‘strong manufacturing country’. This paper constructs an indicator system for the level of digital economy development in Chinese cities by determining the connotation of China’s digital economy based on the characteristics of its digital economy development. Based on the application of entropy value method to measure the level of digital economy development of cities, we empirically investigate the impact of the level of digital economy development of cities on the innovation efficiency of manufacturing industry using mixed panel data of listed Chinese A-share manufacturing companies and cities from 2011 to 2019. The empirical study finds that the level of urban digital economy development is conducive to improving the overall innovation efficiency, innovation quality efficiency and innovation quantity efficiency of enterprises, and overall, the digital economy has a significant contribution to the innovation efficiency of manufacturing industry. There is regional, firm size and industry heterogeneity in the impact of urban digital economy development level on manufacturing innovation efficiency, and this heterogeneity is further manifested in the types of manufacturing innovation efficiency. For example, the urban digital economy enhances the innovation efficiency of small-scale firms mainly through the quantity of innovation rather than the quality of innovation.

Analysis on Simplified Method of IoT-based HHL Algorithm Corresponding Quantum Circuit for Quantum Computer Application

Whether it is a traditional industry or a Frontier field, it has unveiled the trend of industrial IoT construction and application, which plays a vital role in building a strong manufacturing country and promoting high-quality economic development in China. HHL algorithm has become one of the important quantum algorithms, but there are few researches on the construction of quantum circuits and the application of quantum sequencing. In this paper, a model based on the quantum circuit corresponding to the HHL algorithm to deal with the quantum application problem is proposed. A quantum circuit based on HHL algorithm is used to solve the linear system, and the numerical solution of the target partial differential equation is obtained. Finally, the experimental analysis shows that, in the process of processing quantum computer application problems based on quantum circuit, it can reduce the computation amount of quantum circuit corresponding to HHL algorithm, improve the simulation efficiency of quantum circuit, and reduce the occupation of hardware resources, which has a certain effectiveness and superiority. This discussion brings new ideas for intelligent IoT technology and provides implications for the study of simplified methods of HHL algorithms corresponding to quantum circuits to deal with computer application problems.

The ILO's Role in Fulfilling Garment Workers' Rights through the BWB II Program After the Rana Plaza Collapse

The collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh on April 24, 2013, was recorded as the worst industrial accident ever. This accident killed at least 1,132 and injured more than 2,500. This incident made the world aware of the poor working conditions in Bangladesh's garment industry sector. In addition, many workers do not even get their working rights, so there are actions or demonstrations carried out by workers, demanding their rights. The demonstration even received support from activists or outsiders???. Bangladesh is a developing country with the second largest textile exporter after China. Bangladesh's garment industry accounts for about 80 percent of the total revenue in the country's manufacturing sector. This study discusses the role of the International Labor Organizations (ILO) in fulfilling the rights of garment workers through the Better Work Bangladesh (BWB) program after the collapse of Rana Plaza. To explain this case, the author uses the role theory of international organizations by Kelly Kate S. Pease. According to Pease, state problems can be solved with the help of external parties by acting as problem solvers, collective art mechanisms, capacity builders, and aid providers. Research shows that the ILO has an effective role in fulfilling the rights of Bangladeshi garment workers through the Better Work Bangladesh Phase II Program, in creating better or more prosperous labor conditions by cooperating with several internal and external parties.
 Keywords: Better Work Bangladesh (BWB), labor, garment, ILO