Metal Industry Research Articles

중력모형을 활용한 우리나라 주요산업의 수출결정요인 비교 분석

Purpose - This study aims to derive export determinants for each major industry in Korea using a gravity model, and through this, suggest factors affecting the competitiveness of each industry.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - Using a gravity model, this study used annual data from 1995 to 2022 and conducted a panel analysis on the top 10 major export destination countries of Korea. The industries to be analyzed were agricultural and fishery products, chemical industrial products, iron and metal products, machinery, and electronic products.
 Findings - As a result of analyzing Korea’s major export determinants by industry using a gravity model, it was found that the per capita GDP (PGDP), which can determine the income size of the other country, gross national income (GNI) of the other country, and the population of the trading partner (POP), which can determine the size of the economy, had a positive (+) effect on chemical industrial products and machinery, and the distance variable showed negative effects on all industries except machinery.
 Research Implications - The larger the income and economy of Korea’s major trading partners, the greater the impact on exports. However, it was analyzed that the conclusion of an FTA had a positive (+) effect on agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products and steel and metal products, and the economic growth rate of trading partners had a positive effect on machinery and electronic products. The analysis results suggest that there are differences in export determinants by major industry, which requires an approach of customized export strategies by industry.

Removal of Copper (II) from Mining Waste Water by Adsorption onto Activated Carbons Produced from Hazelnut Shell

Mining wastewater is one of the most important environmental problems today because of the heavy metal ions they contain. Wastewaters containing heavy metal pollution are generally acidic waters with low BOI (Biochemical oxygen demand) value. Various processes such as mineral processing waste disposal, illegal mining, domestic waste disposal, and others result in the release of heavy metals into the waters. One of the heavy metals that cause problems in terms of environmental pollution is copper. Copper metal is commonly found in metal and metal plating industry wastewater. Although metal industry wastewater is low in quantity, they are toxic waste. For this reason, industrial wastewater must be treated before being discharged into the receiving environment. In this study, the amount of Cu in wastewater of the mining operation in Gümüşhane was determined. Heavy metal pollution was eliminated with an adsorbent produced from agricultural biowaste. It has been tried to determine the amount of adsorbent, contact time, and treatment efficiency of wastewater at different pHs of activated carbon produced by chemical activation. As a result, an average of 88.7% efficiency was obtained with activated carbon activated with KOH, while 22,4% copper removal efficiencies were obtained with raw material (hazelnut shell) used without activation. It was determined that the appropriate working pH was 5,0; the amount of adsorbent was 0.05 g and Qmax 121,2. As a result, in this study, very low-cost adsorbents were produced using waste hazelnut shells, and a biotechnological approach was proposed to clean copper-containing wastewater.

Exploring the Opportunities for Sustainable Management of Critical Raw Materials in the Circular Economy

Critical raw materials are essential for various industries due to their importance, significance, and various applications. They are classified into various types, such as rare earth elements and strategic minerals, and have key characteristics such as scarcity, high economic importance, and geopolitical implications. Factors influencing the availability of critical raw materials include geological factors, environmental challenges, regulations, trade, and geopolitical factors. Global demand and supply of critical raw materials are also analyzed, with a focus on recycling and sustainable practices. Potential risks and challenges associated with critical raw materials include environmental and social impacts, dependence on these raw materials, and dependence on foreign countries. Understanding these factors is crucial for ensuring the continued success of critical metals in various industries. The research paper discusses the importance of critical metals in the circular economy, their definition, and the research's objectives. It also discusses the circular economy concept and its relevance to resource management, identifying critical metals and their specific roles, and discussing challenges and opportunities related to their use. The article focuses on the potential for critical raw material management within the circular economy. The study's goal is to investigate and analyse the various tactics and methodologies that can be used to successfully utilise, recycle, and reintroduce key metals into the economy. The circular economy is viewed as a method of improving sustainable resource management by closing the material flow and encouraging renewability and recycling. The circular economy is currently understudied in the context of critical metals - a set of raw materials that are vital for modern technology but are limited in supply and cause significant environmental damage.

Investigating the link between green finance, environmental orientation, and carbon neutrality: A panel study of the metal extraction sector

In the natural resources exploitation sector, metal industry is considered as one of the major carbon emitters. In this context, this study aims to explore the role of green finance and environmental orientation in improving the carbon neutrality of the firms operating in this sector. The data was collected from two large economies' metal sectors: the People's Republic of China (PRC) and India. Five years of data from 2015 to 2019 was collected from 98 firms from financial statements and other sources. Given the nature of the data, panel cointegration was employed to analyze the developed model. Keeping in view the findings of these three diagnostic tests, it was clear that our model did not fully meet the assumptions to apply a normal panel. It led us to apply a panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) approach, which accounts for the violations of assumptions (autocorrelations, heteroscedasticity, and cross-sectional dependence) as identified in the results of diagnostic tests. The PCSE approach the can preserve the OLS parameter estimates while adjusting the standard errors (SE) to counter the issues found in OLS estimation. These results explain that the provision of green finance can help improve the carbon neutrality of firms in the metal sector of the PRC. Further, the results on the impact of environmental orientation on carbon neutrality are also significant, showing environmental orientation's instrumental role in improving carbon neutrality. Further, the interaction role of environmental orientation in the association between green finance and carbon neutrality is tested creating an interaction term by multiplying both variables. The results show a statistically significant role of environmental orientation in the association between green finance and carbon neutrality. These findings coefficient that, in the case of the PRC, the joint effect of green finance and environmental orientation is statistically significant. The results on the impact of environmental orientation are also significant, confirming its instrumental role in improving carbon neutrality. In short, our findings, suggest that by embracing such an environmental orientation, organizations can position themselves as leaders in carbon neutrality and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Pneumoconiosis and Silicosis: Recent Trend and Public Health Responses

Pneumoconiosis, a collective term for lung diseases resulting from the inhalation of specific dusts, presents significant global public health and economic challenges1. This is particularly prevalent in traditional sectors like mining and metal industries, and emerging industries such as nuclear fuel processing. Notably, nations like China and India have over 20 million workers at risk. While awareness around pneumoconiosis has been prevalent for decades, its status as a leading occupational disease, especially in regions like China, indicates a deficiency in current mitigation policies. This essay delves into the present diagnostic and treatment measures for pneumoconiosis, its prevention strategies, worldwide trends, and the existing policies from governmental and private entities, highlighting areas for enhancement. The global resurgence of pneumoconiosis underscores the pressing need for a thorough reassessment of workplace regulations and the creation of novel standards tailored to emergent industries. Comprehensive research aimed at identifying air pollutants and associated risks in new industry workspaces is imperative. Collaborative endeavors from governmental and private sectors should focus on enhanced protective gear, workplace safety education, and comprehensive medical insurance. Innovative strategies, like forecasting potential workplace pollutants, can bridge the gap between policy enforcement and safety measures, aiming to reduce the influence of this incapacitating ailment.

Effect of industrial grade raw materials and its associated impurities on first hydrogenation of BCC solid solution alloys

This study explores the effects of using industrial-grade raw materials on the hydrogen storage properties of body-centered cubic (BCC) solid solution alloys. Industrial scrap metals were chosen as the raw material, and the desired alloys were synthesized using a vacuum arc melting furnace. Instead of using pure vanadium (V), different inexpensive industrial substitutes such as low-grade vanadium (V), vanadium nitride (VN), vanadium oxide (VO), and ferrovanadium (FeV) were utilized. The crystal structure, morphology, first hydrogenation, thermodynamics, and cyclability of the prepared alloys were analyzed by using XRD, SEM-EDS, and XPS methods. The crystal structure and morphology analysis revealed multiphase alloys in all the prepared alloys and a Ti rich third phase in the VN sample, which was absent otherwise. The first hydrogenation was performed at room temperature under a hydrogen pressure of 2 MPa without any prior heat treatment. The VO alloy displayed negligible hydrogen absorption during first hydrogenation, while the V, VN, and FeV alloys showed maximum hydrogen storage capacities of 3.49 wt%, 2.47 wt%, and 2.18 wt%, respectively. The presence of oxygen hinders the activation of the VO alloy and requires two activation cycles to activate the sample. A short-term cyclability analysis showed a reversible hydrogen storage capacity of 2 wt%. The change in enthalpy of hydrogen absorption and desorption for V alloy were calculated to be −36.73 ± 8.6 and 57.34 ± 8.3 kJ/mol H2, respectively. One of the prominent advantages of utilizing scrap raw materials was the substantial reduction in overall raw material costs, which saw an impressive 95% decrease when compared to using pure raw materials. These results highlight the economic benefits of incorporating recovered industrial scrap into hydrogen storage alloys.

Determination of Bioremediation Potentials and Plant Growth-Promoting Properties of Bacillus Species Isolated from The Rhizosphere of Dactylorhiza urvilleana

Industrial activities have been one of the biggest factors of environmental destruction by affecting natural resources for decades. Heavy metals, which are one of the greatest dangers especially for the biosphere, can be found in industrial waste. Heavy metals that enter agricultural areas through industrial wastewater cause heavy metals to accumulate in the soil after a certain period. These accumulated heavy metals become an important environmental problem, threatening the life of living beings due to their toxic properties. In soils contaminated with wastewater containing heavy metals, microorganism populations are severely damaged in terms of both number and diversity. This heavy metal accumulation in water and soil has become a global health threat. Alternative processes are needed in the fight against heavy metal pollution. Bioremediation activity, defined as the removal process of environmental pollutants through microorganisms and plants, has gained significant importance in recent years. In our study, the tolerance potentials of Bacillus species isolated from the rhizosphere of Dactylorhiza urvilleana (Steudel) Bauman in the Ovit plateau of Rize province to metals (such as copper, lead, zinc, iron and silver) were investigated. In addition, plant growth promoting Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) production, phosphate dissolution, and ACC (1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylic acid) deaminase production were determined. It was determined that the isolated Bacillus species had a wide pH growth range and some Bacillus species were salt tolerant. The results showed that Bacillus species have bioremediation potential and plant growth promoting properties. It is thought that the bacteria isolated from the study can be used to make areas with heavy metal pollution suitable for plant cultivation and act as plant growth promoters in these areas. These bacteria strains are planned to be used as cheaper and more effective methods in studies in agriculture or areas with heavy metal pollution.

Hemispheric-scale heavy metal pollution from South American and Australian mining and metallurgy during the Common Era

Records from polar and alpine ice reflect past changes in background and industrial toxic heavy metal emissions. While Northern Hemisphere records have been used to evaluate environmental effects and linkages to historical events such as foreign conquests, plagues, economic downturns, and technological developments during the past three millennia, little is known about the magnitude and environmental effects of such emissions in the Southern Hemisphere or their historical linkages, especially prior to late 19th century industrialization. Here we used detailed measurements of the toxic heavy metals lead, cadmium, and thallium, as well as non-toxic bismuth, cerium, and sulfur in an array of five East Antarctic ice cores to investigate hemispheric-scale pollution during the Common Era. While thallium showed no anthropogenic increases, the other three metals increased by orders of magnitude in recent centuries after accounting for crustal and volcanic components. These first detailed records indicate that East Antarctic lead pollution started in the 13th century coincident with Late Intermediate Period metallurgy in the Andes and was pervasive during the Spanish Colonial period in parallel with large-scale exploitation of Andean silver and other ore deposits. Lead isotopic variations suggest that 19th-century increases in lead, cadmium, and bismuth resulted from Australian lead and Bolivian tin mining emissions, with 20th century pollution largely the result of the latter. As in the Northern Hemisphere, variations in heavy metal pollution coincided with plagues, cultural and technological developments, as well as global economic and political events including the Great Depression and the World Wars. Estimated atmospheric heavy metal emissions from Spanish Colonial-era mining and smelting during the late 16th and early 17th century were comparable to estimated European emissions during the 1st-century apex of the Roman Empire, with atmospheric model simulations suggesting hemispheric-scale toxic heavy metal pollution during the past five centuries as a result.

Challenges and Opportunities of Big Data Analytics for Human Resource Management in Mining and Metal Industries

Big data analytics has been transforming various industries and sectors including mining, metals, metallurgical, etc., and the mining sector, known for its complex and dynamic workforce requirements, is increasingly turning to Big Data Analytics to optimize its Human Resource Management (HRM) practices. The mining sector, being a significant economic segment, contributes to economic growth and is confronted with the dual challenges of a rapidly aging workforce and a shortage of skilled talent. As the mining industry is facing a talent crunch, HR has a significant role in attracting and retaining new talent in this industry, as well as ensuring that competent talent is brought in to meet the sector’s future demands Big data analytics for HR refers to the use of data analysis techniques to gain insights into employee behavior, engagement, productivity, and retention. The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges and opportunities of big data analytics for HR, best practices for implementing it, and case studies of companies that have successfully implemented big data analytics for HR. The paper begins by outlining the importance of big data analytics for HR, highlighting its ability to provide HR professionals with a better understanding of employee behavior, engagement, and motivation. The challenges of big data analytics for HR are then discussed, including data quality and accessibility, integration of data from various sources, protection of data privacy, lack of expertise and resources, and resistance to change and adoption. The opportunities of big data analytics for HR are then presented, including predictive analytics for talent management, data-driven recruitment and selection, employee engagement and retention, performance management and productivity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Best practices for implementing big data analytics for HR are also discussed, including defining clear objectives and metrics, selecting the right tools and technologies, building a data-driven culture, collaborating with IT and other departments, and ensuring data privacy and security. Case studies of successful big data analytics in HR are presented to provide real-world examples of companies that have leveraged big data analytics to improve their HR functions. Examples include IBM's talent analytics program, Google’s use of big data analytics to identify key drivers of employee satisfaction and engagement, and leading mining company, referred to as “MinerCo,” leveraged Big Data Analytics to address HRM challenges and harness opportunities for improvement.

Unveiling interconnectedness: Exploring higher-order moments among energy, precious metals, industrial metals, and agricultural commodities in the context of geopolitical risks and systemic stress

This study investigates linkages and connectedness among geopolitical risks, systemic stress, and commodity futures (energy, precious metals, industrial metals, and agricultural commodities). We combine the 22-day rolling ex-post higher-order moments with a novel Quantile-VAR extended joint connectedness framework. Our findings highlight the significant impacts of geopolitical risks and systemic stress on equicorrelations and spillovers of the higher-order moment risks. The total spillovers of higher-order moments at the extreme upper (0.95) and lower (0.05) quantiles are notably higher than those at the median quantile. Geopolitical risks convey substantial net spillovers of higher-order moment risks to commodity futures, particularly in extreme market status. In normal market conditions, systemic financial stress also transmits notable spillovers to commodity futures. Moreover, the dynamic connectedness indices evolve across time and quantiles.

Identifying critical transmission sectors, paths, and carbon communities for CO2 mitigation in global supply chains

The critical transmission hubs in global supply chain networks have great potential to reduce carbon emissions, yet this has not received much attention from existing studies. This research combines the structural path betweenness, an extended structural path analysis, and a multi-level modularity optimization algorithm to identify key transmission sectors, paths, and carbon communities in a global supply chain network using the environmentally extended multi-regional input-output analysis. The results show that (1) China's metal industry, power industry, and non-metallic industry are the most crucial transmission centers, and some sectors, such as the paper industry and textile industry in China, are also key transmission hubs, yet they are ignored by traditional accounting methods. From a national viewpoint, China is the most key transmission hub, and its high betweenness is mainly caused by domestic demand. Meanwhile, the CO2 emissions transferred by China to satisfy foreign demand are mainly related to the US, ROW (especially the Asia-Pacific region), and Japan. (2) The transmitted carbon emission is mainly concentrated in the first four production layers, accounting for 69.46 % of the total. (3) The global carbon emission network can be divided into 20 carbon communities. And the largest communities are mainly led by mainland China. Most of the communities contain various national sectors, which offer evidence for international cooperation strategies. The results offer policymakers a new perspective on mitigating environmental stress.

Drivers and decoupling analysis of carbon emissions in the non-ferrous metal industry-evidence from 28 provinces in China.

Emissions from the non-ferrous metal industry are a major source of carbon emissions in China. Understanding the decoupling of carbon emissions from the non-ferrous metal industry and its influencing factors is crucial for China to achieve its "double carbon" goal. Here, we applied the Tapio decoupling model to measure the decoupling status and developmental trends of carbon output and emissions of the non-ferrous metal industry in China. The panel interaction fixed effects model is used to empirically analyze the influencing factors of carbon emissions in China's non-ferrous metal industry. The results show that carbon emissions from China's non-ferrous metal industry have experienced three main states: strong decoupling, growth connection, and negative growth decoupling. The carbon emissions of the non-ferrous metal industry in some eastern and central provinces from 2000 to 2004 were in a negative decoupling state. Most provinces in the western and central regions were either in a strong or weak decoupling state based on the developmental trend of the decoupling state of carbon emissions. However, from 2015 to 2019, the decoupling status of carbon emissions in most provinces in western and central China had a significantly negative, weakly negative, or a negative growth decoupling status. Energy structure, energy intensity, cost, and non-ferrous metal production all have a positive driving effect on carbon emissions in the non-ferrous metal industry. Production had a mitigating effect on carbon emissions in the non-ferrous metal industry between 2010-2014 in the eastern region of China. From the results of our study, we propose policy recommendations to promote a strong decoupling of carbon emissions from the non-ferrous metal industry by improving energy structure, reducing energy intensity, and optimizing production capacity.

Solvent-targeted recovery of all major materials in beverage carton packaging waste

Liquid packaging boards are widely used for beverage packaging, but their complex composition poses challenges for recycling. These composites are occasionally recycled through hydropulping. However, this method only allows for partial recovery of the paperboard and produces a reject mixture of aluminium, plastics, and residual paper fiber. This study demonstrates the first process to purify all main components of beverage carton packaging waste derived from a commercial pulp mill using solvent-targeted recycling with multiple green solvents, such as p-cymene and ionic liquids. By utilizing this solvent-based process, all major components from the waste were recycled to their original forms in excellent purity, particularly aluminum—an essential industrial metal typically obtained through energy-intensive methods. Furthermore, the solvents used in our material recycling system can be recycled in high purity and reused in the fractionation process. The recovered paper fiber could be converted to the versatile platform chemical levulinic acid in good yield.

The effects of energy consumption of alumina production in the environmental impacts using life cycle assessment

PurposeAluminium industry emits around 1–2% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Up to one-third of those are linked to the thermal energy consumed during its initial process: the alumina refining (Bayer process). Previous studies consider the Bayer process a single stage despite its being made of several reaction stages. This work presents a disaggregated energy analysis of the Bayer process that facilitates to find relationships between the main variables in regular alumina production and the environmental impacts.MethodsTwo different thermodynamic simulations of the Bayer process were carried out using Aspen V11 software. The results of these simulations were validated with referenced data, and afterwards, they were used to perform a life cycle assessment. ISO 14040 and 14,044 standards were followed during the analysis. LCA was implemented on SimaPro 9.0, and ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) method was used to calculate environmental impacts. The influence of bauxite mineral form, type of fuel (energy input), and the distance from the mine to the plant was analysed throughout the study.Results and discussionAs expected, the type of fuel was revealed as the most crucial factor in the environmental impact of alumina production, with potential savings of up to 75.5% of CO2-equivalent emissions. Nonetheless, the tendency is diverse for other indicators, such as marine eutrophication or terrestrial acidification. On the other hand, while bauxite transportation always has the same impact on the different environmental indicators, bauxite mineral form affects differently depending on the fuel, causing variations in the CO2-eq emissions from 7.7 to 51.3%.ConclusionsResults indicated that the electrification of heat-demanding processes and the use of renewable power is the most effective approach for reducing environmental impacts. This strategy, however, must be considered in combination with others, as interdependent effects exist on the type of mineral used. These results provide strong evidence of the potential for environmentally friendly strategies in the metal industry, including new processes, alternative fuels, or mineral switching to promote more sustainable aluminium production.

Anisotropy effects on the tensile properties of AA5052 and AA5052-PVC-AA5052 sandwich sheets

Abstract The essence on sheet metal industry innovation for making light weight bodies has been increasing day-to-day in the automotive sector. Based on the current demand and significance of sheet metals, the present work has been carried out on AA5052-PVC-AA5052 sandwich sheets to find out its tensile behaviour and hence related mechanical properties. The tensile behaviours of as received AA5052 alloy sheet of 1 mm thickness, PVC sheet of 0.5 mm thickness and AA5052-PVC-AA5052 sandwich sheet of 2.5 mm thickness were investigated. From the test results, the mechanical properties like yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), uniform elongation (UE), total elongation (TE), strain hardening exponent (n) and material strength coefficient (K) were evaluated. From the experimental results, rolling direction of base metal AA5052 alloy sheet has an influence on the mechanical properties; moreover, among three rolling directions such as 0°, 45° and 90°, better mechanical properties have been observed in 90° rolling direction. Similar tendency is seen in the case of sandwich sheets of 90°-P-90° rolling direction than other sandwich sheets. From this work, one can understand the improvement of mechanical properties with different combinations and rolling directions of AA5052 alloy sheet. The manufacturing industry can use these data as it is for their inclusion to the future products.

Dynamic interdependence structure of industrial metals and the African stock market

The study assesses the interdependence structure between industrial metals (aluminium, copper, nickel, tin, and zinc) and African stocks (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia). This paper employed a sample of 2700 daily observations on each asset class for the period ranging from January 1, 2012, to November 30, 2022. The bivariate analysis revealed a heterogeneous interdependence structure between industrial metals and African equities through a moderate comovement among the sample assets over the medium to long term. It also noted the hedge and haven prospects of base metals and select African stocks in both a normal (2012–2018) and turbulent (2019–2022) period. In contrast, the wavelet multiple correlations showed a higher degree of integration, with the fortnightly scale recording a near-perfect correlation. The wavelet cross-correlation results also showed that only copper was able to respond to shocks on monthly and quarterly scales, while the remaining scales had no immediate lag. By examining the structure of interdependence between base metals and the African stock market, we uncovered discoveries that have a profound policy, diversification, and risk allocation ramifications.

Mechanical behavior of austenitic stainless steels produced by wire arc additive manufacturing

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an innovative technology with the potential to drive the transformation and upgrading of metallic manufacturing industry and construction sector. The advantages of WAAM technology in rapid manufacturing, design freedom, and energy saving have attracted attentions in the construction field. This research study focuses on investigating the microstructural and mechanical behavior of austenitic stainless steels produced by wire arc additive manufacturing through test programs. The stainless steel plates were first additively manufactured using cold metal transfer technology with three types of feedstock wires (ER304, ER308L, ER316L). Tensile coupon specimens and microstructural observation samples were extracted from the WAAM plates. The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) experiments were conducted to identify and analyze the microstructures of the WAAM austenitic stainless steels. Five test orientations, namely θ = 0˚, 30˚, 45˚, 60˚, 90˚ relative to the printing layer direction, were designed to investigate the mechanical properties anisotropy. Two types of specimen surface condition (milled type and as-built type) were considered to assess the impact of geometric undulation. The geometric features of the as-built specimens were obtained using 3D laser scanning. A total of 60 tensile tests with the aid of digital image correlation (DIC) system were conducted to obtain the stress–strain responses of the WAAM austenitic stainless steels. The mechanical properties anisotropy of the WAAM austenitic stainless steels was analyzed in detail.

The State of Affairs of ‘Rare Metal Industry’ in Korea

This paper provides an in-depth exploration of the rare metal industry in Korea, examining its definition, classification, supply and demand dynamics, international trade conflicts, and the government's strategic initiatives. The research underscores the global significance of rare metals, the challenges posed by their uneven distribution, and the imperative for countries, including Korea, to address these challenges strategically. The paper also delves into Korea's recent legal and policy frameworks, emphasizing the role of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) in fostering the rare metal industry. Furthermore, it discusses the current state of Korea's rare metal industry, highlighting key areas such as rare earth metals for electric vehicles, refractory metals for semiconductors/displays, and cathode materials for secondary batteries. The concluding section emphasizes the need for technological advancements, recycling, and refining to establish a circular rare metal industrial economy.

Assessment of the Production Process Organization in the Metal Industry - Case Study

Abstract The article provides a detailed case study illustrating the practical application of BOST surveys while focusing on the third principle of Toyota. This particular principle underscores the importance of achieving an even distribution in production to mitigate fluctuations and ensure the smooth functioning of the production process. The article delves into a comprehensive analysis of how this principle is implemented in real-world scenarios, exploring its effects on production efficiency and elucidating the advantages gained from the elimination of downtime and the prevention of excessive inventory buildup. Moreover, the article offers a discussion on examples of applications across various industries, shedding light on practical strategies for implementing the third Toyota principle. The goal is to not only optimize production processes but also enhance flexibility and adaptability to evolving demand patterns. The article concludes by examining the pivotal role of this principle within the broader context of operational excellence and the development of more efficient production systems. The research in focus centers around a company operating in the metal industry. Through the utilization of BOST questionnaire surveys, production workers within the company expressed their perspectives, revealing which factors they deemed most crucial. The analysis of research results takes various forms, including tables, histograms, radar charts, and several statistical tools. The overarching objective of this analysis is to identify and present the most critical factors by constructing significance sequences based on the obtained results. The findings obtained for small and medium-sized enterprises align with results from similar tests conducted in different business settings, indicating a level of consistency and applicability across various organizational contexts.

Immune response status and development of streptococcus pneumoniae carriage as health risk factors for workers engaged in coke production and basic oxygen steelmaking

Occupational hazards affect immunological reactivity and increase the risk of infection with respiratory pathogens. The purpose of our work was to study the mechanisms and causes of developing carriage of streptococci possessing genetic determinants of resistance to antibiotics as health risk factors for workers engaged in coke production and basic oxygen steelmaking. We examined 136 workers of a ferrous metals industry and compared the prevalence of the carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus spp. and macrolide resistance genes (Mef, ErmB) in those engaged in coke production and basic oxygen steelmaking. We also collated the results of immunological examination of the carriers and non-carriers of S. pneumoniae. The control cohort was formed of engineering and technical personnel. We established that, compared with the controls, Streptococcus pneumoniae was a more frequent finding in the workers engaged in coke production and basic oxygen steelmaking (p ˂ 0.05). The cycle threshold value of Streptococcus spp. in them was also statistically higher. The Mef gene was more abundant in the steelmakers, including those carrying Streptococcus pneumoniae (p ˂ 0.05), and a change in immunological reactivity was detected in the cases carrying Streptococcus pneumoniae. In those engaged in basic oxygen steelmaking, significant changes were detected at the cellular level expressed by a reduced absolute number of mature T-lymphocytes (CD3+), T-helpers (CD4+), and T-suppressor/cytotoxic cells (CD8+) (p ≤ 0.05). At the humoral level, both the relative and absolute number of B-lymphocytes (CD19+) and the level of IgM were reduced, while that of IgG was, on the opposite, increased (p ≤ 0.05). In the coke plant workers carrying Streptococcus pneumoniae, the level of IgG was significantly higher than the control and reference values. We conclude that Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in the steelmakers as a health risk factor was accompanied by a change in immunological reactivity and higher abundance of the Mef gene compared to the controls while in the coke production workers the related differences were detected only in the IgG level.