Electrical Equipment Industry Research Articles

Are digital servitization-based Circular Economy business models sustainable? A systemic what-if simulation model

Manufacturing companies are struggling with the implementation of Circular Economy, especially due to the uncertainty regarding its potential sustainability benefits. In particular, and despite digital servitization is advocated by several studies as a way to achieve environmental gains, circular business models based on digital servitization are not always sustainable due to burden shifting and unexpected consequences which are difficult to assess before implementation. This is particularly relevant for the Electrical and Electronics Equipment industry, which suffers structural weaknesses such as the dependance on critical raw materials and an increasing waste generation. However, literature lacks models and tools able to address the complexity inherent in the systemic micro-macro perspective envisioned by Circular Economy, while studies that quantitatively assess the sustainability impacts and trade-offs of digital servitization-based circular scenarios are limited. This article aims to develop a better understanding of how the sustainability impacts of circular and servitized scenarios can be assessed and quantified at the economic, environmental, and social level, adopting a systemic perspective through the development of a what-if simulation model. The model is implemented in a spreadsheet tool and applied to a digital servitization-based Circular Economy scenario inspired by the case of a company offering long-lasting, high-efficient washing machines as-a-service. Results show that digital servitization can actually lead to a win-win-win situation with net positive effects to the environment, the society, and the economy. This result is based on the joint application of product design for digitalization and life extension, pay-per-use business models, and product reuse. These results are robust within a significant range of key parameters values. Practitioners and policymakers may use the model to support the evaluation of different circular and servitized scenarios before implementation.

Analysis and prediction on carbon emissions from electrical and electronic equipment industry in China

This research employs the IPCC methodology to assess carbon emissions from China's Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) industry for 2012–2020, utilizing the GM (1) model to predict emissions for the next decade. Six scenarios evaluate emissions, guiding strategies for reduction. Key findings reveal the usage phase as the highest emitter, while WEEE dismantling incurs the lowest. In 2020, emissions from production, sales, transportation, usage, recycling transportation, dismantling, and recycling were projected. Scrapping imported EEE from 2012 to 2020 results in 1.88 million tons of emissions. Projected 2030 emissions, under current policies or low-carbon measures, are 136 million tons and 72 million tons, respectively. Urgent actions, especially in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and stakeholder roles, are essential. The study advocates for consumer awareness on energy conservation and reducing dependence on imported products. Manufacturing emissions highlight the need for eco-design, emphasizing sustainable practices. Recycling and dismantling phases also contribute emissions, necessitating optimized routes and advanced technologies. In addition, the study explores the potential for carbon reduction by incorporating the organic combination of carbon trading markets, evaluating the carbon emission reduction potential of recycling enterprises. The proposal suggests replacing government subsidies with the sale of carbon credits, not only to stimulate companies to actively promote green dismantling but also to address the current inadequacy of subsidies. Establishing a comprehensive life cycle management system is crucial to minimizing the EEE industry's carbon footprint and promoting a sustainable future.

MXene/BC@CoFe2O4 aerogel with excellent electromagnetic interference shielding and enhanced mechanical property

As electromagnetic radiation gradually increases, electromagnetic shielding becomes increasingly crucial. In the field of electromagnetic interference shielding, MXene aerogels have gradually attracted attention. However, the applicability of MXene aerogels is limited due to their poor mechanical and electromagnetic shielding capabilities. To address these issues, a hybrid aerogel, MXene/BC@CoFe2O4, was created using in-situ growth and single-directional freeze-drying methods. By generating CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles on the surface of BC and using BCFO composite cellulose to modulate the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of MXene aerogel, the EMI SE of MXene/BC@CoFe2O4 aerogel reached 82.5 dB. In comparison to MXene aerogel, the compressive stress of MBCA is increased by 3.6 times, and BC@CoFe2O4 composite cellulose also improves the mechanical properties of MXene aerogel. The synthesized MXene/BC@CoFe2O4 aerogel demonstrates outstanding electromagnetic shielding performance and enhanced mechanical properties, presenting significant potential applications in aerospace and electrical equipment industries.

Międzysektorowe powiązania produkcyjne Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej z Chinami po wprowadzeniu Cyfrowego Jedwabnego Szlaku

Cross-sectoral production links of Central and Eastern Europe with China after the introduction of the Digital Silk Road China increasingly marks its presence in the global economy through services that enrich traditional manufacturing (servitization of manufacturing). In this article, the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region is analysed in the context of this phenomenon. Because of the ongoing development of the relevant economies, only advanced services were examined, equating these with ICT services. The aim of the article is to assess the share of Chinese ICT services in the industrial production of CEE, in particular in the computer, electronic, and electrical equipment industry after the introduction of the Chinese Digital Silk Road. The study confirms that China is increasingly enriching CEE manufacturing with its services; however, the intensity differs depending on the economy considered.

Sustainability, resilience and innovation in industrial electronics: a case study of internal, supply chain and external complexity

AbstractThe electrical and electronic equipment industry is key to climate and energy transitions, but its activities have a significant environmental footprint. Tangible improvements in the sustainability of this sector are difficult because of the layers of complexity that characterize this industry’s products, processes and supply chains. This article analyzes the different facets of complexity relevant to sustainability in the industrial electronics sector, by implementing an in-depth longitudinal case study of a leading Italian business-to-business multinational company. We identify three core dimensions of complexity management that are pivotal for corporate sustainability: internal complexity, supply chain complexity and external complexity. We find that handling sustainability in complex production systems with multitier and multiproduct value chains presents organizational and managerial challenges but also offers new competitive opportunities for resilience and innovation. Once the appropriate metrics, know-how and information flows are established, our results highlight the transferability of sustainable innovations in these complex environments.

A Study on the Effect of Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Measures on Imports from China and Employment in Korea

Purpose - The number of Korea’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) notifications is increasing, and TBT is recognized as a form of trade barrier. Furthermore, Korea is highly dependent on trade, and the proportion of imports from China is large. Therefore, this study analyzed the effect of TBT on imports from China and Korea’s employment.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - This study aimed to analyze the impact of TBT in Korea on imports and employment in China. Therefore, TBT and other data from 1995 to 2017 were collected to form panel data. A gravity model was used to analyze the import effect of TBT, and import competition was used to analyze the employment effect. A Hausman test was performed to increase the accuracy of the panel analysis.
 Findings - TBT had no effect on the import of the entire manufacturing industry and of manufacturing intermediate goods. However, as a result of analysis by detailed industry, TBT decreased the imports of electronic parts, electrical equipment, and steel industries. However, TBT had no effect on the plastics industry, and TBT rather increased the imports of the chemical industry. TBT had a positive effect on the number of employees of the manufacturing industry.
 Research Implications - While previous literature conducted in Korea mainly focused on the impact of TBT by trading partners on exports, this study focuses on imports and employment. It is expected to fill gaps in existing studies.

LMDI decomposition analysis of change in energy consumption in the non-energy industrial sector: The Algerian case

The reduction of energy consumption is an important key not only to improving the performance of the Algerian economy but also to contributing to the effective mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides a decomposition analysis of a set of sub-sectors belonging to the non-energy industry in terms of energy use. The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) is used to identify the factors affecting the change in energy consumption between 2002 and 2015. It is estimated that the energy consumption of Algeria's non-energy industries has increased from 4904 ktoe in 2002 to 8818 ktoe in 2015. The findings reveal that the increase in energy consumption in Algeria’s non-energy industry was due to the activity effect, whereas the structure and intensity effects contributed to the decrease. The increase in energy consumption due to the activity effect is largest in the construction materials industry. The intensity effect has a significant impact on energy consumption in the iron and steel, mechanical, electronic, and electrical equipment industries. Furthermore, the construction materials industry had a large share of the total change in energy consumption for the entire non-energy industry during 2002–2015, accounting for 136%.

Game theory-oriented approach for disassembly line worker assignment and balancing problem with multi-manned workstations

Multi-manned workstations, where a worker team synchronously executes different operations on the same product, have the potential to increase disassembly line performance. Despite focusing on main objectives such as workload imbalance and worker performance, existing disassembly line balancing studies have not addressed worker satisfaction. This study addresses the disassembly line worker assignment and balancing problem by considering not only multi-manned workstations with heterogeneous workers, but also workers' preference and performance. A novel multi-objective mixed integer linear programming model is formulated with the following objectives: minimizing the number of workers, the number of workstations, workload imbalance, maximizing worker satisfaction, and worker performance. Moreover, this study is proposing heuristics to utilize game theory-oriented approaches in the context of the addressed problem. Some comparative studies were carried out to compare the performance of the proposed heuristics. The effects of the factors were revealed by the statistical analysis conducted on the solutions for newly generated test problems. After the superiority of the proposed heuristics was indicated through comparative studies, they were applied to a washing machine disassembly system in the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) industry. The application indicated the performance improvement for the disassembly lead time (65%) and the space requirement (64%) compared to a classical disassembly system design.

대만과 주요 국가간 경제적 상호파급효과 분석

In this study, Taiwan’s dependence on China for the import and export of intermediate goods was found to be at a very high level. It shows the necessity for Taiwan to reduce the dependence on China in supply chain management. At the same time, it suggests that for Taiwan maintaining stable cooperation relations with China is also important. Meanwhile, the proportion of imports from Taiwan out of China’s imports of intermediate goods was the highest in the world. It indicates that Taiwan is of great importance for China as well.
 According to the I-O analysis, the most beneficial country from Taiwan’s electrical and optical equipment industry production was China (US$ 105 billion in value added). It means that 46.4% of the global spillover effects (excluding Taiwan) from the industry production of Taiwan belongs to China., followed by U.S.(10.3%), Japan (7.5%), and Korea (6.7%). In addition, the electrical and optical equipment industry in Taiwan’s industries was found to be the industry that has a great influence on China and IPEF participating countries. It confirms that there is a close interdependence relationship between these countries in the industry.
 The results of this study implies that although political and military conflicts between China and Taiwan have recently deepened, considering their economical interdependence, it would be not easy for bilateral conflicts to be sustained in the medium to long term.

Circular economy practices in the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) industry: A systematic review and future research agendas

Circular economy is a sustainable economic development model. It replaces the traditional economic development model that relies heavily on resource consumption and waste generation. Circular economy is particularly important to the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry as e-waste contains toxic substances and precious metals. While previous review studies focused on specific aspects of the WEEE industry (e.g., “4R” circular economy strategies), these studies offer little details on how circular economy practices affect the development of the environment and economy in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. This study examines “10R” circular economy strategies to advance knowledge of the existing literature that focuses on “4R” circular economy strategies. To improve the methodology used in the previous review studies that apply subjective methods (e.g., content analysis), this paper conducts a systematic literature review on 208 studies and uses citation network analysis to examine specific circular economy practices in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. The citation network analysis identified five major research domains (i.e., “e-waste management systems and practices”, “e-waste legislation and its components”, “extended producer responsibility schemes”, “recycling critical materials from e-waste”, “circular economy strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry”). Based on these results, this study conducts a main path analysis to reveal ten major topics (i.e., e-waste recycling system; exploring untapped e-waste; compliance assurance of stakeholders; e-waste reverse logistics; reward and punishment mechanisms in extended producer responsibility system; verifying the rationality of product classification; recycling critical materials from urban mines; setting a specific target for preparation for reuse; “10R” strategies applied in the smart factory; consumer attitude toward remanufactured/refurbished/repurposed strategies and the resultant products) in the identified research domain. Finally, this paper proposes future research directions and provides managerial and policy implications for researchers and practitioners. • “10R” strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. • Effect of circular economy practices on environmental and economic performance. • Related publications evolution characteristics in 2003–2020. • Five key research domains of circular economy practices and their major topics. • Research directions for future studies.

Performance evaluation of after-sales service partners in the power tools industry

After-sales service (ASS) is a product support activity provided to customers; after-sales service that focuses on quality can create a sustainable competitive advantage. This study aims to the ASS performance, analyze the causes of performance constraints that occur in ASS and recommendations for improving the performance of ASS conceptually. Service partner performance achievement can be assessed from four categories, i.e. very good, good, bad, and poor, based on the actual level of performance compared to performance targets. The sample of this research is 12 ASS partners in the electrical equipment industry in West Java and Jakarta. Factors causing failure were analyzed descriptively using the fault tree analysis (FTA) method, which involved experts in focus group discussions (FGD). Based on the evaluation, 25% of partners were rated good, 50% poor, and 25% very poor. Partner performance achievement is carried out on 22 performance indicators, of which 20 performance indicators have not achieved a good rating. These indicators relate to brand issues, warranty, training, parts control and stock management, pricing, and service systems, including service centers and service facilities. The proposed concept that becomes a recommendation for improving the performance of power tools ASS is improving the operating system and the selection of partners in the service center and service dealer categories with industrial customer segmentation.

Proposed Office Facilities Layout in Low Voltage Electric Panel Manufacturer

<p>The electrical equipment industry in Indonesia is one of the factors that triggers economic growth. Labor productivity determines the success of project implementation. The non-optimal facility layout is one of the factors that triggers low labor productivity. The non-optimal facility layout affects the flow of information in the company. This study examines the problem of non-optimal office facility layout with TSP, ARC and ARD methods at PT. Duta Wijaya Elektrindo Engineering (PT. DWP). The method stated above can minimize the total distance traveled between office facilities so that work efficiency and workforce productivity may increase. The results of data processing indicate that the recommended office facility layout recommendations that are in accordance with the level of closeness between departments based on PST, ARC and ARD is the first recommendation. With reduced total distance traveled in the first layout of the proposed office facilities, the level of employee productivity and work efficiency will increase. The smallest total distance traveled on the proposed layout of the office facilities is 244.22 meters with a reduction of 36% from the initial conditions.</p>

The inverted U relationship between green innovative activities and firms’ market-based performance: The impact of firm age

Despite the growing interest in environmental innovations, there is still no consensus about their effect on firm performance. On the one hand, advocators of environmental innovations state that such innovations exert a positive influence on firm performance, as they can reduce production costs, open new markets and improve a firm's corporate image, among other benefits. On the other hand, environmental innovations are associated with relevant drawbacks such as high development costs and uncertainties, leading some authors to establish a negative relationship. We try to shed light on this debate by stating that this relation is more complex than a simple linear association; hence, we propose an inverted U relationship between environmental innovations and firm performance. In addition, we claim that firm age plays a key role in that relationship, as more mature firms find it more difficult than younger firms to capitalize on environmental innovations to improve firm performance. Our longitudinal analysis of 4,634 environmental patents from 75 companies belonging to the electrical components and equipment industry worldwide confirms our hypotheses.

Testing non-linear relationships between environmental innovation and firm performance.

Despite the growing interest in environmental innovations, there is still no consensus about their effect on firm performance. On the one hand, advocators of environmental innovations state that such innovations exert a positive influence on firm performance, as they can reduce production costs, open new markets and improve a firm’s corporate image, among other benefits. On the other hand, environmental innovations represent relevant drawbacks such as high development costs and uncertainty, which drives some authors to establish a negative link. We try to shed light on this debate by stating that this relation is more complex than a simple linear association; hence, we propose a U-inverted relationship between environmental innovations and firm performance. In addition, we claim that firm age plays a key role in that relationship, as more mature firms find it more difficult than younger firms to capitalize on environmental innovations to improve firm performance. Our longitudinal analysis of 4,634 environmental patents from 75 companies belonging to the electrical components and equipment industry worldwide confirms our hypotheses.

Measuring spatial access to the recovery networks for WEEE: An in-depth analysis of the Italian case

The regulation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) industry is of priority importance in the environmental and circular economy agenda of the EU. Within the EU legislation, the Member States must undertake appropriate policies to increase the amount of waste reintroduced in the supply chain. To this end, as the literature suggests, the design of adequate collection infrastructures and geographical proximity to dedicated facilities, named Collection Centers (CCs), are key factors affecting users' willingness to deliver WEEE. In this work, we propose a systematic approach to evaluate the users’ spatial access to WEEE networks. Specifically, we introduce a dashboard of quantitative indicators to assess the presence of sufficient CCs for the take-back service given the demand in a given area (availability) and at measuring the proximity between consumers and CCs (accessibility). We perform an extensive application to the Italian case, which proves the capability of the proposed indicators to: (i) allow comparative analysis among different areas of the country; (ii) shed light on the impact of spatial dimensions on the amount of collected waste; (iii) support decisions concerning the optimal location of new CCs. In this latter regard, we also discuss, formalize and test possible strategies for expanding the network.

АНАЛИЗ ТЕКУЩЕЙ СИТУАЦИИ С ПЕРЕРАБОТКОЙ ОТХОДОВ ЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСКОГО И ЭЛЕКТРОННОГО ОБОРУДОВАНИЯ ВО ВЬЕТНАМЕ

Today, in world practice, a rapid increase in the rate of generation of household and industrial waste is noticeable, and Vietnam, as a developing country, this problem is especially tangible. With the development of industry and technology, one of the most problematic industries in terms of waste generation is the electrical and electronic equipment industry. The products of this industry are tightly integrated into all other sectors of human life, whether it is production (refrigeration equipment, machine tools, computers, monitors, communications, etc.) or everyday life (household appliances, mobile phones, game consoles, smart appliances, etc.). This article provides an analysis of the current situation with the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Vietnam, and provides recommendations for solving this problem.

Innovating for Good in Opportunistic Contexts: The Case for Firms’ Environmental Divergence

Opportunistic behaviors are considered ethically and strategically troublesome since they disrupt otherwise mutually beneficial relationships. Previous literature has shown that firms attempt to protect their investments from opportunism by generating a large amount of patented marginal innovations in domains central to their industry. However, this approach may generate some ethical dilemmas by preventing firms and societies from more radical, collaborative, and much-needed environmental progress. We extend the environmental innovation literature using strategic and ethical lenses to analyze the potential of an alternative, divergent way to provide financial opportunities for a focal firm without aiming to prevent innovative opportunities for competitors. Our longitudinal analysis of 6768 environmental patents from 59 large companies worldwide in the electrical components and equipment industry shows that high levels of innovation intensity, environmental scope, bargaining power, and environmental expertise increase the incidence of patented environmental innovations related to domains in which industry competitors are less focused (i.e., technological divergence). We also show a positive relationship between this divergence and market-based firm performance. Our results suggest that pursuing innovative divergence to avoid opportunism may make ethical and market sense and we also identify the organizational factors that can support these efforts.

A systems representation of the Circular Economy: Transition scenarios in the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) industry

The electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) industry requires a Circular Economy (CE) transition, and decision-makers need support to deal with the complexities of such change. The goal of this research is: (1) providing an SD-based conceptual model for CE systems that clarifies their potential for decelerated flow of resources; (2) providing a simulation model that enables gaining knowledge of the effects of the implementation of CE strategies on nationwide stocks and flows of EEE; and (3) discussing the capabilities of such a model to facilitate CE transitions. The System Dynamics (SD) methodology is used to conceptualise and operationalise CE systems grounded on adjacent theories as industrial ecology (IE) and sustainability transitions. In this research, the resulting Circular EEE SD Model used data from publicly available sources to represent the long-term (1980–2050) adoption of flat display panel TVs in the Netherlands in different scenarios. Diverging restoration infrastructure levels and diverging product lifetimes were examined. Results show that although no scenario led to full eco-economic decoupling, the Circular EEE SD Model enables decision-makers to create “what-if” scenarios to test their assumptions about the potential effects of CE strategies to achieving transitions. The model is fully available for verification, modification, and use.

A systematic literature review on the circular economy initiatives in the European Union

The circular economy (CE) paradigm fosters to rethink and redesign the manufacturing process, usage and disposal pattern of products and services in an economy. In the past few years, CE has gained tremendous momentum in terms of research and implementation. Apart from the widening horizon of CE across the globe, numerous practitioners, policy-makers and academicians have explored the scope to incorporate various sectors of industries and businesses within the CE model. Evidently, a primary mechanism or system is required to facilitate the transition to CE. With an aim to understand this mechanism, the article analyzes, through a systematic literature review, the implementation of circular practices across the European Union (EU) member states based on a framework of circular strategies, nutrient cycles, ReSOLVE framework and circular business models. Further, the implementation of CE action plan proposed in 2015 for the EU region, has facilitated circular practices in numerous industries, owing to government policies and regulations. Additionally, it has helped in building the required infrastructure, while providing a technological push for augmenting sustainable growth in the region. Based on the analysis, it is inferred that recycling has been the most widely used circular strategy for looping back materials into the system. Waste management, electrical and electronic equipment industries and construction industries are a pioneer in CE implementation. Also, macro level initiatives by governments and/or regional administrative bodies predominate CE's implementation in the EU. A further transition to CE can be facilitated by government policies, infrastructure and technological availability, awareness, stakeholder collaboration and supply-chain integration.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR IDENTIFYING AND QUANTIFYING THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL COST

The paper deals with the environmental costs (EC) in the electrical equipment industry by using environmental accounting as a strategic instrument for controlling the economic entity (EE). The novelty of the study consists of integrating a mathematical model in environmental management accounting (EMA), starting from the identification of the types of waste generated by the production flow and the interaction between the production activity and the environment, which results in determining the EC per entity. The research also analyzes the dependence between the resulting waste and the volume of production by categories. The usefulness of determining these dependencies leads to the identification of the product categories with a significant influence on the EC. The study is useful for developing an environmentally sustainable accounting system within entities in the electrical equipment industry because based on the mathematical model, products that generate large quantities of waste can be identified, allowing the outline of managerial strategies to reviewing production technologies, in order to optimize the products and reduce the quantities of waste generated.