The subject of this paper is pharmaceutical companies and the risk factors that occur in the distribution of drugs. The paper will present guidelines for the risk management of changes in the ...environment of pharmaceutical distribution channels. To identify, analyse, and prioritise risks, we used a systematic literature review and the Delphi method. Identification and assessment of important risk factors in drug distribution channels were conducted based on opinions of experts from 10 international pharmaceutical companies operating in Southeast Europe. The purpose of the research was to get opinions from experts about the impacts of the risk factors on the distribution of drugs, which was accomplished through interviews and questionnaires that were conducted. Our study demonstrated a total of 78 risk factors in the distribution channels of drugs and pharmaceutical services. The results of the research combined separate evaluations for risk factors in all categories for easier data analysis. After data were obtained, results were arranged to show which risk factors had the biggest influence upon the distribution of drugs and to determine the negative effects they can produce. The research of risks was done primarily to help the representatives of distribution channels gain better insight into drug distribution.
Even though Industry 4.0 is primarily focused on the implementation of advanced digital technologies, this is not the only aspect that should be considered. One of the aspects that calls for ...attention is the ability to create a sustainable and agile industrial environment. In this sense, the role of project management is crucial for achieving business excellence in a new industrial paradigm. The main goal of this paper was to determine the impact of different levels of project management maturity on business excellence in the context of Industry 4.0. The research in the paper was made using a sample of 124 organizations, differing in industry type and size, and recognized through the business excellence awards or recognitions given by European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). Using the Project Management Maturity Model (ProMMM), a significant connection was found between project management maturity and business excellence. Considering technology advances, these relationships were further examined in the context of Industry 4.0. Empirically based conclusions were drawn, which contribute to the literature on project management and business excellence in the context of Industry 4.0. Practitioners can implement them for more effective project management with the intention of bringing excellence into the organization’s operations and results. Additionally, they can be useful to help organizations better cope with changing technology trends.
This work deals with the effect of build orientation and of allowance for machining on DMLS‐produced Maraging Steel MS1. The experimental results, arranged by tools of Design of Experiment, have been ...statistically processed and compared. The outcomes were that, probably due to effect of the thermal treatment, machining, and material properties, the aforementioned factors do not have a significant impact on the fatigue response. This made it possible to work out a global curve that accounts for all the results, consisting in a high amount of data points. This can be regarded as one of the most complete and reliable fatigue models in the current literature. Fractographic and micrographic studies have been performed as well, to individuate the crack initiation points, usually located at subsurface porosities, and to investigate the location of internal inclusions and the actual martensitic microstructure along the stacking direction and on the build plane.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Dissecting a human cadaver is an irreplaceable practice in general training of medical students. Cadavers in anatomy laboratories are usually preserved in formalin, an embalming fluid whose basic ...component is formaldehyde (FA). The aim of this study is to assess the cancer risk of employees and students that are exposed to FA based on the results of three monitoring campaigns, as well as to suggest permanent solutions to the problem of FA exposure based on the results obtained. Three sampling campaigns of formaldehyde concentration in indoor environments were conducted at five different locations at the Anatomy Department of the Faculty of Medicine with the purpose of assessing permanent employees’ and medical faculty first year students’ exposure to FA. Indoor air was continuously sampled during 8 h of laboratory work and analyzed in accordance with the NIOSH Method 3500. Exceeding of the 8 h time-weighted average (8 h TWA) values recommended by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of 0.75 ppm was recorded in 37% of the samples during the three-month monitoring campaign. Cancer risk assessment levels for permanent employees were in the range from 6.43 × 10−3 to 8.77 × 10−4, while the cancer risk assessment levels for students ranged from 8.94 × 10−7 to 1.83 × 10−6. The results of the research show that cancer risk assessment for employees is several thousand times higher than the limit recommended by the EPA (10−6) and point to the importance of reducing exposure to formaldehyde through the reconstruction of the existing ventilation system, continual monitoring, the use of formaldehyde-free products, and plastination of anatomical specimens.
This study presents the case study on implementation of Lean Kanban manufacturing principles into the existing Agile software development methodology. The aim of this study was to introduce the ...adjusted Lean principles which were seen as adequate for enhancing project agility (flexibility and adaptability) and to test if these changes consequently result in improved project team performances. In order to investigate possible effects of Lean approach on improved project agility (flexibility and capacity to adapt to changes), data from interviews, daily team meetings and sprint retrospective were examined. Furthermore, team velocity, defects rates and rework rate data were used for comparison of current Agile methodology success and proposed Lean Agile method. Results show that by adding adequate Lean Kanban principles based on needs of project and team, development process was improved. Defect rate notable decreased while velocity increased, mostly caused by Lean practices enabling more realistic effort estimation and optimized work flow. Moreover, team reported that improved visual management tools facilitated communication and made it more transparent, enabling better and faster problem solving and task management. Keywords: Agility; Lean practices; Agile Project Management; Project Performance Improvement
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
In constantly changing market, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) highly rank importance of collaboration through the entire value network. Due to their size and to limitations they face, the ...problem of harmonization of their business processes with research and development is particularly emphasized, especially in terms of necessity of using both internal and external resources. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of value networks participants' collaboration to Open Innovation (OI). SMEs, especially the ones from the manufacturing sector, came to realize that rigid market demands and new technologies go beyond individual companies. Thus, innovation companies are forced to share ideas and resources with other participants in complex value networks where research, development and production are treated as open system. The paper presents authors' initial findings, which are the basis for further research planned for first-author's PhD dissertation. Keywords: open innovation, manufacturing, SMEs, collaboration, value network
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The goal of each company today is to improve business and increase profit through the reorganization and simplification of its processes, decrease of costs and resources utilization etc. Improving ...the business is usually implemented through different techniques and methodologies that have been developed. One of the ways to improve service processes, and health system processes also, is the implementation of the lean concept. This study shows benefits from using Lean tools value stream mapping (VSM) and simulations to simplify the laboratory work process. Using the VSM and simulation in department of clinical biochemistry authors showed significant improvement of the clinical processes such as eliminating non-value added times (NVAT) by minimum 30 working days/year, increasing number of laboratories analyses by approximately 80.000 analyses/year, eliminating unnecessary movement of 39,000 - 52,000 meters/year for samples and 78,000 - 104,000 meters/year for stuff and decreasing patient waiting times from average 70 to 20 min/patient.
Industry 4.0 and its innovative technologies (e.g., Internet of Things, Cyber-Physical Systems, Cloud Computing, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence) represent great promise. Still, companies ...experience hardship when transforming from reactive to predictive manufacturing systems. The latter, driven by data science development, use predictive models to detect and solve production and maintenance issues before they happen. To eliminate the need for large and varied datasets for development of predictive models, in the present research we propose development of real-time predictive models based on small dataset without faulty data. This is achieved by using Mahalanobis–Taguchi system for fault detection in lack of fault data samples, and by using Edge Computing environment which provides higher re-sponsiveness, better security and decreased costs. Subsequently, two predictive models are developed, tested and compared for the case company from process industry (i.e. the vinyl-floor industry sector). Finally, recommendations for the industry are provided.
Accidents in Facilities for Storing Hazardous Materials Tepic, Goran; Sremac, Sinisa; Moraca, Slobodan ...
Operational Research in Engineering Sciences: Theory and Applications,
08/2019, Volume:
2, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The vital elements of numerous industrial plants include the process equipment which, depending on the nature of the technological process, can be exposed to internal pressure in the general case of ...a variable size. The typical examples of process equipment are available at LPG stations (distribution centers), fuel tanks, gas boilers, combustion plants, etc. Practical experience and the analysis of the cause of accidents have shown that damage to process equipment is most often followed by the explosions of the tanks in which the flammable substances, such as LPG, petrol, diesel and jet fuel, oils, etc. are stored. The explosion of a tank cannot occur spontaneously, but only results from external factors. This means that the explosion of process equipment is preceded by the primary events whose harmful effects are manifested through the following phenomena: the weakening of the strength of a tank, an increase in pressure above the nominal value, or a combination of the two preceding cases.
The main objective of this research was to develop a procedure for assessing the performance of maintenance functions in organizations that are responsible for maintaining systems that require a high ...level of reliability; a procedure which, with minor changes, could be applicable in other organizations, as well. The process included consideration of factors that affect the success and performance of maintenance functions. The research was carried out in Aviation Maintenance Organizations in the region of South-eastern Europe.
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