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Springs are an integral part of mechanisms and can benefit from additive manufacturing’s (AM) increased design freedom. Given the limited literature on the subject, the purpose of this paper is to develop guidelines for fabricating helical springs using three-dimensional (3D) printing.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is the main material investigated, with ULTEM™ 9085 used as a comparison. The experimental procedure is to vary the spring parameters, print the springs and test them in tension or compression using constant velocity. Plots of the force and displacement are used to measure the linear and post-deformation spring constants. Loading of the springs is done both to breakage and cyclically. Cyclic loading is also used to observe the plastic behaviour of the springs. Parameters that are varied include wire and coil diameters, pitch, wire cross-section, in-fill and layer height.

A square wire cross-section is used, instead of a circle because it produces more consistent coils. In-fills make no significant difference in the elastic stiffness of the springs but the mono in-fill breaks at a greater extension, so it is recommended. Tension and compression springs are confirmed to behave the same when in the elastic regime. ULTEM™ 9085 produces consistently weaker springs compared to PLA. Variation of layer height shows that thinner layers increase the stiffness of the springs.

This study investigates the behaviour of 3D printed helical springs in tension and compression. Three guidelines are created: square wire cross-section, mono-directional in-fill and thin layers are recommended.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of name change, if any on the financial performance of deposit-taking savings and credit co-operatives (SACCOs) in a developing country characterized by a vibrant SACCO sector. Sparse studies exist on the impact of name changes on revenue-cost performance in mutual financial institutions such as SACCOs.

The study uses a standard event methodology over a six-year period (2008-2013) to investigate the impact of name change on the return on assets (ROA) and operating profit margin (OPM). The study then uses a panel regression method to study the impact of name change on ROA and OPM for a sample of 212 deposit-taking SACCOs over the period 2008-2013.

The results, which are robust for a variety of controls, provide evidence in support of a consistent positive association between name change and subsequent financial performance of deposit-taking SACCOs in Kenya. The positive impact of name change seems to be experienced about four years after the name change. The results reveal muted influence of regulation on name change and financial performance of SACCOs in Kenya.

The study focuses solely on deposit-taking SACCOs in a developing country context over a six-year period only. Extending the time period and including a sample of control SACCOs operating purely back-office service activities would add power to the analyses.

The current study illustrates the contribution of name change on the financial performance of SACCOs in a developing country characterized by a vibrant SACCO sector. Overall, the results show that name change announcements signal an improvement in SACCOs’ future prospects.

This study provides empirical evidence on the contribution of name change announcements on the financial performance of SACCOs in a developing country context. The study adds to the sparse literature on the impact of name change on the financial performance of mutual financial institutions that are not listed on the securities exchange.

Circular economy (CE) disclosure is becoming urgent for firms, but an accepted and recognized approach to address it is still missing, especially at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) level. This study aims to contribute to this issue by exploring the potential of the adoption of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards as a standardized approach for CE disclosure. The paper proposes a framework that identifies the existence of specific relationships between the topics included in GRI 300 Standards and CE strategies, which can be considered as managerial guidelines for CE strategy disclosure by companies.

The paper uses an explorative research methodology based on the content analysis of secondary data taken from the sustainability reports of the SMEs listed in STAR segment of Borsa Italiana.

The analysis shows that GRI Standards are currently adopted to disclose the CE strategies by Italian SMEs across different economic sectors including construction, food, automotive, retail, personal and household goods, industrial goods and services, electronics, media and technology. In particular, GRI 301 is used for the disclosure about Recycling, Reuse, Reverse logistics, Industrial Symbiosis, Eco-Design, Product as a Service and Refurbishing/Reconditioning/Remanufacturing. GRI 302 is suited to disclose CE strategies about Eco-Design, Renewable Energy and Industrial Symbiosis. GRI 303 can be useful to disclose about Reuse and Industrial Symbiosis. GRI 305 is appropriate for Eco-Design, Renewable Energy, Product as a Service, Industrial Symbiosis and Recycling. Finally, GRI 306 is useful to communicate the CE strategies of Recycling, Reuse, Reverse Logistics, Eco-Design, Industrial Symbiosis, Maintenance/Repair, Refurbishing/Reconditioning/Remanufacturing.

The paper includes implications concerning how to report the implementation of a wide range of CE practices, mainly using GRI 301, 302, 303, 305 and 306. These implications are mainly addressed to SMEs in different economic sectors.

The use of the proposed framework, by improving the transparency and communication of the CE strategies used by companies, may contribute to accelerate the consumer awareness on CE practices fostering the CE transition, especially of SMEs, with a positive effect on society and environment.

This study extends the literature on CE by developing one among the few standardized approaches using the GRI Standards for the disclosure of CE strategies, a topic mainly investigated in the literature with reference to large companies in a few industries. The framework is also useful to explore the implementation of CE strategies across SMEs in different industrial sectors.

The concept of robustness in manufacturing is not easy to capture and even harder to quantify. This paper elaborates an approach to assess robustness in production systems from a holistic input-throughput-output perspective using a pragmatic robustness indicator.

First, in order to have a precise understanding of what needs to be measured, a concept of robustness in production systems is defined based on a literature overview. Three different aspects are considered to be essential to comprehensively describe robustness in production: the deviations of input resources, of performance and of output. These aspects are translated into an aggregated indicator based on developments of production costs, order delays and output volumes. The indicator-based assessment approach is eventually applied to a flow-shop scheduling case study in the chipboard industry.

The study shows that an assessment of robustness should not solely focus on a single aspect of a production system. Instead, a holistic view is required addressing the tradeoffs that robustness must balance, such as the one between the realized performance, the corresponding resource requirements and the resulting output. Furthermore, the study emphasizes that robustness can be interpreted as a superior system capability that builds upon flexibility, agility, resilience and resistance.

First, the paper is a call to further test and validate the proposed approach in industry case studies. Second, the paper suggests a modified understanding of robustness in production systems in which not only the deviation of one single variable is of interest but also the behavior of the whole system.

The approach allows practitioners to pragmatically evaluate a production system’s robustness level while quickly identifying drivers, barriers and tradeoffs.

Compared to existing assessment approaches the proposed methodology is one of the first that evaluates robustness in production systems from a holistic input-throughput-output perspective highlighting the different tradeoffs that have to be balanced. It is based upon a comprehensive concept of robustness which also links robustness to adjacent capabilities that were otherwise only treated separately.

The main aims are underlining the role of functional foods (FFs) for population wellbeing, investigating the reasons in the self-consciousness of the different countries' populations and exploring what influences in purchasing decisions to address the management of food-producing businesses. This information will make consumer management easier.

A two-step methodology was adopted: (1) literature review and (2) online interview. The principal component analysis (PCA) was used to facilitate and reduce the data complexity. Software Stata/SE was used for data analysis in both Italy and Georgia.

Customers' attitudes, awareness level and decision-making process are clarified through the comparative analysis between Italian and Georgian populations. They have a number of reasons that incentivize their behavior. These reasons may be used by food-producing businesses to evaluate their performance and develop ad hoc strategies for consumer management.

The key elements that determine the FF and motivate the consumer to buy can constitute a foundation for actions related to the development and management of food-producing businesses. Knowing the factors that consumers consider in the process of choosing FFs will help define the strategies that businesses should use for product improvement, better managing the consumer. This study can support the development of education, prevention and promotion of managerial improvements. The innovative mixed methodology applied to the topic is one of the original factors of the study.