Factory Research Articles

Social life cycle assessment in the chocolate industry: A Colombian case study with Luker Chocolate

PurposeChocolate is a widely consumed product and consumers are increasingly interested in its sustainability. However, the lack of scientific studies covering the social dimension hinders a holistic assessment of the sustainability. A social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) was conducted in cooperation with a Colombian chocolate manufacturer following the Guidelines for S-LCA of Products and Organizations 2020. This study represents the first application of S-LCA in the chocolate sector covering both cocoa cultivation and chocolate manufacturing.MethodsThe study aimed to identify the main social hotspots within the value chain of a dark chocolate product, as well as to identify the potential and actual social performance of this product. The stakeholders assessed in the study were workers (in the cocoa plantation and manufacturing plant), society, and the local community. Primary inventory data was collected through on-site semi-structured interviews as well as through the review of company reports. Secondary data used to build the reference scales for impact assessment were taken from national regulations and best practice standards. In total, 16 subcategories were assessed.Results and discussionThe overall results showed an outcome of at least a compliance level (0), and a performance beyond compliance (+ 1 or + 2) for the local community and society. The latter was attributable to the role of the company as an agent of change in a region heavily impacted by violence and poverty. Furthermore, numerous interviewees stressed the importance of companies in the Colombian post-conflict context to re-integrate former conflict actors back into the labor market. For workers, the results also indicated a performance on the compliance level or above, with child labor and health and safety scoring as + 2 and social benefits/social security scoring as + 1. Areas of improvement were identified in subcategories where the score was on the compliance level (0) such as working hours, fair salary, equal opportunities, and employment relationships.ConclusionsA main challenge encountered was the definition of reference scales for subcategories with no recognized standards applicable to the socio-political context. This suggested a necessity for further S-LCA applications in regions with armed conflicts. The study provided insight into the social sustainability of the chocolate industry across the life cycle, covering the cocoa plantation and the manufacturing plant. At the same time, it provided the company with a tool to measure the positive and negative social impacts of their actions on stakeholders and redirect efforts towards the areas most in need.

Working conditions of women factory workers in industrializing Thailand, 1960–1990s

ABSTRACT This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of Thai women workers’ experience during the economic boom between the 1960s and 1990s. Specifically, the paper focuses on the working conditions of female factory laborers located in Bangkok and neighboring provinces during this transformative period. To accomplish this, the paper utilizes a variety of previously unused primary sources: quantitative data from a series of surveys conducted by the Department of Labor and other governmental organizations, along with qualitative evidence from ethnographies, recorded interviews, and reports by non-profit organizations. Three aspects of working conditions are considered: health and safety, remuneration, and working hours. It is argued that women workers faced unsafe work environments and long hours, while the growth of their real incomes lagged behind that of GDP per capita. Despite socioeconomic and cultural obstacles to unionizing, this paper finds that collective action empowered women workers and gave them a voice in addressing these issues.

Assessment of cross-sectoral relations of Polish mechanical engineering

As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the sectors of Polish mechanical engineering are not sufficiently interconnected. This is determined and caused by the insufficient level of technology, innovation, machine-building products, and the predominance of assembly plants. At the same time, on the other hand, the revealed interconnections of Polish mechanical engineering reflect those sectors in which significant business activity takes place in Poland. This is explained by the fact that in modern business conditions without the use of the necessary tools, devices, vehicles, it is difficult to achieve significant economic results. Therefore, the sectors that consume the most machine-building products can be considered the basic centers of the Polish economy. According to the obtained analytical results, agriculture, production of food products, rubber and plastic, metal products, all machine-building industries, energy sector, construction, trade sector, sphere of transport, telecommunications, information technologies, etc. can be attributed to them.

Assessment of radioactivity level and associated radiological hazard in fertilizer from Dhaka.

Miners, factory workers, traders, end-users, and foodstuff consumers all run the risk of encountering health hazards derived from the presence of elevated levels of radiation in fertilizers, as these groups often come into direct or indirect contact with fertilizers as well as raw materials throughout various linked processes such as mineral extractions, fertilizer production, agricultural practices. A total of 30 samples of various kinds of fertilizer produced in different factories in Dhaka megacity were analyzed to quantify the concentrations of primordial radionuclides using HPGe detector. Among the analyzed samples, average (range) concentration of 40K was found to be 9920 ± 1091 (8700 ± 957-11,500 ± 1265), 9100 ± 1001 (8600 ± 946-9600 ± 1056), 2565 ± 282 (2540 ± 279-2590 ± 285), and 3560 ± 392 (2620 ± 288-4500 ± 495) Bq/kg in the samples of Muriate of Potash Fertilizer, Sulphate of Potash Fertilizer, Humic Acid Fertilizer, and NPKS Fertilizer, respectively. Elevated concentration of 226Ra was found in Triple Super Phosphate Fertilizer with a mean (range) of 335 ± 37 (290 ± 32-380 ± 42) Bq/kg. The higher activity of 40K can be linked to the greater levels of elemental potassium in phosphate fertilizer. Elevated concentrations of radionuclides may also result from variations in chemical processes as well as the local geology of the mining areas where the raw materials were extracted for fertilizer production. Numerous fertilizer brands surpass prescribed limits for various hazardous parameters, presenting significant health risks to factory workers, farmers, and consumers of agricultural products. This study provides baseline information on the radioactivity of fertilizers, which could be used to develop mitigation methods, establish national fertilizer usage limits, justify regulatory frameworks, and raise public awareness of fertilizer overuse. The findings of the study could potentially help to explore the impact of fertilizer on the food chain.

Journal Vol – 19 No -1, January 2024 Journal > Journal > Journal Vol – 19 No -1, January 2024 RELIABILITY OPTIMIZATION OF A DEGRADED SYSTEM UNDER PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE USING GENETIC ALGORITHM Authors: Shakuntla Singla, Diksha Mangla, Poonam Panwar, S Z Taj DOI NO: https://doi.org/10.26782/jmcms.2024.01.00001 admin January 20, 2024 Abstract: The reliability parameters of a Mathematical model are analyzed for

The present paper deals with the lacunary interpolation problem called the mixed values problem or (0, 3; 0, 2) problem for which known data points are function values at all the points, third derivatives at even knots, and second derivatives at odd knots of the unit interval I = [0,1]. For this problem, we obtained an interpolating function. The paper is divided into two parts, where we have shown that the spline function exists and is convergent.

The specific visuality of women of the global South in the media of the global North

This paper examines how neoliberal, gendered discourses of globalization position marginalized communities of women in popular culture, focusing on the ways in which the media of the global North produces the specific visuality of women of the global South. The representations of women of the global South, such as factory workers, mail/online-order brides, and domestic workers, point to the globalized mode of feminization of labor and the power asymmetry inherent in globalization. By analyzing the ways in which the female body of the global South embodies commodification, sexualization, and abjection, the paper points out that women’s experiences are marginalized or erased in the neoliberal narrative of globalization. The (re)imagination of women of the global South in the media of the global North testifies to the historical legacy and discursive traditions of the colonial/imperial past and points to the reproduction and dissemination of sexualized and racialized imagery of otherness.

Rescue of the Material Recycler: A Case Study on the ‘End-of-Life Tyres’

Tinna Rubber and Infrastructure Limited (TRIL) is India’s largest integrated material recycler of end-of-life tyres (ELT). It imported 70% scrap to feedstock in its manufacturing plants. The nationwide lockdown declared on 24 March 2020 posed severe initial restrictions on the movement of non-essential cargo. It affected TRIL’s 265 containers lodged at different ports in the country, thus escalating their demurrage/detention charges and storage costs. This case concerns supply chain problems faced by Shanti Swarup, TRIL Head–Procurement, owing to COVID-19 disruption. The situation was severe enough to wipe out TRIL’s annual cash profit and put its factories at risk of running out of feedstock. Scrap importers, like TRIL, were in a deadlock with shipping lines and freight stations to waive any imposed charges or avail of any monetary relief despite regular guidelines issued by the Indian government. However, Swarup’s existing and effective ‘supply chain resilience’ strategies had already made TRIL win half the battle by adopting a different approach to the deadlock problem, which relieved the situation. The case study also highlights typical risks and challenges faced by the Indian ELT recycling industry.

On the search of efficient uses for glycerine: steam gasification

This work deals with the steam gasification of the glycerine generated during the biodiesel manufacture in an industrial plant. Glycerine (diluted in water) was gasified with the aim of producing an hydrogen-rich gas, making a systematic investigation on the influence of the gasification temperature in the range 600-1000 ºC. It was found that the change in this parameter influences the composition of the gas generated during gasification, driving the process towards a higher hydrogen production as the temperature gets greater. On the other hand, if the aim is to produce a gas with a higher energy content, a lower temperature would be more favourable

IoT Real-Time Production Monitoring and Automated Process Transformation in Smart Manufacturing

Conventional automobile manufacturing plants involve intricate assembly, testing, and debugging processes heavily reliant on manual operations. This study aims to explore the application of industrial internet of things (IIoT) and deep learning algorithms to achieve process automation in manufacturing. Firstly, utilizing IIoT technology, OPC UA, and point cloud fitting techniques, a comprehensive modeling of most equipment and materials within the factory is conducted, constructing a digital twin (DT) model as a virtual representation of actual equipment. Subsequently, the study innovatively introduces the deep Q network algorithm, facilitating the automatic transition of the production process and improving production efficiency. Through comparison with ten baseline models, the proposed model demonstrates an improvement in production efficiency of at least four percentage points compared to other models. Experimental validation confirms the effectiveness of the proposed model in the smart factory for electric vehicle manufacturing.

Sustainability drivers and national culture in buyer-supplier environmental practices: an institutional perspective

PurposeThis study aims to explore how sustainability drivers interact with national culture to explain the adoption of buyer–supplier environmental sustainability practices.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on Institutional Theory, this study proposes three sets of hypotheses focused on the role of key cultural dimensions: uncertainty avoidance, power distance and institutional collectivism. It uses a sample of 284 manufacturing plants across three industries and 14 countries to test these hypotheses, using regression analysis.FindingsFindings suggest that national culture matters in the adoption of buyer–supplier environmental practices; however, its effect is contingent upon the particular combination of cultural dimensions and drivers analyzed.Originality/valueThis study enhances the understanding of the drivers behind buyer–supplier environmental practices by offering a novel examination of their interaction with national culture. This helps explain the heterogeneity in environmental sustainability adoption across countries.

Multi-resource constrained flexible job shop scheduling problem with fixture-pallet combinatorial optimisation

There is a lack of research on the flexible job shop scheduling problem (FJSP) considering limited fixture-pallet resources in multi-product mixed manufacturing workshops. However, field research in a leading engine manufacturer in China has revealed that fixture-pallet resources are a key factor limiting capacity breakthroughs although they play an auxiliary role in the production process. Thus, in this paper, we propose a methodology for the multi-resource constrained flexible job shop scheduling problem with fixture-pallet combinatorial optimisation. First, a mixed integer programming model with machine-fixture-pallet constraints is constructed aiming to minimize makespan. Then, a novel genetic algorithm integrated with feasibility correction strategy and self-learning variable neighbourhood search (VNS) is proposed to address the complicated scheduling problem, where the feasibility correction strategy is designed to solve potential conflict between machine selection and fixture selection chromosomes and self-learning VNS is executed to further improve the optimisation capability. Moreover, the effectiveness and efficiency of proposed algorithm are demonstrated by computational experiments with real data from cooperated engine manufacturing plant, which would provide convincing support for real production scheduling under complex scenarios.

Geographical Information System Modeling for Planning Internal Transportation in a Manufacturing Plant’s Outdoor Area

A geographical information system (GIS) is an advanced tool for collecting, managing, and analyzing spatially-referenced data. The contribution of GIS use to process performance indicators can be improved by combining it with multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Combining a GIS and MCDA is, in the scientific literature, rarely discussed for planning an internal transportation system in a manufacturing plant’s outdoor area. The purpose of this article is to clarify what mangers can expect from using a combined approach when deciding on a transport fleet and the operational routing of vehicles. Beside the simulation of MCDA, the computer software ArcGIS Pro 3.0.2 with the Network Analyst extension was used for modelling the transportation system in the form of a case study. The article demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of GIS and MCDA use and reveals the extent of the challenge of how decision makers could make the most of ArcGIS functionality. The final solution for an internal transportation system in a manufacturing plant’s outdoor area includes such a vehicle fleet and the set time windows of orders for transport services, so that there are no violations of time windows and the work is completed within the work shift while minimizing costs, time, and distance. Decision makers can use the program without advanced knowledge of optimization approaches, following a procedure that does not differ much from that of learning to use other business software tools. On the contrary, the listed disadvantages can be summarized as the rigidity of setting detailed boundary conditions for a specific simulation scenario.

The Role of Virtual Reality Simulation in Manufacturing in Industry 4.0

From the first to the fourth industrial revolutions (4IR) or Industry 4.0 (i4.0), the manufacturing sector has always been at the forefront of innovation and digital technology adoption. However, 4IR or i4.0 comes with diverse and integrated technologies that tend to sweep off all the old orders. This study undertakes a science mapping of research on the role of virtual reality simulation (VRSIM) in manufacturing in the 4IR, which reveals several roles and benefits. The analysis of the conceptual structure of relevant literature highlights the contexts, applications, and relevance of VRSIM in the i4.0 era, including its potent role in predictive modeling and simulation, digital twin and predictive maintenance, additive manufacturing and 3D printing, and virtual manufacturing and immersive virtual digital factory simulation. VRSIM also offers a realistic virtual environment for mapping human–robot collaboration in different manufacturing environments, such as aircraft and automotive assembly lines, evaluating processes, training factory workers on safety, and assessing workers’ ergonomics in digital production and operations. VRSIM in manufacturing offers active research activities, with increasing literature publications and impacts attracting core sources in industrial engineering, manufacturing systems, production and operations, and information technology.

An In Vitro Model to Assess Early Immune Markers Following Co-Exposure of Epithelial Cells to Carbon Black (Nano)Particles in the Presence of S. aureus: A Role for Stressed Cells in Toxicological Testing.

The exposure of human lung and skin to carbon black (CB) is continuous due to its widespread applications. Current toxicological testing uses 'healthy' cellular systems; however, questions remain whether this mimics the everyday stresses that human cells are exposed to, including infection. Staphylococcus aureus lung and skin infections remain prevalent in society, and include pneumonia and atopic dermatitis, respectively, but current in vitro toxicological testing does not consider infection stress. Therefore, investigating the effects of CB co-exposure in 'stressed' infected epithelial cells in vitro may better approximate true toxicity. This work aims to study the impact of CB exposure during Staphylococcus aureus infection stress in A549 (lung) and HaCaT (skin) epithelial cells. Physicochemical characterisation of CB confirmed its dramatic polydispersity and potential to aggregate. CB significantly inhibited S. aureus growth in cell culture media. CB did not induce cytokines or antimicrobial peptides from lung and skin epithelial cells, when given alone, but did reduce HaCaT and A549 cell viability to 55% and 77%, respectively. In contrast, S. aureus induced a robust interleukin (IL)-8 response in both lung and skin epithelial cells. IL-6 and human beta defensin (hβD)-2 could only be detected when cells were stimulated with S. aureus with no decreases in cell viability. However, co-exposure to CB (100 µg/mL) and S. aureus resulted in significant inhibition of IL-8 (compared to S. aureus alone) without further reduction in cell viability. Furthermore, the same co-exposure induced significantly more hβD-2 (compared to S. aureus alone). This work confirms that toxicological testing in healthy versus stressed cells gives significantly different responses. This has significant implications for toxicological testing and suggests that cell stresses (including infection) should be included in current models to better represent the diversity of cell viabilities found in lung and skin within a general population. This model will have significant application when estimating CB exposure in at-risk groups, such as factory workers, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.

Why Did Philip Morris Stop Making Cigarettes at Auschwitz?

After the collapse of communism in the satellite states of the Soviet Union, global cigarette makers began acquiring factories throughout Eastern Europe to capitalize on this new market opportunity. Drawing on victims’ accounts of the Holocaust, this article rediscovers the Philip Morris cigarette factory at Auschwitz—a manufacturing plant once used by the SS to torture and execute prisoners from the first transports to the killing center. Confidential tobacco industry documents disgorged through litigation show that the world's largest cigarette maker was aware of this heritage prior to purchasing these factories, and made efforts to control the fallout from this potential PR blunder. During these same years, cigarette makers were publicly equating cigarettes with liberty, airing advertisements comparing smokers to the persecuted Jews of Nazi Europe. Exposing these trespasses both physical and rhetorical, this article reflects on one site where two very different atrocities collide.

Mapping Violence Against Women within the Discourse of Globalization: An Ethnographic Study Based on South Asian Garments Factory

Globally, one of the twentieth-century developments is the increased participation of women workers in factories. Indeed, women workers continue to play an essential role in the global economy. But the participation of women in wage labour is regarded as a form of violence in South Asian countries, particularly Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, this study documenting the experiences of violence against women in garments factory contributes to the idea of ‘violence against women as part of Globalization. This study recognizes the relationship between the different sufferings of women workers in garment factories through a gender relations lens and the key issues involving gender inequality, education, coercion and sexual harassment and how they represent global inequality and local identity. This article also offers to understand the trends and challenges of the women workers choosing a career in the garment factory. This study was conducted among the different ages of garment women workers in the garments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka using ethnographic study under qualitative research method involving in-depth interviews, survey and participant observation was used to collect data about their experiences and suffering of violence against women. The preliminary results of the research show that 98% of women from marginalized backgrounds have faced social, cultural, economic and health issues. In addition, 45% of women reported being sexually harassed by male garment employees. This study extends the position of women, which is the most pressing challenge for women’s empowerment. Following an ethnographic analysis of research findings, it can be said that only equal rights, respect, and gender equality pave a new path for women and eliminate all forms of violence globally.

Design of a Rapid Injury Response System in a Smart Factory

This study aims to provide expeditious aid to factory workers at times of injury. Unintentional injuries affect a significant portion of the manufacturing industry’s workforce each year. These injuries may result in amputation, and in certain instances, fatality. Amputation rates are most pronounced in the manufacturing sector and can rise significantly as a result of chronic wounds. Immediate medical attention is essential to stop the dissemination of infection and additional harm. In order to avoid such injuries constant workplace observation and health and safety education for workers should be promoted. A smart factory system employing artificial intelligence and sensing is adopted to address this concern. This system involves an image classification model that identifies, and reports wounded workers and the type of wound to the medics. The factory employs sensors that shut off the manufacturing systems when the worker is in close proximity to getting injured. Upon identification, the necessary feedback is conveyed to the medics in the medical center through a dashboard. To additionally report injuries, factory workers can utilise a smartphone application and access pertinent information about safety guidelines, different zones, and helplines. This solution has the capability of benefiting the manufacturing workforce as it ensures that they receive the appropriate assistance to address their injuries and take the necessary safety measures in a timely manner.

Market knowledge impacts on performances through front end process: empirical evidence from manufacturing plants across countries

Market knowledge impacts on performances through front end process: empirical evidence from manufacturing plants across countries

Development of New Bio-Based Building Materials by Utilising Manufacturing Waste

Abstract Over the last decade, research has increasingly focused on reducing the use of natural resources and improving waste management in the construction industry. Various possibilities exist for reducing waste in this sector, ranging from using waste as filler materials to developing new binders and building materials. This study focuses on the development of bio-based building materials using waste from the manufacturing of wood-wool cement boards. The binder and filler materials were obtained from the manufacturing waste and used in this research. The developed materials were tested for their visual appearance, macrostructure, material density, thermal conductivity coefficient and compressive strength. The results showed promising data for the self-bearing bio-based building materials, which had similar thermal properties to other bio-based materials and could be used as thermal insulation materials with a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.0827–0.1172 W/(mK). The material density of the developed bio-based composites was found to be 430–617 kg/m3. By incorporating manufacturing waste into the production process of bio-based building materials, it becomes evident that overall waste from manufacturing plants can be significantly reduced, and the sustainability aspect of wood-cement board manufacturers can be enhanced.

Approbation of the test stand for piston hydraulic cylinders

Test of the end production in the mechanic engineering requires extensive energy consumption which is often lost irrevocably during testing processes and inflict damage on environment. Thus, issues of energy conservation during testing processes become actual. The most productive way of energy conservation during the process of machine testing is recuperation of energy. The objective of the present article is to confirm of the proposed theory about the possibility of recuperating part of the energy while testing piston hydraulic cylinders. Piston hydraulic cylinders are actively used in machines’ hydraulic drive and various stationary production equipment. Operating time to failure of the hydraulic cylinder is usually regulated by a manufacturing plant and commonly includes number of working cycles or general piston’s motion distance. To achieve the stated objective, the structure of the test stand for a trial run of piston hydraulic cylinders. The principal diagram is also developed. On the basis of the theory of volume stiffness, the simulation of test stand’s operation is made. The software program is developed using the software package SimInTech. The preliminary calculations of test stand’s functioning are made. Its operating factors are obtained.