Required Research Articles

Assessing the problems encountered by companies using e-logistics via a Polytopic fuzzy methodology: A case of Giresun province

Manufacturing companies are always competing because of globalization, both in terms of sectoral level and meeting customer demands. Companies that want to gain competitive advantages want to offer the best quality products and services at the most affordable cost and aim to deliver them to the end consumer by creating added value. This requirement and flexibility level can only be achieved through logistics applications. Businesses that provide efficiency and speed in logistics applications take a few steps forward in market conditions and respond to customer needs on time. It has become a necessity to use electronic-based systems in logistics applications, especially to meet customer requirements. Information communication-based electronic business has also changed the methods and models of doing business for its users. Internet technology has caused businesses to change their business models and practices, along with their production and service structures. Developments in e-commerce and technology have brought e-logistics applications to the forefront and made it necessary to emphasize them. Because e-logistics applications are important for facilitating business operations and increasing performance and customer satisfaction, they also eliminate distances in world trade and offer access to markets that are difficult to access. There are various problems in e-logistics applications and it is important to identify them. In this context, the problems faced by businesses using e-logistics become critical and one of the components that need to be meticulously emphasized. According to the results of the study, it is understood that the most important e-logistics barriers in enterprises are "lack of skill to manage digital technologies to support the system" and "need for qualified personnel". It is obvious that the results will guide business managers.

Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability Assessment of a Mechatronic System Based on Timed Colored Petri Nets

The mechatronic industry is currently subject to huge changes challenging it to offer products matching individual customer requirements at competitive prices. The design of such products calls for sophisticated and complex components integration following different technologies. Since we are on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which the world of mechatronic production, network connectivity, the Internet of Things, and cyber-physical systems are correlated, the complexity of these systems increases exponentially, and we are talking about advanced mechatronic systems. To assist these changes, various methods, sweeping all project phases, are used by business houses. Predictive dependability assessment in the earlier design stage is considered a powerful metric used to evaluate the performances of different kinds of mechatronic products before the production phase. Altogether, dependability analysis ties the design directly to the desired functionality, operability, and integrity of the system. This paper explores an approach to assessing the dependability attributes, reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM), of repairable mechatronic systems based on timed colored Petri nets and a Monte Carlo simulation, integrating simultaneously diverse components technologies: mechanical, electronic, and software. The proposed approach is tested taking the case of a regenerative braking system. The methodology appears to be efficient for evaluating predictive RAM indicators (MTTFF, MTTR, MTBF…) for the whole system and for each individual component separately.

Customised product design optimisation considering module synergy effects and expert preferences

ABSTRACT Fierce marketing competition and varied customer requirements on products make a lot of companies transfer to the customisation strategy. However, customers may be overwhelmed by the vast assortment of products and options. This paper proposes a methodology aimed at optimising the range of customised product varieties considering synergy effects of modules and preferences of experts. The methodology outlines key steps required for a successful customised product configuration. Firstly, a questionnaire based on the Kano model is designed to identify customer preferences for product module customisation. The potential customers can be segmented based on the distance among their multidimensional preferences. Secondly, within each segmented market, the customer satisfaction function that considers module synergies is established using the quantified Kano model and coefficient matrix. Thirdly, the cost function that considers experts' preferences is established based on the prospect theory. Finally, a bi-objective optimisation model is formulated to maximise customer satisfaction and minimise cost under technical constraints. Pareto solutions are obtained by solving the model with the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II). Modules and attributes available to customers can be determined by the solutions. An illustrative example of modular laptop computers confirms the methodology's effectiveness in optimising product configuration.

Scheduling stochastic distributed flexible job shops using an multi-objective evolutionary algorithm with simulation evaluation

The trend of reverse globalisation prompts manufacturing enterprises to adopt distributed structures with multiple factories for improving production efficiency, meeting customer requirements, and responding disturbance events. This study focuses on scheduling a distributed flexible job shop with random job processing time to achieve minimal makespan and minimal total tardiness. First, a stochastic programming model is established to formulate the concerned problems. Second, in accordance with the natures of two objectives and randomness, an evolutionary algorithm incorporating an evaluation method is designed. In it, population-based and external archive-based search processes are developed for searching candidate solutions, and the evaluation method integrates stochastic simulation and discrete event simulation to calculate objective values of acquired solutions. Finally, a mathematical optimisation solver, CPLEX, is employed to validate the developed model and optimisation approach. A set of cases is solved to verify the performance of the proposed method. The comparisons and discussions show the superiority of the proposed method for handling the problems under study.

A Comprehensive Decision-Making Approach for Strategic Product Module Planning in Mass Customization

This paper explores the integrated optimization of complex coupled industrial manufacturing systems and production strategies based on user customization needs. Two optimization metrics are considered: one is whether the production process of engineering manufacturing is simplified, and the other is whether it is based on the customization requirements of the customer. These two metrics are interrelated, and cases may even be conflicting. Considering the interdependence between engineering manufacturing and user requirements, this paper develops an integrated customized modular engineering manufacturing process to minimize production and maintenance costs and improve efficiency while meeting user customization requirements. This paper takes expert evaluation as an important decision indicator and optimizes the production process strategy on this basis. Finally, a case study is given to illustrate the applicability of the proposed process model.

The application of the KANO model in education: A systematic literature review

As markets become more competitive, customer satisfaction becomes one of the most critical factors of success for any organization, especially in the service industry, where the opportunity for customer delight can be limited. Customer requirements and their perceptions of quality can differ significantly from organizations' views. Therefore, employing tools to bridge this gap and gaining insights into the voice of customers is imperative for organizations. The Kano model provides a framework for understanding the impact of quality attributes on customer satisfaction. The Kano model has been used in many different industries over the years. Multiple case studies have applied the Kano model to various service industry sectors from healthcare to tourism. owever, the use of the Kano model in education remains limited. This study provides a systematic literature review of the use of the Kano model in education. This study aims to examine the extent to which the Kano model is applied as a quality improvement tool in the education sector and to identify research gaps in the literature for future research.

Development and Improvement of a Production Company (and their Product) Based on the Value Stream Mapping of Business Processes

Abstract Value stream mapping is one of the basic tools used in the processes improvement or design – in accordance with the Lean concept. This paper presents a model of designing production processes and introducing new products to the market based on the analysis of the value streams flow in the production process. Particular attention was paid to the importance of input data necessary to plan a properly functioning production process, which results in a high-value product (from the customer’s point of view). In the paper also the list of all the most important tools supporting all stages of designing new production processes or improving existing processes has been presented. Also the advantages of big pictures analysis using was highlighted. In this case value stream mapping and big picture analysis were oriented on quality in the product development process and contribute to: creating value (based on customer requirements) while maintaining timely deliveries and constant costs (Value Stream Mapping), sustainable use of tangible and intangible resources (removing waste at the design stage). However, from the company point of view, and particular in the cost level, the product can gain value because a lower input is required for its production. After improvement, the process lead time has been shortened in an area where value was not added, but the consequence of implementing the change is an increase in the production volume while maintaining the process transition time – therefore, unit costs of production will change.

Analysis of Relationships between Non-conformities, Process Maturity and Continual Improvement in Information Security Management Systems

Abstract In the current global context, companies need a defined minimum level of information security to recognize and deal with related threats and risks. Due to market, customer or legal requirements, specifications and requirements for information security are implemented uniformly according to standards such as the information security management standard ISO/IEC 27001 or industry-specific standards such as Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange - TISAX, ISO IEC 27019 Energy Utility Information Security Standard. The conformity to these standard requirements within the established management system is checked during periodically required audits. However, there are various reasons for which, even after many years of audits in companies, there are still insufficient process implementations for information security requirements. The aim of the paper is to analyze the status of conformity and thus also the process maturity in selected samples of companies that have already had information security management systems (ISMS) implemented for several years. In detail, the reasons for deviations from the minimum requirements with associated risks for the security of information in companies were analyzed, which allow conclusions to be drawn about possible process improvements. The paper also analyzes why, despite established measures and existing expertise, only a limited level of process maturity is achieved on average. Other possible approaches to the implementation procedure for dealing with non-conformities in information security are also considered. The results of this research show that there is a need for an adjusted continuous improvement process, which makes risks resulting from insufficient process maturity more visible. Proposals for such improvements are listed.

Storage and other considerations for enterprise digital asset management solutions

Five years after the launch of an enterprise digital asset management (DAM) solution in a US university setting, how has it been adopted on campus? Is the solution still meeting the customer requirements? This paper addresses these questions by examining the DAM solution implemented at the University of Notre Dame. It delves into the storage component, especially in the context of recent shifts that have marked the end of the era of unrestricted and complimentary storage for higher education. The examination extends to the broader campus DAM solution space, analysing its current level of adoption. It emphasises the necessity for an effective governance structure and communications, and contends that DAM software vendors should take into consideration the distributed nature of higher education institutions. At the core of addressing these challenges is a proposed architectural redesign that separates core DAM functions from specialist features, with shared storage and access layers to improve efficiency and facilitate the breakdown of silos.

Implementing Failure Mode & Effect Analysis(FMEA) on Framework Structure

Abstract: The Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is one of the most practical design tools implemented in the product design to analyze the possible failures and to improve the design. The use of FMEA is diversified, and different approaches are proposed by various organizations and researchers from one application to another. The question is how to use the features of FMEA along with the design process. This research focuses on different types of FMEA in the design process, which is considered as the mapping between customer requirements, design components, and product functions. These three elements of design are the foundation of the integration model proposed in this research. The objective of this research is to understand an integrated approach of FMEA in the design process. Significantly, an integration framework is developed to integrate the design process and FMEA. Then, a step-by-step FMEA-facilitated design process is proposed to apply FMEA along with the design process. The analysis should always be started by someone listing the functions that the design needs to fulfil. Functions are the starting point of a well done FMEA, and using functions as baseline provides the best yield of an FMEA. After all, a design is only one possible solution to perform functions that need to be fulfilled. This way an FMEA can be done on concept designs as well as detail designs, on hardware as well as software, and no matter how complex the design.

The Crowdfunding Application by Blockchain and ThirdWeb Hybrid Model

Abstract: The advancement of Web3 and blockchain is happening rapidly in various fields, including healthcare, social services, and electronic voting. Blockchain technology is being used by crowdfunding platforms to combine its benefits of speed and low fees with traditional finance, creating a new way of raising money. By integrating Reacts user-friendly interface, Solidity smart contracts, Meta-Mask wallet integration and Hardhat development and testing capabilities, it forms a versatile and secure platform. This project aims to find out how much money is missing in the current crowdfunding market and offer them smart contracts and tools that use Ethereum to create their own application businesses. Hybrid Model Platform is a ThirdWeb tool that allows for easy and flexible scaling and visibility. this new crowdfunding app is a major leap in fundraising, fulfilling numerous customer requirements and poised to revolutionize crowdfunding with its fresh and inventive strategy.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Logistics Strategy and Cold Chain Technology Innovation –Literature Review (Case Study: Paxel Indonesia)

The country's economic development has a big influence on the growth and contribution of the logistics sector, especially transportation and warehousing, one of which is influenced by shopping behavior and customer lifestyle. One type of logistics distribution pattern is the cold chain, which requires companies to have a logistics strategy and cold chain technology innovation to meet customer requirements. This literature review aims to comprehensively analyze the impact of implementing logistics strategies and the use of technology in cold logistics which is different from dry logistics carried out in one of the logistics service provider companies. Evaluation of the influence of environmental factors, temperature and customer needs on design strategy choices will also be discussed in this paper. Apart from that, the literature review will answer the impact of implementing logistics strategies and supply chain technology on the quality and safety of frozen food products.

Sustainable Marketing in Enhancing Customer Consumption in Tourism Industry in China

In China, there are many weaknesses related to the development of the hospitality and tourism market. Nevertheless, regarding to marketing, it is necessary to have more well prepared marketing practices in order to build some replaceable types of sustainable tourism following customer requirements and current trends at the time. The research is conducted with the purpose of making an intensive analysis of the importance of sustainable marketing in enhancing customer consumption in tourism industry in China. This paper also proposes some solutions to enhance sustainable tourism in China.

One-Stop Flair Slot Booking Platform for All Needs

Pick Your Slot (PYS) is a versatile booking and scheduling web-based application that caters to a single platform for all your needs. PYS offers services ranging from sports such as football, cricket and badminton, personal grooming services like salons, fitness facilities such as gyms, entertainment options like a dance studio, rage room, and car wash services. The platform, built using React.js and React Native for web and mobile respectively, utilizes a SQL database backend supported by Java. It is an open-source application accessible to both customers and vendors. The app facilitates slot booking according to customers’ flexible time, PYS not only accommodates flexible scheduling but also utilizes geolocation API to detect customer locations. This feature enables the app to suggest nearby services tailored to the customer's requirements, leveraging real-time availability updates and offering on-demand services. Real-time availability in our app ensures instant slot booking, adapting to users' dynamic schedules for hassle-free planning. Users can quickly secure appointments, saving time and reducing frustration. Security is paramount, with authentication mechanisms for both vendors and customers. With its blend of intuitive design and advanced functionality, PYS offers a comprehensive solution for booking needs, making it a reliable choice for users seeking convenience and peace of mind. In a world where time is precious, our app offers swift slot bookings, recognizing the impatience of modern life. With just a few taps, users can secure their slots, bypassing unnecessary delays in the nearest location. Designed for speed and convenience, we ensure no one waits longer than necessary.

Integration and Implementation of Scaled Agile Framework and V-Model in the Healthcare Sector Organization

The development of medical technology devices leads to the introduction and use of agile methods, which enable the delivery of increasingly complex software with the fastest possible innovations. Delivery of the highest quality software must be considered during development, as medical products are important elements in saving human lives. Their development begins with determining a set of product requirements that exactly correspond to it. The development of specified medical products is finally delivered to the customer, who participates in the development. In this article, we present the use and combination of agile methods in software development, which correct and facilitate timely and continuous delivery of products. They also know how to smooth out a quick reaction to the customer’s changing needs and mainly focus on team management and communication. Specific agile methods make it possible to implement development through gradual improvements by integrating customer requirements towards the product. This article identifies three interconnected approaches to integrating agile methods and principles: SCRUM, SAFe, and Kanban combined with the V-model. The methods are gradually analysed based on the literature review, and the article presents a practical application in Siemens Healthcare Slovakia.

A framework for creating an IoT system specification with ChatGPT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a core concern for the digital transformation of the industry. However, the development of IoT systems, starting from creating specifications, is a serious and time-consuming effort, which requires high levels of expertise. This paper introduces a novel approach leveraging large language models, specifically ChatGPT, to streamline the generation of IoT system specifications from initial, unstructured customer requirements. A framework, adapting the ISO IEC/IEEE 12,207:2017 standard, is developed for this purpose. The utility of this framework is validated through the development and expert evaluation of a specification for a campus laboratory IoT use case. The findings demonstrate ChatGPT's effectiveness in producing specifications that are understandable, complete, and unambiguous, thus offering a substantial aid to the industry in overcoming the complexities of IoT system specification development. At the same time, the study identified specific tasks within the requirements engineering process for IoT systems that ChatGPT could not effectively perform, such as verification, obtaining agreements, and maintaining traceability of requirements between stakeholders. The findings offer valuable insights into the practical applications of AI in the domain of IoT development, particularly in automating the specification generation process. These contributions not only advance the understanding of AI's role in IoT development but also open pathways for further research on refining AI-assisted methodologies for system specification and beyond.

Examining the Implications of Knowledge Boundaries for a Large-Scale Agile Transformation Initiative of a Manufacturing Company

To stay competitive in today’s environment, characterized by changing customer requirements, digitalization, new technologies, etc., companies must deliver fast and continuous innovation. Manufacturing companies have therefore started to launch large-scale agile transformation initiatives. A specificity of manufacturing companies is their need for deeply specialized organizational units. Knowledge boundaries resulting from knowledge specialization tend to impact transformation initiatives. Therefore, this work examines the implications of knowledge boundaries between organizational units for a large-scale agile transformation initiative of a manufacturing company. The findings show that these knowledge boundaries imply a need for knowledge integration based on flexibility and dynamism as key aspects. A conceptual model that illustrates these aspects during the initial phase of implementation of these transformation initiatives is presented.

Optimal new product design using reverse quality function deployment with nonlinear regression modeling

PurposeQuality function deployment (QFD) has been widely applied in new product development, but existing research on QFD has some limitations. Primarily, QFD lacks the capability to provide feedback on the satisfaction degree of customer requirements (CRs) according to the actual values of engineering characteristics (ECs). In addition, QFD does not quantitatively consider the interrelationships among ECs. Reverse QFD (R-QFD) was introduced to implement the feedback process. On this basis, this paper quantitatively considers the interrelationships among ECs in the R-QFD model and extends these relationships to encompass combinations of multiple ECs, aiming to improve the inference accuracy of the model.Design/methodology/approachA nonlinear regression model was established between CRs and ECs, aiming to infer the satisfaction degree of CRs based on the implementation status of ECs. This model considers the interdependencies among ECs and extends the consideration of pairwise EC correlations from every two to every fifteen. Lingo Software is utilized to seek solutions for this program. To facilitate the implementation of the program, a directive to simplify the solution has been proposed.FindingsThe experimental results indicate that the interrelationships among ECs significantly affect the inference accuracy of the R-QFD model, thereby verifying the necessity of considering higher-order interrelationships among ECs within the R-QFD framework. Based on the results from data experiments, this paper also proposes research recommendations pertaining to ECs hierarchy for varying quantities of ECs.Originality/valueThe outcomes of this study have further refined the R-QFD model, addressing its limitations of ignoring the interrelationships among ECs. This transformation elevates the R-QFD model from a relatively simple linear model to a nonlinear model formed through modeling, thereby enhancing its accuracy and applicability. In practical terms, this study provides case support for the application of the R-QFD model in manufacturing industry.

Application and evaluation of interlinked approaches for modeling changing capabilities

The nature of modern organizations needs to be increasingly adaptive, since they are dealing with a constant demand to respond to stimuli derived from the dynamic environments they operate in. Changing their capabilities is a common response, and this makes capability management a vital aspect of organizational survivability. To date, there are no approaches specifically designed to address this specific situation. KYKLOS and Compass are two interlinked approaches of different complexity, a DSML and a canvas, developed to support capability change. As recently developed methods, they lacked formal demonstration and evaluation; therefore, the goal of this article is to present the demonstration and evaluation of the two approaches by their stakeholders, in particular, business and modeling experts. A case study in a Swedish company in the ERP system consulting domain that is undergoing changes in its sales and consulting capabilities related to evolving customer requirements has been used to demonstrate and evaluate the two approaches. The process consisted of two evaluation cycles. The first cycle concerned KYKLOS and used two categories of evaluators, the business experts and the modeling experts. While the modeling experts evaluated positively the method, the business experts had difficulties associated with its ease of use and adoption. This resulted in the development of Compass, which was evaluated by business experts during the second evaluation cycle. Compass was evaluated more positively in terms of the difficult aspects, but the challenge is ongoing and motivates further future research.

Using Quality Function Deployment to Assess the Efficiency of Mini-Channel Heat Exchangers

This article addresses the design of a compact heat exchanger for the cooling of electronic systems. The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method is used to identify crucial product features to improve device performance and key customer requirements. The QFD simplifies management processes, allowing modifications to device components, such as design parameters (dimensions and materials) and operating conditions (flow type and preferred temperature range). The study was applied to analyse the fundamental features of a compact heat exchanger, assessing their impact on enhancing heat transfer intensity during fluid flow through mini-channels. The thermal efficiency of the compact heat exchanger was tested experimentally. The results allow to verify the results obtained from the numerical simulations due to Simcenter STAR-CCM+. Consequently, the experimental part was reduced in favour of numerical simulations conducted using this commercial CFD software version 2020.2.1 Build 15.04.01. The numerical simulations performed with the aid of CFD showed increases in the heat transfer coefficient of up to 180% compared to the case treated as a reference. The application of the QFD matrix significantly reduces the time required to develop suitable design and material solutions and determine the operating parameters for the cooling of miniature electronic devices.