Machine Building Companies Research Articles

РОБОТИЗАЦИЯ ПРОИЗВОДСТВА СЕЛЬСКОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННОЙ ТЕХНИКИ

Increasing labor productivity at agricultural engineering enterprises in modern conditions is impossible without the use of robots, which should replace human labor in technological operations with dangerous and harmful production processes. (Research purpose) The research purpose is evaluating the use of robotics by enterprises of the agricultural machinery industry in the production. (Materials and methods) Conducted an assessment of the use of robotics tools when visiting enterprises in the agricultural engineering industry. (Results and discussion) It has been established that for a sustainable presence and strengthening of their positions in the market, companies producing agricultural machinery are increasing the volume of research and development work on the designs and production technologies of modern machines. It was noted that an increase in labor productivity in modern conditions is impossible without the use of robots, which are designed to replace human labor at work with harmful and dangerous production factors in procurement, when cleaning blanks, with thermal and physical methods of surface treatment of products made of various materials, when painting, as well as in order to reduce defects. It was determined that the use of robotization tools by enterprises of the agricultural machinery industry does not exceed three percent of the total volume of technological operations performed. Robotics tools are used mainly in welding operations. Loading and unloading, replacement of working tools on numerically controlled machines, as well as many other technological operations remain practically not covered. (Conclusions) The conducted studies have shown that machine-building companies have large reserves for using robotics tools in performing technological operations in order to reduce production costs and increase labor productivity. As measures to support the introduction of robots into production, grants are allocated by the Russian Digital Economy and Skolkovo foundations, preferential loans through the industrial development Fund "Digitalization of Industry".

APPROACHES TO IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF CONSTRUCTING INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES

Design activity is a creative process that almost entirely depends on the professional abilities of the engineer-designer, but his ability to realize his capabilities in the shortest possible time is largely determined by the use of the achieved successes in the design of parts of assemblies and whole products. Modern design activity at a machine-building enterprise can be conventionally reduced to two directions: the design of fundamentally new innovative equipment and the improvement of products that have already been mastered and are delivered to the market. In both the first and second cases, block-modular design can be used to shorten the entire production cycle, which involves the creation of products based on modules and blocks. Modern mechanical engineering is characterized by constant complication and frequent replacement of machine designs, therefore, when designing and further manufacturing a large number of machines, it is necessary, first of all, to divide their design into independent assembly units, that is, aggregates, so that they all perform certain functions in the machine. This approach will make it possible to organize the specialized production of nodes as independent products, the performance of the main functions of which can be checked independently of the entire machine as a whole at any stage. The development of optimal layout schemes makes it possible to create, depending on the type of production, conditions for the most economical use of aggregates and to determine the sequence of their operation in one or another layout. Modern machine-building companies implement a large number of different automated IT systems, which together create a virtual enterprise and cover all stages of the product life cycle (CALS - Computer Aided Acquisition and Life-Cycle Support - automation of continuous supplies and product life cycle). Accelerating the pace of innovation processes is a crucial condition for increasing the efficiency of the enterprise's financial and economic activities and the quality of products. Automation of design processes is especially effective when moving from the automation of individual engineering calculations to complex automation, creating automated design systems (CAD) for this purpose. CAD is a complex necessary for data processing in the conditions of design and technological preparation of production. The CAD complex includes systems as structural elements - specialized parts aimed at solving tasks at a specific stage of design: design, engineering calculations (CAD-K), technological preparation of production (CAD-T). CAD-K and CAD-T systems are parts of CAD, which are characterized by specific features that ensure the implementation of various design tasks and the receipt of appropriate design solutions and design documentation. The entire complex of aspects that make up the CAD complex must be formed individually for each specific machine-building enterprise with taking into account the main parameters. The application of such approaches as a whole helps to increase the efficiency of the design of innovative technology.

Technological Sovereignty in the Russian Construction Industry

Technological sovereignty is a systemic program aimed at creating proprietary technologies that are needed in various areas of industry and the economy. These are not only IT solutions, but also technologies necessary for agriculture, heavy engineering, light industry, and energy. In May 2023, the Russian Federation adopted the Concept of Technological Development until 2030. This document contains the basic concepts and ideas of the conducted policy. An overview of the state of the construction industry until 2022 is given. It is shown that dependence on imported equipment has forced Russian machine-building companies to manufacture missing machines and mechanisms, and in some cases, comprehensive provision of house-building plants and precast concrete products plants with domestic equipment.

Strategic behaviour and resilience of an industrial enterprise to the external environment

The growing turbulence of the environment requires an industrial enterprise to find new approaches to choosing its development strategy. The study proposes a method for assessing the level of resilience of machine-building companies depending on the type of their strategic behaviour. Methodologically, the research rests on the theory of the firm and strategic management theory. Structural and logical analysis, expert assessments, matrixing, statistical and financial analysis were used as research methods. The empirical evidence is the data from the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) and the SBIS counterparty verification system. We clarify the concepts of resilience and strategic behaviour of a machine-building enterprise and propose our own definition of resilience. We distinguish between four types of strategic behaviour of enterprises when contacting the external environment, namely the maximum control possible, constructive interaction, adaptation with elements of control, and forced adaptation. A relationship was discovered between the level of resilience and the type of strategic behaviour of an industrial enterprise. The findings were tested using the case of four machine-building plants specializing in the production of lifting equipment. We found significant differentiation in the level of resilience of the enterprises under study and established which of the four types of strategic behaviour was typical of each. This will allow them to exercise a more reasonable approach when instituting their development strategy amid turbulence.

STUDY OF THE STATE OF INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT AND OBSOLESCENCE IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA OF COMPANIES FROM THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SECTOR

The goal is to make an analytical study of the state of innovation development and innovation obsolescence in 15 machine-building companies in the Republic of Bulgaria. On this basis, the regularity of innovation obsolescence should be established and whether it has priority over physical wear and tear. An alternative approach for choosing solutions to reduce the harmful impact of rapid innovation obsolescence is proposed.

Quality of Machinery and Equipment Provides a Strategy for the Breakthrough in Mechanical Engineering

The possibilities of solving the problems formed in modern engineering in Russia, associated with the low competitiveness of domestic technology, are investigated. Organizational, technological and economic solutions have been proposed that will accelerate the improvement of product quality and the expansion of production volumes in accordance with the requirements of technological modernization of the country's economy. At the core of these decisions there is the organization of large machine-building companies and complexes capable of raising the quality of mechanical engineering products to the level of the world's best analogues at all stages of the machines’ life cycle, as well as the reasonable choice of the areas of diversification and technological modernization of production, the organization of branded engineering and technical support for manufactured machines and equipment.

Алгоритм управления оборотными активами компаний машиностроительного комплекса и основной инструментарий

Алгоритм управления оборотными активами компаний машиностроительного комплекса и основной инструментарий

Comparative Analysis of the Predictive Power of Machine Learning Models for Forecasting the Credit Ratings of Machine-Building Companies

The purpose of this study is to compare the predictive power of different machine learning models to reproduce the credit ratings of Moody's assigned to machine-building companies. The study closes several gaps found in the literature related to the choice of explanatory variables and the formation of a sample of data for modeling. The task to be solved is highly relevant. There is a growing need for high-precision and low-cost models for reproducing the credit ratings of machine-building companies (internal credit ratings). This is due to the ongoing growth of credit risks of companies in the industry, as well as the limited number of assigned public ratings to these companies from international rating agencies due to the high cost of rating process. The study compares the predictive power of three machine learning models: ordered logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting. The sample of companies includes 109 enterprises of the machine-building industry from 18 countries for the period from 2005 to 2016. The financial indicators of companies that correspond to the industry methodology of Moody's and the macroeconomic indicators of the home countries of the companies are used as explanatory variables. The results show that among models studied the artificial intelligence models have the greatest predictive ability. The random forest model showed a prediction accuracy of 50%, the gradient boosting model showed accuracy of 47%. Their predictive power is almost twice as high as the accuracy of ordered logistic regression (25%). In addition, the article tested two different ways of forming a sample: randomly and taking into account the time factor. The result showed that the use of random sampling increases the predictive power of the models. The inclusion of macroeconomic variables into the models does not improve their predictive power. The explanation is that rating agencies follow a "through the cycle" rating approach to ensure the stability of ratings. The results of the study may be useful for researchers who are engaged in assessing the accuracy of empirical methods for modeling credit ratings, as well as practitioners in banking industry who directly use such models to assess the creditworthiness of machine-building companies.

Methodology and Statistical Modeling of Social Capital Influence on Employees’ Individual Innovativeness in a Company

The research deals with the problem of identification and substantiation of mechanisms of social capital influence on individual innovativeness of employees, which increases the positive innovation effect in companies. The study proposes a new methodological approach and technology for assessing the social capital of employees, taking into account the factors of interpersonal and institutional trust, involvement in social networks, social norms, and its impact on the employee’s innovativeness. The methodology uses methods of system analysis and synthesis, expert assessments, statistical modeling, and survey. Numerical experiments are carried out using collected data from special surveys of employees of a machine-building company. An assessment of social capital and its impact on the employee’s innovativeness is determined and a statistically significant influence of the factors of “trust” and “social networks and connections” on social capital is set. It is revealed that the main determinant of innovativeness is the risk appetite. It is proved that the innovativeness model includes factors of “trust” and “social networks and connections”. The cumulative effect of social capital on innovativeness is positive and statistically significant.

TECHNOLOGY OF REPAIR OF PRESS MOLDS FOR PRODUCTION OF MACHINE PARTS FROM STEEL COILS, ALUMINUM ALLOYS

The article provides knowledge and skills on the rational use of equipment of machine tools, a single system of pre-scheduled repairs to extend the service life of metal cutting machines, an inspection of machines, wear of parts and components and modern methods of their restoration, the formation of appropriate knowledge, skills and competencies. In particular, at present, the enterprises producing parts for the local automotive industry, operating in the regions of the Republic, produce products on large press tandem lines and small press machines. Thousands of expensive press moulds are imported from the world's largest machine-building companies, and their maintenance and repair processes are very expensive for localized companies. If there are small defects, problems or repairs in the parts of the press moulds, it is necessary to carry out urgent repair of the mould with the participation of the enterprise and the main manufacturer. There is a solution to the problem of forming the current and capital repairs of small and large press-moulding equipment, the restoration and production of parts and other elements.

Organisational safety assessment using combined method of FMEA and fuzzy inference system: a case study

The main aim of safety assessments is to determine the potential risks on the health and safety of workers. Although, some researches have been performed on providing a model to be capable of investigating risks of organisational levels affecting the safety performance, providing a model for total appraisal of organisational safety assessment is deficient in relation to integrating all levels such as managerial or cultural level. In this study the input variables of fuzzy inference system (FIS) were obtained based on failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) method. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to provide a model for evaluating the safety performance by the combination of FMEA and FIS in a machine-building company. Organisational factors affecting safety performance in this research included the safety management level, the senior management level, group work level, individual level, and cultural level as input variables. The results of the present study showed that the safety performance score of the studied organisation was calculated 75.3. Also, for improving safety performance score, more attention should be paid to individual and cultural levels with regards to training safety issues.

Combining Experiential Knowledge and Artificial Intelligence. The Digital Transformation of a Traditional Machine-Building Company

The development of Industry 4.0 technologies creates leeway for the digital transformation of manufacturing companies, whose business models increasingly rely on software and data-based services. While several studies emphasise that manufacturing has no choice but to follow this transformation, there is little knowledge about how companies are actually managing it. This article uses the case study of a leading mechanical engineering company to analyse how the company organised the development of new digital technologies and how it changed its organisational structures and practices. It is based on 22 interviews and an analysis of company documents. The analysis draws on ambidexterity theory, which is extended toward a dynamic process analysis. It shows that digital transformation presupposes the development of structures and practices supporting cross-functional cooperation and the creation of new skill formation approaches. It develops a model of organisational change related to the digital transformation of manufacturing companies which includes the proof-of-concept phase, the partial exploitation phase, and the organisational transformation phase.

STRATEGIC CHANGES MANAGEMENT IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES OF THE ENTERPRISE BASED ON MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS PROCESSES

In order to ensure sustainable development and efficiency, domestic enterprises must respond actively to threats of the internal and external environment, address market challenges, adapt to change, and manage market pressures. Business process management is a necessary component of manufacturing and strategic management to achieve the business goals of the modern enterprise. The article considers the current methods of business process management. Using a machine-building company as an example, the stages of change management were examined. The directions of strategic changes in operating activities in accordance with the principles of adapting business processes to market conditions to improve the efficiency of the management system and realize the enterprise’s main business objectives are developed. According to the article, business process management can be leveraged as a key component of strategic change. Based on scientific approaches, the essence of business process management is evaluated based on efficiency and effectiveness. An article presents evidence for introducing strategic changes in the activity of automobile manufacturing enterprises and indicates key directions for optimizing operational efficiency. An optimization department has been created to effectively interact with production units as part of the «Lean production» Project in AutoKrAZ. Modern production concepts for the operation of domestic machinery will help to keep the state of the business up-to-date, improve its performance, and ensure a competitive position in the markets. Based on scientific approaches the essence of business process management on the basis of efficiency and effectiveness is formulated. The article substantiates the introduction of strategic changes in the activity of automobile manufacturing enterprise and suggests the directions of optimization of operational activity. In order to optimize operational processes, a scheme of interaction of administrative subdivisions of automobile manufacturing enterprises was developed.

Key Barriers of Digital Transformation of the High-Technology Manufacturing: An Evaluation Method

It is acknowledged that quality of life is related to economic development in a country or region. The impact of the ongoing transfer to the digital economy on economic growth, sustainable development, and quality of life has been a recent academic focus, finding that the development of digitalisation of the economy and society is happening at a comparable pace. Yet, despite the availability of governmental support and overall strategic orientation of top managers, there is evidence of low digital/advanced manufacturing technologies adoption readiness across economic sectors. Therefore, the object of the research is the digital/advanced manufacturing technologies adoption readiness, which can be assessed on both industrial and organisational levels. The authors carried out an expert poll that has shown low digital/advanced manufacturing technologies adoption readiness on the industrial level (average readiness of 2.18 across estimated industries). For this reason, the focus subject of the research is the evaluation method for determining barriers of digital transformation on organisational level. The review of the academic literature and available digital maturity assessment models has shown the lack of metrics for barrier evaluation. The objective of the research is to develop a method for digital-transformation barrier evaluation. An analytical research method is used to develop a ready-to-use method in a form of a questionnaire that can be applied to measure an overall digital-transformation barrier level and identify problem areas for a manufacturing enterprise. The developed method is approbated in two large industrial companies. The overall barrier equals 39.3% for a power engineering company, which is a deterrent barrier. The overall barrier equals 75.0% for a machine-building company, which is a limiting barrier. The results of approbation correspond with results of the expert poll: the power engineering company has a lower barrier level, which is in line with the engine building and turbine engineering industry showing higher levels of readiness to adopt digital technologies. This finding supports the hypothesis about the rationality of the author’s method.

Business activity of enterprises as a factor in accelerating technological progress in the economy

The article deals with the problems of increasing the commercial activity of machine-building companies in post-crisis conditions, the solution of which should contribute to a fairly rapid return to previously developed plans for their expansion. The relevance and novelty of the problem lies in an integrated approach to the category of commercial activity of companies, which involves investigating various areas of their activities and generalizations from the theoretical and practical point of view. The objective of the study is to identify possible ways to increase the commercial activity of companies to enter the development stage. The methodological basis of the study is based on work in the field of economics, management and finance of companies and the possibility of its use in modern conditions. The main directions of research into the commercial activity of companies are analyzed: ensuring planned growth and improving the material and technical base of production; balance and steady increase in financial results; increase in the efficiency of the use of all types of resources of the company and its work in general; effective policy of deepening specialization and diversifying production; and growth of innovative potential in all areas of activity.

The Strategies of Internalizing the Negative Externalities in the Company’s Sustainable Development

The study focuses on externalities which play the important role in sustainable development. They indicate the impact of the company’s activity on the third persons. On the basis of findings, the externalities from the company’s financial reports are monetarized. The externalities exerting influence on the profit or loss as well as on the total balance of the company are analysed. Positive and negative externalities are identified in order to internalize the negative externalities with the help of definite strategies of sustainable development. It is emphasized that the long-term action plans to ensure competitiveness, environmental protection and social legitimacy help to adapt to expected market, environmental and social developments. The study discusses current strategies: defensive (reactive), offensive that are viewed from the economic, environmental and social perspective. It is investigated that the defensive strategies are limited to the implementation of relevant laws or agreements in order to avoid negative consequences for the legislator. On the other hand, offensive, inward-looking strategies are aimed at aligning the company’s structures (organizations) and systems (environmental management systems) with the requirements of sustainable development, motivation and qualification of employees for sustainable development. The environmental sustainable development strategies are focused on a variety of ecological aspects. The emergence of economic, environmental and social risks and opportunities in machine-building company with their potential solutions is underlined. As the matter of fact, using the right strategy, the company can easily go through the internalization of negative externality to exert more substantial impact on the society, environment and the economy.

Methodological approaches to the development of a digital model for analysis and evaluation of insolvency of joint-stock machine companies

In this article, the application of the policy for managing the risk of insolvency is relevant, methodological approaches to the development of a digital model for analyzing and assessing the risk of insolvency are considered, which is focused on the universal concept of liquidity management for a machine-building company, taking into account the following algorithm: the principle of effective management of the structure of working capital; the principle of efficient use of financial resources; the principle of restoring solvency; the principle of effective management of borrowed funds and the principle of effective use of labor resources.

Analysis of the properties of castings obtained by direct synthesis based on iron-containing industrial waste engineering

The production activity of large machine-building enterprises is associated with the formation of quite large quantities and a diverse range of waste, including a dispersed type, which pose a great problem for their involvement in the technological process, both because of their dispersion, and the presence of non-metallic inclusions and an oxidized form of existence of metal elements. The functioning of large metallurgical and machine-building companies leads to the formation of a large number of different man-made waste, which can be either in a coarse or fine state [1-7]. Processing of such man-made waste is quite difficult, since they are in an oxidized state. The technological process for utilization of iron-containing dispersed waste of mechanical engineering is proposed.

Development of a Specialized Lathe Chuck for Turning Operations of Cast Iron Rope Wheels

The use of lathe chucks in machine building companies is the result of a great deal of work and the develop-ment of technical thought. Due to the progress and the possibility of increasing efficiency and at the same time relieving people from work that requires a lot of effort, especially physical effort, the use of better and more efficient production methods is a target that should be pursued nowadays. In the manufacturing pro-cess, these objectives can be achieved with the use of dedicated equipment. The following work will present an example of a lathe chuck specialized in turning operations. The aim of the work was to use a universal chuck as a base for designing and manufacturing a specialized chuck so that it is possible to mount rope wheels with diameters from 240 to 580 mm. This would eliminate the necessity of time-consuming changeo-vers. In addition, it is assumed that the handle must meet the conditions imposed by the limited number of tools and the working dimensions of the machine. The machining process itself was also important, where the most advantageous solution was to perform most of the operations in one clamping.

On the organization of the dependability service in a machine-building company

Historically, dependability services originated within design units of companies. A design engineer had his/her own ideas about the quality control of released products. As the initial application field of the dependability theory was the aerospace industry, he/she understood that the presence of errors and omissions within a product could cause catastrophic consequences [1]. Along with the dependability unit the quality and technical supervision service was developing, and that was primarily tasked with organizing and conducting acceptance testing, receiving inspection and prevention of a product’s non-compliance with technical documentation. At one point, a conflict arouse between the two branches, which lead to a general misunderstanding of responsibilities and disorganization of the product dependability control. As a result, in some companies the dependability service is integrated with the quality service, in others it is subordinated to the design bureau. Additionally, operational dependability evaluation requires an uninterruptible source of reliable information on the reliability and maintainability of the equipment. The quality of this information depends on the interaction between the dependability service and the maintenance service. The latter is to compare the repair reports that specify the recovery time and operation time of the product and promptly submit that data for dependability calculation. Thus, the following questions arise: which activities are to be performed by the dependability service, who is to be subordinated to whom, who is the owner of the processes associated with the estimation of dependability parameters? It is important to understand the purpose of establishing a dependability unit in a company, what authority its employees possess, what results the management expects to obtain. The formalization of the research findings presents a problem. As of today, there is no single approach to formalized calculations, preparation of dependability analysis reports. The research findings are to be sent to all the involved business units, therefore a convenient form of information representation must be developed. A special attention must be given to personnel training in terms of technical system dependability. Industrial products become more and more complex, new technologies are developed, and old approaches to dependability calculation and analysis do not always ensure acceptable results. That is not surprising, as the significance of the use of reliable and substantiated methods of dependability estimation is very understated. That is due to the fact, that many believe that the dependability theory is based on the research of the physical, design-specific causes of failure, physicochemical processes, etc., meaning that a dependability engineer is first and foremost a design or process engineer. However, it should not be forgotten that the general dependability theory is subdivided into the mathematical (mathematical methods of the probability theory), statistical (method of mathematical statistics) and physical (research of materials properties variations). Subsequently, a dependability service is to conduct analysis based on competent application of mathematics alongside activities associated with products design research. Proposals regarding future developments in this area, including the education system, will be welcome.Aim. To propose an approach to the organization of the dependability service in a modern machine-building company taking into account advanced methods and concepts of dependability analysis at all lifecycle stages of a product.Conclusions. The paper suggests an organizational structure of a dependability unit for a transport machine building company. The interactions between the dependability service and other business units is examined. A number of factors affecting the efficient operation of the dependability service are identified.