Industrial Landscape Research Articles

The Impact of Industry 4.0 Technologies on Operational Excellence Methods: Application of Fuzzy Topsis

Achieving operational excellence has become essential for firms looking to be competitive and sustainable in the quickly changing landscape of modern industries. Because of the rise of Industry 4.0, which encompasses cutting-edge technologies and data-driven methods, traditional business models and ways of doing things have changed in big ways. This study looks at how operational excellence and Industry 4.0 technologies collaborate for mutual benefit. The paper attempts to highlight the transformative potential that these technologies hold for streamlining operations, increasing productivity, minimizing waste and promoting overall corporate success. The study therefore investigates the mutually beneficial interaction between operational excellence and industry 4.0,by examining the integration of established management concepts such as Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management with emerging Industry 4.0 technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and automation. The research places particular attention on the incorporation of sustainability principles within this integration. Inputs were gathered from the experts in the industry and Fuzzy TOPSIS was employed to execute the rankings of the industry 4.0 technologies with reference to its influence on different operational excellence methods. The analysis of data indicated data analytics at first position followed by robotics and automation. The findings highlight the importance of developing a comprehensive strategy effectively combining latest technological solutions with operational excellence methods in order to promote competitive growth coupled with enhanced environmental and social sustainability in the modern business environment.

Empowering Sustainable Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Goals Through Industry 5.0 Implementation

ABSTRACTThe transition to Industry 5.0 represents a significant transformation in the global industrial landscape, combining advanced technology with human creativity to promote sustainable development. This study investigates the potential of Industry 5.0 to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within sustainable infrastructure projects, addressing a critical gap in existing research concerning its practical applications and outcomes. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‐SEM), the study analyzes data collected from 150 construction professionals in Egypt, focusing on key enablers such as digital transformation skills, eco‐innovation, and proactive governmental support. The results demonstrate that these Industry 5.0 enablers significantly enhance environmental resilience, social inclusivity, and economic efficiency in infrastructure projects. The research offers a novel theoretical framework and empirical evidence on the constructive role of Industry 5.0 in achieving sustainable infrastructure outcomes, providing valuable insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and academic researchers. These findings highlight the potential of Industry 5.0 to drive innovation that aligns with the SDGs and fosters sustainable, human‐centric development.

Zeolite Membranes for Gas and Liquid Separation: Synthesis and Applications

The quest for efficient separation technologies is more critical than ever in our rapidly evolving industrial landscape, where the demand for sustainable and cost-effective solutions is paramount [...]

Assessing Human Factors in Virtual Reality Environments for Industry 5.0: A Comprehensive Review of Factors, Metrics, Techniques, and Future Opportunities

Industry 5.0, the latest evolution in industrial processes, builds upon the principles of Industry 4.0 by emphasizing human-centric approaches and the integration of virtual reality technologies. This paradigm shift underscores the importance of collaboration between humans and advanced technologies with a focus on optimizing efficiency, safety, and worker skill development. Based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, this study conducts a systematic literature review, identifying 328 papers from databases. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 24 papers were selected for detailed analysis. The review provides valuable insights into the diverse evaluation methods employed in the literature, and a detailed classification of 29 human factors with their associated metrics. Despite the absence of a standardized method for assessing human factors in VR experiences, this comprehensive analysis of 240 different ways of measuring factors highlights the current state of evaluating human-centered VR experiences in Industry 5.0. While the review reveals some limitations such as potential bias in study selection and heterogeneity of methods, it also identifies significant research gaps and proposes future directions. This study contributes to the establishment of a coherent structure for future research and development in human-centered design within the rapidly evolving landscape of Industry 5.0, paving the way for more effective and standardized approaches in the future.

Space Optimization for Raw Material Transportation: Reducing Environmental Impact

In today’s industrial landscape, adhering to lean manufacturing principles and achieving operational excellence is increasingly vital due to rising competition. Eliminating waste, or Muda is essential for attaining a high level of lean manufacturing. One significant area for improvement is space optimization, which can be applied to production areas and logistic warehouses on a macroeconomic scale, or to trucks and pallets on a microeconomic scale. This study focuses on optimising truck space for the transportation of raw materials. An in-depth analysis of heuristics and metaheuristics methods was conducted to select the most suitable approach for this context. The chosen metaheuristic was then tailored in terms of parameters and design for this specific application. Simulation results indicate the optimal number of trucks required to meet demand and provide a 3D layout for storing raw material-filled boxes on pallets and pallets in trucks. The proposed solution is versatile and can be adapted for various storage optimization challenges within a given space.

Mapping of US tobacco industry: Companies, products, histories, and market shares.

Data visualization can communicate information clearly and effectively through graphical means. We developed an industry landscape map to help tobacco regulatory scientists and policymakers understand a high-level overview of the US tobacco industry. This kind of mapping of the market data and deep visualization of companies and their products benefits regulatory science and public health policy in supporting potential knowledge gaps in the regulated industry.

Quantum-inspired metaheuristic algorithms for Industry 4.0: A scientometric analysis

Quantum-inspired Metaheuristic algorithms have redefined non-deterministic polynomial time hard optimization challenges by leveraging quantum mechanics principles. These algorithms herald a broad range of application scenarios in Industry 4.0 and offer feasible time solutions for complex, large-scale industrial landscapes. The potential benefits provided by the quantum-inspired metaheuristic algorithms have accelerated the scientific advancements in this domain. Consequently, the present research contributes to the existing knowledge base by presenting the intellectual landscape through scientometric and systematic literature analysis. The study is conducted on the dataset derived from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, covering 2001 to 2023. The study employs co-citation and co-occurrence analyses to discern prominent research topics, emerging research frontiers, significant authors, and the most collaborating countries. The research findings underscore that electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and combinatorial optimization are prominent research topics, while carbon emission, resource management, and path planning are burgeoning areas of exploration in this knowledge domain. The intricate and entangled network linkage determines that the research community in this domain fosters a dynamic and synergistic relationship. Overall, the pivotal insights and the research challenges articulated in this article offer valuable insights to researchers and the academic community, aiding in discerning the intellectual terrain and emerging research patterns in quantum-inspired metaheuristic algorithms. This, in turn, fosters the advancement of innovation and facilitates well-informed decision-making within this evolving research paradigm.

Hybrid Festival Visitors Experience Using the Event Experience Theory in the Post Covid Era

The festival events sector has undergone a significant transformation with the rise of hybrid events, which blend physical and virtual components. This evolution has been notable since the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated innovative approaches to event organisation. The pandemic acted as a catalyst for the widespread adoption of hybrid events, reshaping the industry landscape and setting new standards for attendee engagement and experience. Structured interviews were conducted with 105 attendees from two major festivals. These interviews were designed based on the Event Experience Theory (EET), which provides a framework for understanding the dimensions of event experiences, including sensory perception, emotional engagement, cognitive involvement, and social interactions. The findings of this study contribute to the conceptualization of hybrid events experience. From a managerial perspective, research findings inform event organisers on effectively navigating the landscape of hybrid events with the aim to ensure event viability and attendees’ satisfaction.

Nigeria's Sugar Industry: Challenges, Opportunities, and Prospects for Self-Sufficiency

The sugar industry in Nigeria is relatively young, having been established in the 1960s. However, it has not yet reached its full potential, as it currently only supplies about 5% of the country's sugar demand. This lack of performance has led to the loss of foreign exchange earnings and hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities. The Nigerian Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) predicts that the country's sugar demand will exceed 1.7 million metric tonnes by 2020, and to meet this demand, the country needs to establish 28 sugar factories and cultivate 250,000 hectares of land for sugarcane over the next 10 years. Private investors will provide most of the investment capital. The government has enacted various policy instruments, including fiscal incentives, tariffs, and the Backward Integration Program (BIP), to create a conducive policy environment for the sugar industry's development. The Sugar Levy will also fund research and development studies and essential infrastructure. These policies aim to attract new investors and protect existing and new investments in the sugar sector. The approval of the NSMP and the adoption of the conducive policy environment demonstrate the government's commitment to revitalizing the sugar industry and making it a crucial part of the nation's industrial landscape. This paper highlights the progress made in the first ten years of the NSMP's BIP, the establishment of the Nigeria Sugar Institute, and the expected increase in sugar production in NSMP phase II.

Use of enabling technologies with industry 5.0 to align with sustainability in the construction industry

The shifting industrial landscape of Industry 5.0 demands adaptability to technological advancements, emphasising human-machine interaction. The enabling technologies facilitate the transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, ensuring technological advancements align with human well-being and sustainability. However, limited literature exists on their application with Industry 5.0 in construction, particularly focusing on sustainability. Addressing this gap, this study investigates how to use enabling technologies with Industry 5.0 to align with sustainability in the construction industry, through a qualitative research approach, employing two rounds of semi-structured expert interviews using the Delphi technique. Manual content analysis was used to analyse the empirical data. Findings revealed that human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience are key elements of Industry 5.0 validating their applicability in construction. This study further highlights nine enabling technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Collaborative Robots, and Digital Twins as the most impactful for transforming the construction to Industry 5.0. Detailed insights were gathered on leveraging these technologies with each Industry 5.0 element. The findings underscore the importance of integrating these advanced technologies to improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability in construction projects. This research provides strategic insights for industry stakeholders to adopt Industry 5.0 principles, promoting smarter, more resilient, and sustainable construction practices.

Income Growth and Industrial Landscape: Examining Mexican Household Survey Data

This research explores the economic impact of the existence of industrial sectors throughout communities in Mexico. Of particular interest is the role of maquiladora based industries, or those sectors that import materials and equipment which are then assembled, processed and manufactured into export products. The latest updated data used in the study is from Mexican Family Life Survey managed by Iberoamerican University with other partners. The nationwide household panel data was collected in three waves from 2002 to 2012, with about 8,500 households and 150 communities surveyed. The data is analyzed with the fixed effects regression approach. Results indicate that the presence of maquiladoras in the community has a negative and significant impact on the growth of household income. Of its two parts, the existence of manufacturing facilities has a significantly negative relationship with the growth of household income while assembly plants existence does not have a statistically significant impact. Other variables that indicate robust evidence of importance include the number of people in the household, the number of schools per person in the communities, and the land area per person in the household. Education of the head of household has some positive impacts on household income growth, but the results are not robust

An Evaluation of Industry 4.0 Capabilities for Sustainable Innovation in Food Sector

The term "Industry 4.0" refers to a paradigm shift in technology and manufacturing. Using cuttingedge technologies like automation, big data analytics, loT, additive manufacturing, cyber physical system this study investigates relationship between 14.0 and sustainability in food sector. The study's objective is to investigate the key advantages on adoption of 14.0 technologies in food industry, with a focus on environmental impact, waste reduction, and resource efficiency. A review of economic, environmental, and social aspects enables the assessment of prospects and obstacles related to sustainable innovation. Important conclusions highlight how crucial it is for technologies like blockchain and loT to improve food supply chains' waste reduction, transparency, and traceability. The research sheds light on the underutilised 14.0 tools in the current food industry landscape by classifying and highlighting their significance. Research highlights the potential of 14.0 to promote environmentally friendly business models, improve operational effectiveness, and support more general sustainability objectives, such as development of innovative green processes. The primary themes centre on how 14.0 models incorporate technology breakthroughs while paying particular attention to sustainability principles. The study also discusses execution barriers, specifically regarding tracking and monitoring products for quality assurance. The consequences for society and economy highlights the 14.O's transformative potential in building a robust and sustainable future for global industries.

Exploration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Industrial Heritage Sites in China's Third Front Construction Under the Vision of Cultural and Tourism Integration Taking the Landscape Design of Liuhe Silk Factory in Nanchong City, China as an Example

Objective: This paper explores the sustainable development purpose of industrial heritage landscape design in China through industrial heritage landscape design. Theoretical Framework: This study draws on relevant literature, including two parts: theory and practice cases, such as the review of landscape design cases and the impact of landscape design theoretical framework on the sustainable development of industrial heritage sites. Method: The method adopts a case study approach. It reviews the landscape design process of the Liuhe Silk Factory, compares the data collected before and after construction, and thus concludes that sustainable development can be achieved through landscape design. Results and Discussion: The study's results reveal that to achieve the sustainable development purpose of industrial heritage, landscape design requires innovative design concepts and highlights the importance of integrating culture and tourism. Research Implications: This study's results have practical significance for the development of industrial heritage landscape design in China and even in developing countries and contribute to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Originality/Value: This study provides new insights into realizing sustainable development goals for industrial heritage and finds a landscape design method that contributes to the literature and has the potential to be applied in tourism and cultural heritage management.

A mid-20th century stratigraphical Anthropocene is recognisable in the birth-area of the industrial revolution

The formalisation of the Anthropocene as a subdivision of the Geological Time Scale has been under debate. Its stratigraphic boundary has been proposed as a precise Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) in the mid-20th century, but it is part of an episode of human-induced changes to the Earth System that have unfolded over millennia. Here we attempt to identify stratigraphical patterns of the Anthropocene from a previously well studied lake sedimentary archive from the English Midlands, located in one of the most heavily human-modified landscapes in the UK, and the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Our analysis is predicated on the sedimentary succession of Groby Pool, a small lake situated to the immediate northwest of Leicester. We have found that whilst proxy signals for biotic change are indicative of significant landscape and consequent ecological changes prior to the 20th century, the signal from radiogenic fallout and rapid increase in spheroidal carbonaceous particles indicative of fossil-fuel combustion yield a clear mid and later 20th century stratigraphical signature that corresponds with the Great Acceleration of the post-WWII period. We therefore demonstrate clear stratigraphical signatures in the oldest Industrial Revolution landscape on Earth that are consistent with a mid-20th century start point for the Anthropocene.

Cheese eK-Book: a new web-based medium for capitalising on, structuring and transferring cheesemaking knowledge and know-how

PurposeThis paper aims to address the challenges faced by the cheese industry, particularly concerning the preservation and transfer of traditional cheesemaking knowledge. It emphasises the need for innovative solutions in sustainably managing knowledge and skills amidst changing demographic and technological landscapes.Design/methodology/approachOur approach consists of developing and implementing a digital tool, the cheese eK-Book, which is designed to capture, structure and disseminate cheesemaking knowledge. This tool is based on a semantic network and is accessible via smartphones and tablets and aims to facilitate continuous learning, knowledge transfer and collaboration across diverse stakeholders in the cheese production sector.FindingsThe study highlights several critical findings. Traditional cheesemaking knowledge is currently at risk due to a number of factors, including the ageing of skilled workers, a lack of succession planning and pressures from globalisation and industrialisation. The European dairy sector is evolving towards more specialised and automated production, requiring a skilled workforce capable of adapting to these changes. There is a significant gap between traditional cheese makers and research institutions, hindering the adoption of new technologies and best practices. The cheese eK-Book offers a promising solution to these challenges by preserving knowledge, supporting continuous learning and enhancing collaboration between industry stakeholders and educational/research institutions. The tool facilitates access to scientific knowledge, promotes work–life balance by offering a range of flexible learning opportunities and supports tailored training programmes based on individual users’ needs.Originality/valueThis article contributes original insights by proposing a comprehensive digital solution tailored to the specific, current needs of the cheese industry. By integrating modern technology with traditional knowledge, the cheese eK-Book not only preserves expertise but also fosters innovation and sustainability within the sector. It bridges the gap between practical cheesemaking skills and contemporary scientific understanding, addressing critical challenges such as knowledge retention, succession planning and workforce development in a rapidly evolving industry landscape. The strength of the Cheese eK-Book lies in its capacity to communicate knowledge, traditions and teachings across generations. This transfer of knowledge and skills plays a crucial role in preserving heritage and fostering connections across different generations within a community.

Intelligent Sensor Software for Robust and Energy-Sustainable Decision-Making in Welding of Steel Reinforcement for Concrete.

In today's industrial landscape, optimizing energy consumption, reducing production times, and maintaining quality standards are critical challenges, particularly in energy-intensive processes like resistance spot welding (RSW). This study introduces an intelligent decision support system designed to optimize the RSW process for steel reinforcement bars. By creating robust machine learning models trained on limited datasets, the system generates interactive heat maps that provide real-time guidance to production engineers or intelligent systems, enabling dynamic adaptation to changing conditions and external factors such as fluctuating energy costs. These heat maps serve as a flexible and intuitive tool for identifying robust operational points that balance quality, energy efficiency, and productivity. The proposed methodology advances decision-making in welding processes by combining robust predictive modeling with innovative visualization techniques, offering a versatile solution for multiobjective optimization in real-world industrial applications.

A Reusable Past. Opportunities for the Utilization of Industrial Heritage in Salgótarján, Hungary

AbstractIndustrial heritage is not just the industrial landscape, buildings, and material objects, but also the highly complex cultural heritage created by industrial society, with many unique features. The former industrial towns of East-Central European countries have little memory of their early capitalist industrial past, and their socialist legacy is mostly seen as an unwanted and unwelcome burden. Industrial heritage preservation in Hungary was also adversely affected by the ideology of de-industrialization in the late 1980s, and this was compounded by struggles over the politics of memory. Salgótarján, as the seat of Nógrád County, is a city with county rights that has one of the worst social and economic indicators in the country, with dozens of slums, many of them on former industrial sites. The number of sites suitable for greenfield investment in the valley town is low, while the proportion of under-utilized brownfields is high. The real turning point in the development of the settlement was the opening of the mines and the mining boom in the second half of the 19th century. The opening of the mines was soon followed by the construction of larger industrial plants: the steel mill, the hollow-glass and later flat-glass factory, and the ironworks (stove factory). Initially, skilled workers were recruited from abroad, which laid the foundations for a unique society, as much of the population had no ties to the settlement, or even to Hungary—only to the work and their employer. The industrial society of Salgótarján formed a well-defined local community with a sense of identity. The management of the companies and factories, the network of workers' welfare institutions, the managed leisure programs and facilities, and of course the built environment of the colonies played a major role in all this. Under state socialism, the factories continued to operate with an artificially inflated workforce, and after the political regime change in 1989, the privatized plants closed down with dramatic abruptness, leading to social trauma and high unemployment in the settlement. The preservation and presentation of industrial heritage is also important for the city's identity while the built environment is undergoing a radical transformation, which is why buildings that are deemed worthy of preservation should be given a new function as soon as possible so that they may remain an integral part of the settlement.

Symbiotic design and numerical methods of industrial architecture and urban landscape in the context of sustainable development

The status quo of low sustainability of urban landscape symbiosis design programme and low referability of the corresponding comprehensive evaluation method, the study will take the environmental and ecological value as the symbiosis goal to design the urban landscape. The study constructs a comprehensive evaluation model of industrial heritage urban landscape ecology, researches each index affecting landscape ecology, and determines the weight of each influence index by combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The maximum influence factors of the four criteria layers of emotion, culture, material and ecology are pleasure, obvious cultural symbols, appropriate scale and microclimate regulation, and the corresponding values are 0.313, 0.404, 0.315 and 0.495, respectively. Compared with that before the introduction of the self-organised neural network fusion K-Means clustering algorithm, the ecological evaluation scores of the urban landscape of the industrial heritage are much closer to the real situation, and the overall error is much higher. The ecological evaluation model of industrial heritage buildings is closer to the real situation, and the overall error fluctuation is 0.012–0.020. The precision-recall curve of the comprehensive evaluation model of industrial heritage buildings is more advantageous than that of other comprehensive evaluation models. The results of the study provide a scientific reference basis for the design of the external landscape environment of industrial heritage buildings, and provide a strong scientific support for the ecological symbiosis between old industrial buildings and the environment under the concept of sustainability.

Scratching: Sicilian residual landscapes in the afterlife of oil production

ABSTRACT This article explores the experience of ruination in one of Europe’s largest petrochemical hubs, located in southeastern Sicily. Analyzing a public demonstration that blends an eco-cultural outing with a protest march, I focus on a military zone near old petrochemical plants and deteriorating structures associated with the mid-twentieth-century modernist ideology. The article looks at how local activists interact with this residual materiality during the walk, creating a deep sensory engagement and fostering a renewed understanding of the site’s potential for transformation. The concept of ‘scratching’ describes the tactics used to scrape away the disturbing layers of the late industrial landscape, revealing alternatives that transcend current limitations.

OpticalTrust: A Sensor-to-Blockchain Framework Using Free-Space Optical Communication.

In the dynamic landscape of the tech industry, the escalating requirement for swift and secure data transmission has catalyzed innovation in integrated communication systems. Free-Space Optics (FSOs) has emerged as a promising contender in optical communications. While conventional optical fiber systems can achieve bit rates of up to 40 Gbps with proper design, they are limited primarily by electronics rather than semiconductor laser capabilities. This study presents an integrated framework that combines FSOs, blockchain technology, and sensor networks to address challenges in data transmission, security, and environmental adaptation. This study analyzes FSOs system performance through the Quality (Q) Factor and Bit Error Rate (BER), comparing systems with and without Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs) across various bit rates (8, 12, 16, and 20 Gbps) and transmission distances (5-25 km). To enhance data security and reliability, a blockchain architecture is incorporated with smart contracts and an InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for storing and validating results generated from FSOs simulation. Additionally, this study explores the design of sensor network models for FSOs technology by investigating how distributed sensor arrays can be theoretically integrated with FSOs systems, with testing focused on FSOs performance and blockchain implementation.