Furniture Manufacturing Industry Research Articles

Biomechanical risk factors and subacromial pain provocation in healthy manufacturing workers

Objectives. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the shoulder may manifest subclinically. By combining risk assessment and clinical instruments, it may be advisable to recognize workers who may develop more complex MSDs early. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between biomechanical risk factors and subacromial pain provocation in healthy manufacturing workers. Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out with workers in the furniture manufacturing industry. The occupational repetitive action (OCRA) checklist was applied to detect risk factors and three clinical tests used to detect subacromial tissue reactivity: the supraspinatus test, the painful arc test and the Hawkins–Kennedy test. Results. The positivity of the clinical tests is higher in the supraspinatus test, followed by the Hawkins–Kennedy test, and lowest in the painful arc test, for both the right and left shoulders. No significant associations were found with the overall OCRA checklist index or specific biomechanical factors. Conclusion. The biomechanical risk factors and the provocation of subacromial pain reviewed in this study were not found to be related. Other physical tests that are more sensitive and adapted to workers at risk of developing musculoskeletal shoulder disorders should be explored.

Development of flexible manufacturing system

The focus of this project is the development and analysis of a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) for the production of a range of tables. Tables are typically used in homes and offices, where different variants are selected for different environments and uses. By implementing a flexible manufacturing system, different versions of tables can be produced in the same factory to fulfil different customer needs and preferences. This project designed and evaluated four different variants in the FMS, demonstrating aesthetic and functional differences while maintaining core similarities; this demonstrates FMSs flexibility and adaptability and provides insights into the trade-offs between design choices and manufacturing considerations. The article uses Mejabi and Solberg analysis for detailed FMS design and analysis. This analytical approach allows for thoroughly examining the FMS design, including factors such as productivity, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The analysis further helps understand and optimise the implementation of the FMS to ensure that it effectively meets the production goals. This paper paves the way for enhancing productivity, increasing product range and improving customer satisfaction in the furniture manufacturing industry.

Optimization of benzene exposure risk assessment: An integrated approach utilizing internal and external concentrations with a focus on biomarkers S-PMA & t, t-MA

In the majority of occupational settings within China, the concentrations of benzene are observed to fall markedly below the demarcated detection thresholds. Employing traditional risk assessment models, the presence of exceptionally low airborne benzene exposure concentrations may infuse heightened degrees of uncertainty. Consequently, the necessity arises to investigate risk assessment methodologies more apt for the prevalent exposure environment among employees. In the present study, a pharmacokinetic model premised on urinary benzene metabolites (S-PMA and t, t-MA) was employed to ascertain a more precise daily airborne benzene exposure concentration per individual. This value was integrated into the linear multistage model as the ‘internal exposure concentration’. In conjunction with the U.S National Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) inhalation risk assessment model predicated on the external exposure concentration, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) model, and the linear multistage (LMS) model, the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects of benzene were evaluated for 1781 benzene-exposed employees across 76 enterprises in Jiangsu Province. Findings suggest that in the linear multilevel model assessment, the cancer risk levels based on t, t-MA and S-PMA were higher in the printing and recording media reproduction industry, automobile manufacturing industry, general equipment manufacturing industry and the furniture manufacturing industry (median 2.842 × 10−4, 2.819 × 10−4, 2.809 × 10−4, and 2.678 × 10−4), which align more consistently with the actual benzene exposure circumstances of each industry's study participants, with overall risk levels calculated by the linear multistage model exceeding those of the EPA inhalation risk assessment model and the MOM model. This implies that the linear multistage model of internal exposure, based on the reciprocal of benzene biomarkers S-PMA and t, t-MA for airborne benzene exposure, presents enhanced sensitivity and suitability for the current occupational health risk assessment of workers. Without doubt, biomarker-based benzene exposure risk assessment emerges as the optimal choice.

Research on color matching model for wood panel furniture based on a back propagation neural network

The wood furniture manufacturing industry continues in the direction of customized furniture. The analysis of color collocation is important for developing customized furniture. This study summarizes the common color collocation application area for porch cabinets. After selecting the appropriate color model, C # language was used to simulate a real scene setting experimental system in the Unity graphics engine. Colors were generated randomly in the corresponding area, and subjects evaluated the harmony. Then, the Python language was used to build the BP neural network model. The BP neural network models were trained using the Hue, Saturation, value (HSV) of the depicted colors and their corresponding scores. Finally, the evaluation model of color collocation and harmony was obtained. The model can be used to improve the prediction of color matching in customized furniture, which will promote enterprise productivity and industry development.

A Sequential Hybrid Optimization Algorithm (SHOA) to Solve the Hybrid Flow Shop Scheduling Problems to Minimize Carbon Footprint

In today’s world, a situational awareness of sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Leaving a better world for future generations is becoming the main interest of many studies. It also puts pressure on managers to change production methods in most industries. Reducing carbon emissions in industry today is crucial to saving our planet. Theoretical research and practical industry requirements diverge, even though numerous researchers have tackled various strategies to handle carbon emission problems. Therefore, this work considers the carbon emission problem of the furniture manufacturing industry in Hosur, Tamilnadu, India. The case study company has a manufacturing system that resembles a hybrid flow shop (HFS) environment. As the HFS scheduling problems are NP-hard in nature, exact solution techniques could not be used to solve the problems. Hence, a sequential hybrid optimization algorithm (SHOA) has been developed in this paper to minimize the carbon footprint. In the SHOA, the pigeon-inspired optimization algorithm (PIOA) is hybridized sequentially with the firefly algorithm (FA). A computational experimental design is proposed to analyze the efficiency of the introduced strategy, and the solutions indicate that the developed approach could reduce the carbon footprint by up to 9.82%. The results motivate us to implement the proposed algorithm in the manufacturing industry to reduce the carbon footprint.

A life cycle analysis approach to evaluate sustainable strategies in the furniture manufacturing industry

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) plays a crucial role in sustainability evaluations and impact assessments, especially in the realm of eco-design and environmentally friendly manufacturing in the furniture sector. However, the existing research tends to focus on specific stages of the furniture life cycle and leaves a substantial portion of the environmental impact unaddressed, including resource consumption, waste generation, and emissions throughout the entire value chain. This research presents a comprehensive LCA of the production and distribution process of a Pinewood Table, aiming to evaluate and improve its environmental sustainability. Six different production and distribution models were analyzed, including a base model strategy and five alternative strategies incorporating various sustainable policies. The study assessed the environmental impacts at each stage, considering resource consumption, emissions, and waste generation. Additionally, a cost analysis was conducted to identify the most economically viable sustainable option among the alternative strategies. Among the six production and distribution models studied, Alternative Strategy 5 demonstrates the lowest Climate Change CO2 equivalent emissions, with Alternative Strategy 2 following closely. This outcome underscores the importance of reducing forklift usage and transitioning to photovoltaic cells, resulting in a 50 % reduction in carbon emissions during CNC machining processes. Results also indicated that the collaborated strategy exhibited the highest reduction in Climate Change CO2 eq which is 65.4 %, highlighting the significance of reducing forklift usage and transitioning to photovoltaic cells for electricity generation. Finally, a sustainable option where all the strategies were collaborated is recommended for practitioners, emphasizing the significance of implementing eco-friendly practices to enhance the overall sustainability of pinewood table production and distribution. This research contributes to literature by providing essential information and guidance for industry stakeholders and policymakers to make informed decision-making and promote sustainable practices within the furniture manufacturing sector.

A Fuzzy–Rough MCDM Approach for Selecting Green Suppliers in the Furniture Manufacturing Industry: A Case Study of Eco-Friendly Material Production

Green supplier selection is always one of the most important challenges in all of supply chain management, especially for production companies. The purpose is to have reliable suppliers which can fulfill all requests and be flexible in any supply chain stage. The aim of this paper is to create an adequate and strong MCDM (multicriteria decision making) model for the evaluation and selection of suppliers in a real environment. The main contribution of this study is proposing a novel fuzzy–rough MCDM model containing extension stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) and additive ratio assessment (ARAS) methods with fuzzy–rough numbers (FRN). The integrated FRN SWARA–FRN ARAS model was implemented in a case study of eco-friendly material production. The FRN SWARA method was used to calculate the weights of 10 green criteria, while using FRN ARAS, 6 suppliers were evaluated. The results of the applied model show that supplier S3 received the highest ranking, followed by supplier S2, while supplier S5 performed the poorest. In order to verify the strengths of the developed fuzzy–rough approach, we created a comparative analysis, sensitivity analysis, and dynamic matrix, which confirm the robustness of our model.

Discrepancy between pupils' body and classroom furniture in elementary schools: A case study in the Republic of Kosovo.

Primary school children spend quite a lot of time sitting in classrooms. For this reason, it is necessary to make a scientific analysis of children's body dimensions and compare them with the furniture dimensions where they sit. The main aim of this paper is to present anthropometric data for pupils in primary schools in the Republic of Kosovo and give recommendations for school furniture design. Measurements were made in the public schools of four different regions in the Republic of Kosovo. The study includes 720 children from 12 different elementary schools with first and fifth graders (6-11 years old). Twelve body parts were measured: Stature, sitting height, shoulder height, lower leg length, hip breadth, elbow height, buttock-popliteal length, thigh clearance, eye height, shoulder breadth, and knee height. The descriptive data are calculated in terms of average, standard deviation, and 5th, 50th and 95th percentile. We recommend that the competent authorities in the Republic of Kosovo consider improving the infrastructure of primary schools in terms of furniture size according to the findings presented in this study. The information presented in this paper on pupils' anthropometry and the proposed dimensions for school furniture can be used by various bodies in Kosovo including, but not limited to: Ministry of Education Science and Technology, Ministry of Trade and Industry of Kosovo and furniture manufacturing industries as basic information for suitable furniture design for primary school children, as well as school principals to help in furniture selection.

Review on Source Profiles of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Typical Industries in China

The source profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is essential for establishing reactivity- and toxicity-based emission inventories and developing effective air pollution control strategies. In this paper, the establishment of VOC source profiles and the VOC emission characteristics are reviewed in the petrochemical, solvent use, and chemical industries, and the most up-to-date profiles of the three industries in China are compiled via necessary adjustment and reconstruction of the test data from the literature. Alkanes dominated and OVOCs were often neglected in the overall petrochemical industry and refined processes. They accounted for 60.6% and 3.2% in the merged profiles. Aromatics and OVOCs dominated in the industrial solvent use industry. OVOCs were the most prevalent in the printing and dyeing industries, furniture manufacturing industries, and automobile coating process, whereas aromatics were major contributors of the total VOCs in metal surface coating, shipping coating, and other surface coating industries in the merged profiles. A wide range of products and limited profile studies were obtained in chemical industry, and the compositions of VOCs varied significantly in the production of 30 products in the merged profile. The future research directions of VOC source profiles are discussed, mainly focusing on the sampling, establishment, and evaluation of VOC profiles.

Study on the Fingerprint and Atmospheric Activity of Volatile Organic Compounds from Typical Industrial Emissions

China is prone to severe surface ozone pollution in summer, so it is very important to understand the source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to control ozone formation. In this work, the emission characteristics of 91 VOC components from the plastic products industry, packaging and printing industries, printing ink industry, furniture manufacturing and vehicle manufacturing industries were studied. The results show that there are significant differences between these sources, and for the plastic products industry, alkanes (48%) are the most abundant VOCs. The main emission species in the packaging and printing industry are OVOCs (36%) and alkanes (34%). The proportion of OVOCs in the printing ink (73%) and furniture manufacturing industries (49%) is dominated by VOC emissions; aromatic hydrocarbons (33%), alkanes (33%), and OVOCs (17%) are the main emission species in the vehicle manufacturing industry. At the same time, the ozone generation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOA) of anthropogenic VOC emissions were evaluated, and the top 10 contributors to OFP and SOA were identified. Toluene, o-xylene, and m-xylene had a significant tendency to form OFP or SOA. Then, a health risk assessment of VOC components was carried out. These data can supplement the existing VOC emission characteristics of anthropogenic emissions, thus enriching the research progress of VOC emission sources.

Automatic Estimation of Drill Wear Based on Images of Holes Drilled in Melamine Faced Chipboard with Machine Learning Algorithms

In this article, an approach to drill wear evaluation is presented. Tool condition monitoring is an important problem in furniture manufacturing and similar industries. At the same time, approaches that rely on sets of sensors, often tend to be to robust or complex for the production environment. Instead of signals acquired from dedicated sensors, presented approach uses images of drilled holes as input data. Initial pictures are processed and enhanced in order to highlight the crucial properties. A set of selected features is then calculated on the resulting images, and later used during the training of 5 state-of-the-art classifiers. Presented research also evaluates number of images for consecutive drillings that needs to be taken into account in order to produce accurate results. From the selected set, the best performing classifier was Random Forest and it achieved close to 100% accuracy.

Explore Skilled Labour Shortage of Carpenters in Sri Lanka: Through the Lens of Participants Employed in Furniture Manufacturing Industry

Skilled labour shortage that is prevailing in the current context has made lot of adverse economic and social repercussions, more or less to all sectors in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study is to explore the skilled labour shortage of carpenters in Sri Lankan furniture manufacturing industry through the lens of participants that are involved. This includes exploring the support mechanisms in place for carpenters in Sri Lanka. This study used qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling technique and semi-structured interviews were utilized to collect data from 12 (male) participants including timber firm owners, the current working employees in timber firms and the retired/ resigned employees. The theory of proximal similarity was adopted to connect the study’s characteristics and the characteristics of the group under study. Findings from the interviews grouped into key themes namely unsustainable income, lack of social prestige and infertile apprenticeship program. The sub-themes included earning capacity, high risk job, and visible career path and so on. These themes considered in relation to the existing and future implications for the industry. The findings of the study provide valuable insight which is necessary furniture manufacturing industry to develop and train future carpenters capable of sustaining the Sri Lankan furniture manufacturing industry. Furniture manufacturing industry has a potential to generate attractive export earnings however received less attention on its skilled labour shortage issues.

IKEA - Phygital Transformation in Furniture Manufacturing Industry

IKEA was formed in a remote corner of Sweden, where it was difficult to contact potential clients in larger towns. Is currently serving over 775 million clients worldwide and has a presence in 35 countries IKEA is the best illustration of phygital transformation having the combination of Physical plus digital, i.e., merging digital experiences with physical ones. Technology is a requirement of the twenty-first century. IKEA has established a physical and digital presence using technology. IKEA mixes AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality), which is a fundamental cause of the company’s success. This is the case study with a strong emphasis on sustainability development with the emerging phygital transmission of IKEA. The entire research is based on secondary data.

Carbon Dioxide Emission Evaluations in the Chinese Furniture Manufacturing Industry Using the IPCC Tier-2 Methodology

Abstract Estimating industrial carbon dioxide emissions at the national scale is crucial for China's carbon peak and carbon neutralization targets, as well as the low-carbon development of the Chinese furniture manufacturing industry. For this purpose, in this study the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Tier-2 methodology was used to evaluate the carbon dioxide emissions of the Chinese furniture manufacturing industry at the national scale. The results show that carbon dioxide emissions increased from 219.50 × 10,000 tons of CO2 equivalent in 2000 to 850.68 × 10,000 tons of CO2 equivalent in 2019. Moreover, carbon dioxide emission intensity decreased from 9.50 tons of CO2 per million dollars to 1.73 tons of CO2 per million dollars in this period. Moreover, electricity and raw coal were observed to have a significant influence on carbon dioxide emissions, followed by diesel oil, gasoline, heat energy, and natural gas. The results reveal that the Chinese furniture manufacturing industry has generally realized low-carbon development over the past two decades. This work proposes several suggestions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the Chinese furniture manufacturing industry, including promoting the use of clean electricity, the installation of photovoltaic cells, industrial transformation and upgrading, the optimization of transport modes for product delivery and material supply, and the employment of low-carbon raw materials.

A Bayesian Best–Worst approach for assessing the critical success factors in sustainable lean manufacturing

Over the last few decades, industries in emerging economies have been encouraged to embrace sustainable lean manufacturing (SLM) practices to lower operational expenses, eliminate wastes, conserve resources, improve customer satisfaction, and focus on the economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability to maximize productivity. So far, no study has explored the critical success factors (CSFs) facilitating the furniture manufacturing industry’s embrace of SLM. This study investigated the CSFs for implementing SLM in the furniture manufacturing industry of an emerging economy like Bangladesh. First, with the help of a literature review and consultation with experts, a total of sixteen most significant CSFs for implementing SLM in the furniture industry was identified. Then, the identified CSFs were clustered into three criteria groups or clusters — organizational and governmental cluster, supply chain, inventory, resource management cluster, and performance and technological cluster, based on the suggestions from the experts. Finally, we employed the Bayesian Best–Worst method (BWM) to evaluate the importance of these CSFs. This study shows that sustainable resource utilization and management reduces lead time and non-value-adding activities, adequate support from top management, and adoption of disruptive and emerging technologies are the top four crucial CSFs to implement SLM effectively in the furniture manufacturing industry. These findings can assist industry professionals and regulators in making efficient action plans to capture this competitive but booming market while ensuring a sustainable future for the next generation.

PERENCANAAN KEBUTUHAN BAHAN BAKU POT LESUNG DI UD. BANGKIT TIGA BERSAUDARA DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN METODE LOT SIZING

UD Bangkit Tiga Brothers is one of the SMEs engaged in the furniture manufacturing industry with antique products. The problem that occurs in this company is that it cannot estimate the exact number of orders for raw materials because the number of sales varies each period. So that every time you place an order, you sometimes exaggerate the product to be used as stock and save on ordering costs in the transportation section. At a certain time when there is a demand but the stock in the warehouse runs out so you have to reorder and excess orders for stock supplies. One solution that is applied to overcome this problem is the Lot Sizing method. By applying this method, the raw material procurement system can be identified by predicting the demand for raw materials and using the Lot Sizing method in order to obtain the optimum raw material procurement. Optimul forecasting results were obtained using the Exponential Smoothing method with a MAPE of 20.34%. The forecasting value obtained is 45.62 46 pcs in August 2022 with an accuracy value of 79.66% of the results then calculated using the Lot Sizing method. The results of the calculation of the Lot Sizing method obtained the optimal method, namely the Period Order Quantity (POQ) which is Rp. 58.130.923,-. The resulting difference with the value of the company is Rp. 4,217,240, - or 6.76%. From the figures obtained, it results in cost savings that are very profitable for the company.

Key supply chain strategies for post-COVID-19 recovery: evidence from an Indian smart furniture industry

PurposeSmart furniture is an essential part of research that has been designed to best complement easy and safe human interaction. The purpose of smart furniture is to save the space of the house and make the products unique, awesome and safe, functional, strong and also make it works better so the people can live better with it. This research aims to explore the key supply chain strategies implemented by the Indian smart furniture industry to reduce the impact of a post-COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis work utilized a case study and conducted semi-structured interviews with the top leadership of the smart furniture manufacturing industry to explore key supply chain strategies to reduce the influence of the post-COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, key supply chain strategies have been analyzed using a multi-criteria decision-making technique known as grey relational analysis (GRA) to determine their ranking significance in the smart furniture industry.FindingsThe results of this study discovered that “Inventory-Categorization” is essential in ensuring business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic and helps reduce the amount of stock they have on hand. It enhanced the opportunity for employees to properly focus on their work and an opportunity for better work-life balance. The results of the study can also help supply chain stakeholders in their establishment of critical strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this research work help the Indian furniture industry to make supply chain investment decisions that benefit the organization to sustain itself.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore key supply chain strategies for the post-COVID-19 era. This work will assist managers and practitioners in helping the organization decide which supply chain strategies are more critical to the betterment of the organization.

Exploring the emission reduction potential of industries: A source-processing-end coordinated model and its application

Many requirements have been proposed for pollution control in a legal, scientific and targeted way. At the critical stage of pollution prevention and control, refined management of industrial pollution is a way of achieving targeted pollution control. Focusing regional pollution reduction targets on industrial production processes with reduction emission potential is an effective way to achieve targeted control. We established a source-processing-end (S–P-E) coordinated model—SPECM—by collaboratively considering the whole-process of raw material-processing-end-of-pipe (EOP) chains and applied the model to the setting of medium- and long-term pollution control targets and selection of reduction options for various industries in Lanzhou, China. The results indicated that (1) chemical manufacturing-related industries are the key potential volatile organic compound (VOC) emission reduction industries in Lanzhou, accounting for approximately 89% of the total emission reduction potential; (2) metal furniture manufacturing and paper-making industries should strengthen processing optimization while also giving attention to material substitution; and (3) printing-related industries need collaborative control of their whole-process, especially material substitution enhancement. The SPECM method focuses on the reduction in industrial processes and proposes reduction options under different reduction targets. This new collaborative control method could facilitate the design of coordinated control schemes across industries under industrial emission reduction targets. Overall, our results could provide new ideas and guidance for the refined management of regional industrial pollution.

The Application of 3D Printing Technology in Furniture Design

With the gradual deepening of the combination of 3D printing technology and the furniture manufacturing industry, the production of 3D printed furniture has begun to transition from experimental single furniture production to small batch furniture production, which will profoundly affect the manufacturing mode change of the furniture manufacturing industry in the future. This paper conducts a detailed study on the complex molding links, product development links, parts production links, and product body forming links of 3D printing technology in the furniture manufacturing industry. The design and printing process can provide practical reference for the manufacture of furniture products.

PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI SCM PADA UD. MEBEL JAYA

Technology and information today are growing rapidly and have a major influence on human behavior and habits. Computers are very helpful and facilitate human work, effective and efficient computer work produces accurate information so that many companies use information technology to improve their quality in all aspects, namely to compete in the business world, therefore UD. Mebel Jaya needs to implement a Supply Chain Management Information System (Supply Chain Management) which aims to facilitate inventory management, starting from the process of ordering goods from suppliers, procurement of goods to managing goods to customers. UD.Mebel Jaya is a business engaged in the furniture manufacturing industry which focuses on the production of furniture / furniture such as tables, chairs, cabinets, and frames. The system is made using a web-based system design and uses supporting applications such as XAMPP and the Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) programming language and DBMS (Database Management System) using MySQL, it is hoped that this application can help companies store all data that is still using a manual system, or not computerized system with the aim of maximizing performance and profit for the company, suppliers, including customers and can provide satisfaction to suppliers and companies so that carrying out business processes will be easy.