Maintenance‐related costs contribute significantly to equipment life‐cycle costs. In practice, maintenance works are not perfect in the sense that they cannot restore the…
Abstract
Maintenance‐related costs contribute significantly to equipment life‐cycle costs. In practice, maintenance works are not perfect in the sense that they cannot restore the equipment to a “good‐as‐new” condition. Utilizing the concept of improvement factors to model the imperfect characteristics of most maintenance works, proposes a model which determines the number and timing of preventive maintenance works which are required before the equipment is overhauled. It also determines how many overhauls will be economically required before a decision is made to dispose of the equipment. The equipment disposal decision is based on an analysis of replacements which are constraints to be at the end of time cycles which may have unequal numbers of time‐periods and where the time‐periods do not have to be of equal length. This proposed replacement analysis is an extension of a well‐known replacement model in the literature.
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Divesh Kumar and Zillur Rahman
This paper aims to intend to help focal firms which are keen to develop a sustainable supply chain by identifying enablers, in knowing the interrelationships involved and in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to intend to help focal firms which are keen to develop a sustainable supply chain by identifying enablers, in knowing the interrelationships involved and in ranking the enablers.
Design/methodology/approach
Interpretive structural modeling and fuzzy MICMAC were used for the modeling and clustering of the enablers and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process has been used for the ranking purpose.
Findings
Awareness about sustainability incentives, pressure from stakeholders, support from supply chain partners and demand from customer for sustainable products were found very important for developing a sustainable supply chain.
Research limitations/implications
This research will help practitioners to appreciate the importance of the enablers to focus on the making sustainability adoption feasible across the supply chain. This would also facilitate focal firm management to develop a sustainability culture across the supply chain.
Originality/value
Similar work has not been carried before in which interaction among enablers and their priorities were analyzed using hybrid methodologies in developing country context.
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B.V. Babu, Pallavi G. Chakole and J.H. Syed Mubeen
This paper presents the application of Differential Evolution (DE), an evolutionary computation technique for the optimal design of gas transmission network. As a gas transmission…
Abstract
This paper presents the application of Differential Evolution (DE), an evolutionary computation technique for the optimal design of gas transmission network. As a gas transmission system includes source of gas, delivery sites with pipeline segments and compressors, the design of efficient and economical network involves lot of parameters. In addition, there are many equality and inequality constraints to be satisfied making the problem highly non‐linear. Hence an efficient strategy is needed in searching for the global optimum. In this study, DE has been successfully applied for optimal design of gas transmission network. The results obtained are compared with those of nonlinear programming technique and branch and bound algorithm. DE is able to find an optimal solution with a cost that is less than reported in the earlier literature. The proposed strategy takes less computational time to converge when compared to the existing techniques without compromising with the accuracy of the parameter estimates.
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Festus O. Olorunniwo and Ariwodo Izuchukwu
Although each maintenance task performed on an item of equipment may enhance its reliability, neither preventive nor overhaul maintenance can return the equipment to good‐as‐new…
Abstract
Although each maintenance task performed on an item of equipment may enhance its reliability, neither preventive nor overhaul maintenance can return the equipment to good‐as‐new condition. Applying the concept of maintenance improvement factors to both types of maintenance, mathematical models are developed that are used to generate preventive and overhaul maintenance schedules. Examples are provided to demonstrate the sensitivity of the schedules to model parameters.
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In the economic design of •‐control charts the two extreme approaches used are that the design parameters are: (i) fixed once determined, and (ii) change from sample to sample…
Abstract
In the economic design of •‐control charts the two extreme approaches used are that the design parameters are: (i) fixed once determined, and (ii) change from sample to sample. Administrative convenience favours the first approach in practice, although research work indicates, for instance, that constant sampling intervals are not necessarily optimal. This article provides an economic but partially dynamic model where the sampling intervals are of random lengths but other parameters are kept fixed once determined. Random sampling intervals are practical especially in labour‐intensive economies and job‐shop situations where assignable causes are introduced by external factors such as operator skill, fatigue, carelessness and other physical environments. In such work environments, operators have been found to take undue advantage of constant sampling intervals. The model developed here incorporates statistical, economic and administrative considerations in addition to other practical work situations. Some guidelines for implementing the model in the production environment are provided.
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S. Maryam Masoumik and Salwa Hanim Abdul-Rashid
In the current highly competitive market, most organizations are moving away from reactive and compliance-based to proactive environmental management. This proactive approach to…
Abstract
In the current highly competitive market, most organizations are moving away from reactive and compliance-based to proactive environmental management. This proactive approach to environmental management calls for taking a strategic approach to adoption of green practices beyond an organization’s internal borders. In this respect, incorporating green practices into a firm’s supply chain has attracted interest of operations management scholar and practitioners. The influence of external pressures on the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices has been established in the literature. This research posits that the adoption of GSCM practices is also driven by a firm’s internal strategic factors including its key resources and competitive strategy. It also suggests that these direct effects are further mediated by the green strategies (GSs) adopted in companies. Theoretically, these relationships are supported by combining the institutional theory with the natural resource-based view. A structural equation modeling is applied to formulate and analyze the relationships and the mediating effect using a survey data collected from 139 ISO14001-certified manufacturers in Malaysia. The results verified the mediating effect of GS adoption on the relationship between internal and external strategic factors, and GSCM practices. This research has made an original contribution to knowledge by bridging the fields of strategic environmental management and GSCM.
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Desmond Eseoghene Ighravwe and Sunday Ayoola Oke
Maintenance plans are programmes, which follow maintenance appraisals, contain information of what to do and the time approximates for accomplishments. They also deal with how to…
Abstract
Purpose
Maintenance plans are programmes, which follow maintenance appraisals, contain information of what to do and the time approximates for accomplishments. They also deal with how to carry out maintenance jobs. In contemporary period, curiosity has proliferated about how sustainability affects manufacturing plans. The purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive notion of maintenance sustainability in maintenance planning. The literature has downplayed maintenance sustainability but may support in understanding how to crack the present company-community conflicts about the negative influence of manufacturing on the environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study develops the idea of selecting the proper maintenance strategy based on integrated fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD) principle and fuzzy-TOPSIS. This work suggests that the maintenance function is an uncertain, activity-oriented system. To fully appreciate the proposed framework, the work employs data from a cement manufacturing plant to test the structure. This study offers 20 influential factors on which it build the fundamental structure of maintenance system sustainability for manufacturing concerns. A novel literature contribution that departs from existing conceptions is the classical determination of weights of each sustainability factor, employing fuzzy entropy weighting approach. Furthermore, work innovatively determines the ranking of some important tenets of sustainability in maintenance and optimises the maintenance consumables employing the FAD principle.
Findings
Interestingly, the output of the investigation revealed differences as the work adopts fuzzy-TOPSIS in comparison with FAD principle.
Originality/value
Case examination of a real-life manufacturing venture validated the claims, showing maintenance workforce training as a top-echelon strategy for maintenance system sustainability.
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Ying Xie, Liz Breen, Tom Cherrett, Dingchang Zheng and Colin James Allen
This study aims to provide insights into the scale and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in managing medical devices in the National Health Service (NHS), with…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide insights into the scale and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in managing medical devices in the National Health Service (NHS), with a focus on reverse exchange (RE) systems as a part of the broader reverse logistics (RL) systems, within which medical devices are returned and exchanged.
Design/methodology/approach
Two case studies were conducted with NHS Hospital Trusts, whilst another was built upon secondary resources. Primary findings were triangulated with the information collected from the NHS Trusts’ reports, direct observation and a preliminary round of consultations with 12 health-care professionals working in other NHS Trusts or Integrated Equipment Community Services.
Findings
The findings of this paper suggest that the sophistication of ICT implementation increases with the risks and value associated with medical devices. Operational attributes are derived from ICT implementations which can positively affect RE performance. The forces that drive the adoption of ICT in the NHS include pressure from government, business partners and patients; competitive pressure; perceived benefits; organisation size; top management support; and the availability of sufficient resources. Obstacles are mainly centred around the lack of sufficient resources.
Research limitations/implications
Although the trusts that participated in this research are representative of different regions, the generalisation of the study results may be limited by the size of the sample organisations, so the results can only provide insights into the research problem. As this work is exploratory in nature, there is insufficient data on which to form definitive recommendations.
Practical implications
NHS Trusts may use the six operational attributes identified and verified by the case studies to benchmark their ICT implementation for device management. The actual and potential benefits of ICT implementation could inform technology development and encourage the uptake of ICT in healthcare. Governmental bodies can utilise this information to develop directives to actively drive ICT adoption in device management and the associated RE system. A well-considered training programme is needed to improve staff ICT skills to fully realise the potential of ICT systems which support the effective RE of medical devices.
Originality/value
The results of this paper suggest that the reverse management of medical devices backs up the supply chain attained through using ICT, which in turn reduces capital costs, medical risk and increases the finance available for frontline medical treatment.
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The purpose of this study is to draw on several perspectives rarely used in reverse logistics (RL) research – such as sustainable development, the natural resource-based view and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to draw on several perspectives rarely used in reverse logistics (RL) research – such as sustainable development, the natural resource-based view and green innovation – to examine the relationship between RL innovation and environmental and economic performance while incorporating institutional theory to verify how institutional pressures moderate these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey is used to investigate Taiwan's electrical, electronic and information industries, as well as maintenance and retail stores selling computers, communications and consumer electronics. First, a hierarchical regression analysis is used. Next, moderating relationships are examined along with the related regulatory, competitor and customer pressures.
Findings
The results indicate that RL innovation is positively associated with environmental and economic performance. Moreover, three institutional pressures positively moderated the relationships between RL innovation and environmental performance. However, investment in greater RL innovation under higher-level institutional pressures did not always enhance economic performance.
Research limitations/implications
Reverse logistics innovation comprises five components, one of which is cross-functional integration, the process of obtaining information from marketing, production and logistics managers about how their firms created the marketing-operations interface to better handle RL. However, we obtained RL innovation information only from individual respondents. In addition, this study focuses on the economic and environmental aspects of RL activities. Future studies should apply the RL perspective on social sustainability to probe RL issues from sustainability's environmental, social and economic points of views.
Practical implications
Contrary to the conventional wisdom that RL imposes costs, reduces productivity and curbs competitiveness, this study finds that RL innovation can enrich environmental and economic performances, indicating that firms with more innovative RL capabilities yield more sustainable outcomes for environmental protection, social responsibility and economic performance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the RL literature by applying multiple perspectives – including sustainable development, the natural resource-based view and green innovation – to explore the relationship between RL innovation and performance while using institutional theory to probe the moderating effects of institutional pressures on RL innovation and performance.
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Rasoul Mehdikhani and Changiz Valmohammadi
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of strategic collaboration (SC) on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), considering the mediating role of internal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of strategic collaboration (SC) on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), considering the mediating role of internal knowledge sharing (IKS) and external knowledge sharing (EKS).
Design/methodology/approach
The study population consisted of experts associated with the supply chain in the automotive, food, clothing, pharmaceuticals and chemicals industries. After reviewing the literature, a conceptual framework was developed and applied using a structural equation modeling approach. In this study, samples with 271 observations were collected from manufacturing and servicing companies in Iran.
Findings
The results showed that SC in the supply chain has a positive impact on the IKS and EKS and SSCM. IKS and EKS have a positive impact on SSCM. Also, the results showed that IKS and EKS fully mediate in the relationship between SC and SSCM.
Research limitations/implications
This study has been done in the context of Iran, so caution should be taken to generalize the results.
Originality/value
The findings of the study contribute to the knowledge of the managers and policy makers in achieving SSCM. The results provide the important environmental and social concepts regarding the sustainability of supply chain using SC and IKS and EKS.