Large Manufacturing Research Articles

Total factor productivity growth decomposition and its determinants in Ethiopian manufacturing sector

The objective of this study is to examine the performance of the manufacturing firms in terms of productivity growth by accounting for the determining factors. The findings revealed that growth in TFP has an average rate of 4.87% per year and showed significant improvement over the three policy periods (1996–2003, 2004–2010, and 2011–2015), respectively 3.6%, 4.7%, and 6.5%. Total factor productivity has been decomposed into contributing sources of technical progress (1%), scale change (− 0.14%), and technical efficiency change (4.01%). Twelve factors are identified from the literature as determinants of TFP growth. Eight of them are found to statistically affect this growth. The periods from 2004 to 2010 (high economic growth period) and from 2011 to 2015 (GTP I) have a higher TFP growth rate relative to the base period (1996–2003) and similar private ownership. In addition, labor input growth, capital intensity, and growth in average wage contributed positively to TFP growth. Importers of raw material inputs have higher TFP growth rates compared with non-importers. Tone can conclude from this finding that Ethiopian large and medium-scale manufacturing firms are low in terms of TFP growth. There are factors that enhance productivity, and there are also others that hinder improvements. Thus, strategically designed, coordinated with the firms themselves, and focused interventions are required in order to raise the real sales and value added using the existing state-of-the art technology and input combination, along with advancing the technical know-how, improving labor quality, updating, and renovating the capital input.

Why project success in manufacturing digitalization remains elusive: charting the way forward

Purpose There is substantial evidence that Industry 4.0-enabled manufacturing projects frequently encounter slow progress or failure due to organizational misalignment. This paper demonstrates the relevance of adopting a socio-technical approach when engaging in such projects.Design/methodology/approach A single embedded case study was conducted in a large wind turbine manufacturer, analyzing 42 digital manufacturing projects from 2018 to 2023 using interviews and surveys. A descriptive analysis identified patterns in successful projects, and hypotheses concerning relationships between variables were evaluated through regression analysis. In terms of theoretical conceptualization, the study adopts a socio-technical lens.Findings The study reveals relevant and targeted aspects for developing a socio-technical approach to guide the implementation of digital manufacturing projects. Our findings demonstrate that digital manufacturing projects exhibit diverse socio-technical configurations, each involving various social variables that contribute to project success. Through our proposed approach, we demonstrate how applying this framework can reveal patterns that drive project success.Originality/value This study represents one of the initial efforts to clarify an approach for evaluating diverse socio-technical project configurations by demonstrating it in a real-world context.

The drivers of lean, agile and green principles towards business competitiveness among manufacturing firms in Malaysia

PurposeBusiness competitiveness is critical for a thriving economy that requires companies to be more efficient and innovative to outperform their rivals. This paper investigates the main determinants of business competitiveness from the resource-based view (RBV) perspective.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 140 discrete and large manufacturing firms in Malaysia through a cross-sectional quantitative-based survey with a convenience sampling procedure. The findings from the PLS-SEM analysis showed that implementing LAG manufacturing significantly amplifies business competitiveness.FindingsIt was found that cost leadership strategy drives lean and agile manufacturing implementation, while differentiation positively amplifies the implementation of lean, agile and green manufacturing. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and provides insight to practitioners in tailoring strategies to steer manufacturing firms toward being more competitive.Originality/valueThis study identifies the effect of LAGP implementation on business competitiveness. This paper will benefit practitioners and managers by providing insights into tailoring strategies to steer manufacturing firms towards being more competitive. This paper follows a structure that includes: an introduction to the study, a review of relevant literature on business competitiveness, lean, agile and green manufacturing implementation, the development of hypotheses, the presentation of research methodology and findings, and finally, a conclusion with a discussion, implications, limitations and suggestions for future research.

Using magnetic resonance relaxometry to evaluate the safety and quality of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived spinal cord progenitor cells

BackgroundThe emergence of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers a promising approach for replacing damaged neurons and glial cells, particularly in spinal cord injuries (SCI). Despite its merits, iPSC differentiation into spinal cord progenitor cells (SCPCs) is variable, necessitating reliable assessment of differentiation and validation of cell quality and safety. Phenotyping is often performed via label-based methods including immunofluorescent staining or flow cytometry analysis. These approaches are often expensive, laborious, time-consuming, destructive, and severely limits their use in large scale cell therapy manufacturing settings. On the other hand, cellular biophysical properties have demonstrated a strong correlation to cell state, quality and functionality and can be measured with ingenious label-free technologies in a rapid and non-destructive manner.MethodIn this study, we report the use of Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry (MRR), a rapid and label-free method that indicates iron levels based on its readout (T2). Briefly, we differentiated human iPSCs into SCPCs and compared key iPSC and SCPC cellular markers to their intracellular iron content (Fe3+) at different stages of the differentiation process.ResultsWith MRR, we found that intracellular iron of iPSCs and SCPCs were distinctively different allowing us to accurately reflect varying levels of residual undifferentiated iPSCs (i.e., OCT4+ cells) in any given population of SCPCs. MRR was also able to predict Day 10 SCPC OCT4 levels from Day 1 undifferentiated iPSC T2 values and identified poorly differentiated SCPCs with lower T2, indicative of lower neural progenitor (SOX1) and stem cell (Nestin) marker expression levels. Lastly, MRR was able to provide predictive indications for the extent of differentiation to Day 28 spinal cord motor neurons (ISL-1/SMI-32) based on the T2 values of Day 10 SCPCs.ConclusionMRR measurements of iPSCs and SCPCs has clearly indicated its capabilities to identify and quantify key phenotypes of iPSCs and SCPCs for end-point validation of safety and quality parameters. Thus, our technology provides a rapid label-free method to determine critical quality attributes in iPSC-derived progenies and is ideally suited as a quality control tool in cell therapy manufacturing.

Compact Si-SiN photonic fiber optic gyroscope transceiver for large volume manufacturing

Miniaturized interferometric fiber optic gyroscopes (IFOGs) providing high-precision angular measurement are highly desired in various smart applications. In this work, we present a high-performance Si-SiN photonic FOG transceiver composed of an optical source, polarizer, splitter, and on-chip germanium (Ge) photodetector (PD). The transceiver is assembled in a standard butterfly package with a thermo-electric cooler (TEC). The optical loss (including two edge couplers, as well as one 3 dB splitter) and polarization extinction ratio (PER) are less than 7 dB and greater than 20 dB at room temperature, respectively. Built with the polarization maintaining (PM) fiber coil with 70 mm average diameter and 580 m length, the transceiver-based IFOG exhibits record-low bias stability of 0.022 deg/h at an integration time of 10 s, the angular random walk (ARW) of 0.0012 deg/h, and the bias instability of 0.003 deg/h, to the best of our knowledge. The preliminary reliability test agrees well with the practical requirements. Our work verifies that the on-chip Ge PD is eligible for high-performance FOG applications. Leveraged with the typical CMOS compatible 8-inch (200 mm diameter wafers) silicon photonics platform and decreased fiber splicing points, the presented transceiver provides a promising solution toward a low-loss and miniaturized FOG system with large volume manufacturing capability.

Exploring the synergy: AI and ML in very large scale integration design and manufacturing

Exploring the synergy: AI and ML in very large scale integration design and manufacturing

Recycling mode selection for the reverse supply chain of waste power batteries: an environmental responsibility perspective

ABSTRACT With the popularization of electric vehicles and the wide application of power batteries, the explosion and environmental pollution problems caused by power batteries are increasing day by day. Therefore, this study focuses on selecting optimal recycling modes for power battery reverse supply chains under environmental responsibility. Three models were analyzed: manufacturer-led decentralized decision-making, centralized decision-making, and consumer-led decision-making. Results from MATLAB examples indicate that manufacturer-led decentralization suits small enterprises reliant on local third-party recycling. Centralized decision-making is cost-effective for large manufacturers with advanced technology and brand recognition. Consumer-led approaches offer flexibility and adaptability, ideal for innovative firms. Meanwhile, the effective implementation of environmental responsibility not only promotes the active participation of consumers in recycling activities, but also increases the recycling amount of used batteries. While protecting the environment, enterprises also achieve profit maximization, reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Assessing the Performance of Gas Diffusion Electrodes: Varying Pt Loading and Manufacturing Techniques

It has been reported that the amount of platinum in a fuel cell electrode can govern performance, cost and durability of the fuel cell stack. This study focuses on utilizing platinum black as the electrochemically active catalyst in an 8-cell miniature fuel cell stack and assessing the minimal electrode loading required to meet specific targeted performance requirements. Unlike typical catalyst, platinum black catalyst is unsupported (i.e. platinum is not decorated on to carbon substrates). A catalyst ink solution is prepared and is dispersed onto a gas diffusion layer (GDL) using either a spray coating instrument or slot die coater as the manufacturing technique to form the gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs). XRF elemental analysis is used to confirm the platinum content. The FC stacks are all assembled with identical materials and components, excluding the GDEs at the cathode. The cathodes were manufactured with different platinum loadings. The stacks are operated in dead-end mode, which means there is no outlet for the fuel and oxidant to exit. Finally, each stack is subjected to an identical test protocol in galvanostatic mode, and the corresponding voltage outputs are compared. The assessment of these results will aid in establishing large scale manufacturing of GDEs.

Polluting my downwind neighbor: Evidence of interjurisdictional free riding from air polluter locations in China

Based on comprehensive firm-level datasets and wind pattern information in China, I find evidence of the ‘polluting my neighbor’ phenomenon at the provincial level. Large air-polluting manufacturing firms tend to be disproportionately situated near downwind borders, particularly when wind speeds are lower. Quantitatively, the expected number of new large air polluters (top 10%) in a county-year cell decreases by 11% as the county’s distance to the downwind province border increases by one standard deviation (192 km). Additionally, a one-standard-deviation (0.27 m/s) increase in wind speed reduces the expected number of large air polluters by 6% in counties 100 km closer to the downwind border. The results are robust across various empirical strategies and withstand multiple placebo tests and robustness checks. This finding is predominantly driven by top 10% largest air polluters since placing larger polluters closer to the border can externalize more environmental costs. Furthermore, I demonstrate that this strategic siting of air polluters leads to air quality inequality, disproportionately affecting socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in downwind areas within a province.

Greenwashing, Greenwishing and Greenhushing in the context of Unfair Competition, Intellectual Property Protection and Consumer Rights

The problems of greenwashing and its manifestations in the modern world are of particular importance, since objective, truthful information about goods and services underlies normal economic processes, serves to respect the interests of consumers around the world and protect competition. It is also associated with the fair use of intellectual property, intellectual property rights. The problems of greenwashing not only affect the sphere of competition and consumer protection legislation They can also be qualified as problems of legislation in the field of intellectual property. The trend towards sustainable product choices does not result in a proportionate increase in eligible purchases due to the trend towards distrust caused by the proliferation of vague, ambiguous and unverifiable environmental claims. Unification of approaches to the qualification of greenwashing and its various manifestations with an emphasis on a special type of unfair acts of doing business with certain qualifying characteristics will ensure the sustainable development of international markets for goods and services, since greenwashing is more often used by large manufacturers operating in the markets of many countries to gain competitive advantages. At the same time, within the scope of intellectual property law, it is also advisable to research and regulate the inadmissibility of using greenwashing practices when using the results of intellectual activity and, above all, means of individualization.

The impact of sanctions on the structure of foreign trade in medical devices: Evidence from the medical consumables market

Subject. The article investigates the level of health care and medical industry development in Russia. Objectives. The aim is to assess the impact of sanctions on the structure of foreign trade in medical devices, analysis of import, export and production of medical syringes in Russia for the period 2013–2023. Methods. The study employs the content analysis, comparative analysis. Results. The study found that the volume of consumption of disposable syringes changed slightly, but the sanctions had an impact on the structure of imports. China increased its market share by 32% due to a decrease in supplies from Germany, other European countries, and the United States. The cost structure of imports differs from the structure in physical terms: only three largest manufacturers in Germany import 80 % of needles to Russia. Negative balance of foreign trade is observed - the volume of syringe exports from Russia is only 2% of imports. The volume of disposable syringe production in Russia in 2023 decreased by 26% (to 724 million units). Conclusions. The development of foreign trade in medical devices is hindered by such factors as the raw material problem and imbalance of tax benefits and support measures. To increase the sustainability of the Russian medical industry, it is necessary to localize raw materials and create a register of medical polymers.

Large Scale Ultrafast Manufacturing of Wireless Soft Bioelectronics Enabled by Autonomous Robot Arm Printing Assisted by a Computer Vision-Enabled Guidance System for Personalized Wound Healing.

A Customized wound patch for Advanced tissue Regeneration with Electric field (CARE), featuring an autonomous robot arm printing system guided by a computer vision-enabled guidance system for fast image recognition is introduced. CARE addresses the growing demand for flexible, stretchable, and wireless adhesive bioelectronics tailored for electrotherapy, which is suitable for rapid adaptation to individual patients and practical implementation in a comfortable design. The visual guidance system integrating a 6-axis robot arm enables scans from multiple angles to provide a 3D map of complex and curved wounds. The size of electrodes and the geometries of power-receiving coil are essential components of the CARE and are determined by a MATLAB simulation, ensuring efficient wireless power transfer. Three heterogeneous inks possessing different rheological behaviors can be extruded and printed sequentially on the flexible substrates, supporting fast manufacturing of large customized bioelectronic patches. CARE can stimulate wounds up to 10 mm in depth with an electric field strength of 88.8 mVmm-1. In vitro studies reveal the ability to accelerate cell migration by a factor of 1.6 and 1.9 for human dermal fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells, respectively. This study highlights the potential of CARE as a clinical wound therapy method to accelerate healing.

Bioengineered lubricin alters the lubrication modes of cartilage in a dose-dependent manner.

The low friction nature of articular cartilage has been attributed to the synergistic interaction between lubricin and hyaluronic acid in the synovial fluid (SF). Lubricin is a mucinous glycoprotein that lowers the boundary mode coefficient of friction of articular cartilage in a dose-dependent manner. While there have been multiple attempts to produce recombinant lubricin and lubricin mimetic cartilage lubricants over the last two decades, these materials have not found clinical use due to challenges associated with large scale production, manufacturing, and purification. Recently, a novel method using codon scrambling was developed to produce a stable, full-length bioengineered equine lubricin (eLub) in large reproducible quantities. While preliminary frictional analysis of eLub and other recombinantly produced forms revealed they can lubricate cartilage, a complete tribological characterization is lacking, with previous studies evaluating the friction coefficient only at a single dose or a single speed. The objective of this study was to analyze the dose-dependent tribological properties of eLub using the Stribeck framework of tribological analysis. Recombinantly produced eLub at doses greater than 1.5 mg/mL exhibits friction coefficients on par with healthy bovine SF, and a maximal 5 mg/mL dose exhibits a nearly 50% lower friction coefficient than healthy SF. eLub also modulates the shift in lubrication mode of the cartilage from the high friction boundary mode to the low friction minimum mode at high concentrations.

Investigations into the foaming behavior of ABS by means of granule extrusion using expandable microspheres

The following investigations address the production of syntactic polymer foams using thermally expanding microspheres (TEM) in the extrusion process. A process model for the foaming behavior of acrylnitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) with thermally expanding microspheres as masterbatch is derived by varying the two basic process parameters extruder rotational speed and extruder temperature in a test matrix with five stages each. The investigations include the production of unfoamed and foamed strands and the measurement of process relevant properties and parameters such as extrusion mass flow, relative density of the structures, die-swelling and the characterization of the generated foam structures. The achievable density reduction is within the order of 50%. The process model resulting from the investigations allows the production of homogeneously foamed strands. These results are intended to serve as the basis for a transfer to the Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) process.

Business forms and business performance in UK manufacturing 1871–81

AbstractWe explore which business forms were predominant in the later Victorian economy and why some forms were more effective among large British manufacturing firms during this period. With a dataset of 483 manufacturing firms in 1881 that either employed at least 1000 or had done so a decade earlier, we find that the great majority were partnerships. Public corporations attained higher capital–labour ratios and stronger employment growth than other business forms. The separation of ownership from control was most effective where it was most thoroughly practised, as by public, in contrast to private, corporations. Engineers were frequently encountered in all business forms and associated with expanding employment. But the large public manufacturing corporations employed almost twice the proportion of engineers and professionals in top management as other enterprises. Family firms, proxied by heirs, were present in management of three‐quarters of partnerships but in only one‐third of public corporations. Heirs reduced the employment growth of the firm, whereas engineers boosted it. Lords, mayors, and landed wealth in management were also associated with faster employment growth of enterprises.

Digitalised validation systems as an enabler for quality 4.0 within a medical device manufacturer

PurposeThis research examines the implementation challenges and benefits of transitioning to a paperless validation system as part of a Quality 4.0 initiative within a Medical Device manufacturer in order to address a gap related to such studies in the literature. MethodologyThis research was conducted using a case study executed in a large medical device manufacturing facility. The study followed the successful implementation of a digitalised validation system using the Design for Six Sigma methodology to move away from a heavily paper-based validation process as part of the site Quality 4.0 strategy. FindingsDigitalised validation systems have benefits, including more sustainable processes with the elimination of paper, a streamlined review and approval process, and the successful management of data integrity for large volumes of validation data while also decreasing opportunities for audit findings. The challenges encountered by the site during implementation were ensuring end users of these systems had adequate training, overcoming resistance to change, upskilling, and maintaining well-managed change communication. Limitations/ImplicationsThis study was conducted at a single site, but the research enables documentation of an unprecedented longitudinal case study conducted over a 2-year implementation and 1-year post-implementation period and gives unprecedented insight into the practical challenges of deploying paperless validation systems in a large medical device manufacturer. The study also makes a contribution to knowledge sharing within the Medtech industry. Originality/ValueThis research project is one of the first longitudinal studies in a large medical device manufacturer to document a Quality 4.0 case study around transitioning to a paperless validation system in a regulated industry and thus fulfils a gap in the literature. Medtech professionals can leverage the work to benchmark the challenges and benefits of paperless validation in maintaining and improving regulatory compliance, quality, environmental sustainability and employee morale.

Heuristic approaches for a multi-mode resource availability cost problem in aircraft manufacturing

A multi-mode time-constrained project scheduling problem with generalized temporal constraints arising in aircraft manufacturing is studied in the paper. We propose a priority rule-based heuristic (PRH) and a biased random-key genetic algorithm (BRKGA) for its solution. A serial generation scheme (SGS) is used for computing schedules from a priority order of the tasks with given resource capacities and mode assignments. The SGS cannot guarantee that the maximum project duration and maximum time lags are respected. Starting with the highest possible resource capacities, the PRH performs the SGS in a repeated manner, reducing the least used resource capacity by one unit until the schedule becomes infeasible. Different priority rules are used for determining both mode assignments and task priority orders. We encode these two decisions as well as the resource capacities in the BRKGA and apply the SGS for decoding. Project duration and maximum time lag violations are penalized in the fitness function. Extensive computational experiments based on problem instances motivated by settings found at a large aircraft manufacturer demonstrate that the BRKGA outperforms the PRH under almost all experimental conditions, especially for problem instances with more complex networks and shorter maximum project durations.

Country-Specific Effects of Euro-Area Monetary Policy: The Role of Sectoral Differences

Economic growth in some euro area countries has been lackluster since the COVID-19 pandemic. Concurrently, the ECB hiked its policy rate to fight inflation. In this note, we show that high interest rates have depressed economic activity more in those euro-area countries with large manufacturing sectors.

Supply Chain Environmental Uncertainty, Competitive Advantage, and Operational Performance in Manufacturing Industry

Goal: This study investigates the impact of Supply Chain Environmental Uncertainty (SCEU) on competitive advantage and operational performance in manufacturing companies. The mediating role of competitive advantage and the moderating role of supply chain environmental uncertainty in the relationship between competitive advantage and operational performance were examined. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: This paper used quantitative approach to confirm the conceptual model. Data was collected through questionnaires from directors/operational managers in 121 large and medium-scale manufacturing companies in Southeast Sulawesi Indonesia. The analysis employs Generalized Structured Component Analysis (GSCA) to test the direct, mediating, and moderating effects of supply chain environmental uncertainty. Results: The findings demonstrate a significant positive influence of supply chain environmental uncertainty on competitive advantage and operational performance. However, competitive advantage does not significantly affect operational performance. The study reveals that competitive advantage is perfect mediator between supply chain environmental uncertainty and operational performance, while supply chain environmental uncertainty is a moderating predictor between competitive advantage and operational performance. Practical Implications: The research has implications for manufacturing company managers adapting to supply chain environmental uncertainty through supplier, customer, and technology considerations. It emphasizes the importance of adapting to supply chain environmental uncertainty to enhancing competitive advantage and operational performance in the manufacturing industry. Efforts to improve operational performance and strategically integrate competitive advantage should consider the business environment, including suppliers, customers, and technology. Limitations: This research is limited to large and medium-scale manufacturing industries, hindering generalization to other industries, particularly small-scale ones. Additionally, researchers can consider additional contextual factors such as supply chain integration, supply chain agility, and total quality management. Originality/Value: This study expands the theoretical framework of supply chain environmental uncertainty, competitive advantage, and operational performance through empirical testing of a theoretical model. The findings support the proposed model's validity and highlight the mediation role of competitive advantage and supply chain environmental uncertainty, providing a reference for future theory development and model building.

No Line Left Behind: Assortative Matching Inside the Firm

Abstract We leverage the high degree of worker mobility across production lines in a large Indian manufacturer to estimate the sorting of workers to managers, using data on daily worker productivity. We find negative assortative matching (NAM): better workers tend to be matched with worse managers. Estimates of the production technology, however, reveal that productivity would increase by up to 4% under positive sorting. Exploiting a survey of managers and data on orders from multinational brands, we document that NAM arises, at least partly, because maintaining valuable relationships with buyers provides strong incentives to avoid delays on any given production line.