Immense concern for sustainability and increasing stakeholders’ involvement has sparked tremendous interest towards designing optimal supply chain networks with significant economic, environmental, ...and social influence. Central to the idea, this study aims to design a closed loop supply chain (CLSC) network for an Indian laptop manufacturer. The network configuration, which involves a manufacturer, suppliers, third party logistics providers (forward and reverse), retailers, customers and a non-government organisation (NGO), is modelled as a mixed integer linear programming problem with fuzzy goals of minimising environmental impact and maximising net profit and social impact, subject to fuzzy demand and capacity constraints. Profit is generated from the sale of primary and secondary laptops, earned tax credits, and revenue sharing with reverse logistics providers. The environmental implications are investigated by measuring the carbon emitted due to activities of manufacturing, assembling, dismantling, fabrication, and transportation. The social dimension is quantified in terms of the number of jobs created, training hours, community service hours, and donations to NGO. The novelty of the model rests on its quantification of the three triple bottom line (TBL) indicators and on its use of AHP–TOPSIS for modelling the multi-criteria perspectives of the stakeholders. Numerical weights for the triple lines of sustainability are utilized. Further, a fuzzy multi-objective programming approach that integrates fuzzy set theory with goal programming techniques is utilised to yield properly efficient solutions to the multi-objective problem and to provide a trade-off set for conflicting objectives. The significance of the CLSC model is empirically established as a decision support tool for improving the TBL performance of a particular Indian laptop manufacturer. Practical and theoretical implications are derived from the result analysis, and a generalised quantitative closed-loop model can be effectively adapted by other electronic manufacturers to increase their competitiveness, profitability, and to improve their TBL.
When business practices shift from a traditional open supply chain to a closed loop instead, the environmental and societal issues are efficiently integrated in business development. However, even an ...efficiently integrated shift introduces a number of trade-offs due to the contradictory goals that emerge from that business's economical, environmental and social dimensions. In this paper, we propose a multi-objective mixed integer mathematical problem for a generic closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) network to rationalise how a system's product recovery helps to improve manufacturing sustainability. The CLSC network proposed in this study consists of a hybrid manufacturing facility, warehouse, distribution centres, collection centres and a hybrid recovery facility (HRF). The proposed model determines the best location for the HRF and optimal flow of products, recovered parts and material in the network while it simultaneously maximises profit, saves activity costs, helps to decrease the harmful effects of the manufacturing process and makes a positive impact on societal development. To validate the model, a numerical illustration with the help of a case study from an electrical manufacturing industry is offered. The results authenticate the approach of the model towards the fulfilment of various environmental regulations. A sensitivity analysis, completed on demand, and the return rate also assists decision-makers to manage their decisions with a broader insight towards manufacturing sustainability.
Developments in investment casting process—A review Pattnaik, Sarojrani; Karunakar, D. Benny; Jha, P.K.
Journal of materials processing technology,
November 2012, 2012-11-00, 20121101, Volume:
212, Issue:
11
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Investment casting has been used to manufacture weapons, jewellery and art castings during the ancient civilization. Today, its applications include jewellery/art castings, turbine blades and many ...more industrial/scientific components. The present paper reviews various investigations made by researchers in different stages of investment casting and highlights their importance. The paper initially highlights the investigations made on pattern wax properties, effects of blending, additives and fillers. Different ways through which pattern properties (like surface finish, dimensional accuracy, etc.) could be enhanced by properly controlling the injection processing parameters are thoroughly discussed. The paper also looks into the investigations made to enhance the strength, surface finish, etc. of ceramic shell for ferrous alloys/non-ferrous alloys as well as superalloys in investment casting. Investigations made on incorporation of nylon fibers and polymer additions confirm that a ceramic shell reinforced with nylon fibers attains additional permeability compared to the one with polymer additions.
Different investigations carried out on autoclave dewaxing and microwave dewaxing conclude that the wax properties are less altered with microwave dewaxing when compared to an autoclave dewaxing. Some recent investigations carried out on pouring and post-treatment operations are also discussed in the paper. The advent and emergence of rapid prototyping in investment casting are broadly exposed in the subsequent sections of the paper. Various aspects of rapid prototyping like rapid investment casting, rapid freeze prototyping, etc., along with their advantages are projected. The emerging areas of applications of rapid prototyping like dentistry, etc., are duly discussed.
With growing competition in the market and dire need for sustainability, it has become imperative for companies to build long‐term relationship with their supply chain partners through sustainable ...collaboration. Among these, the supplier–manufacturer relationship is crucial for improved organizational, business and sustainable performance. Sustainable collaboration with suppliers involves crucial decision‐making processes such as continuous supplier monitoring and supplier development. Hence, a critical challenge that a company faces is to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) for assessing the performance of a supplier for sustainable collaboration. In this regard, this study focuses on identification of KPIs for an Indian home appliance company through exhaustive discussions involving multiple decision‐makers. Further, a grey‐based decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) model is proposed in the study for analysing the importance levels among the fifteen KPIs based on multiple stakeholder perspectives. The results of the grey structural model indicate seven KPIs as influencing KPIs and eight KPIs as influenced KPIs. The KPI ‘Information disclosure’ has been identified as the most influential KPI for the evaluation of suppliers for sustainable collaboration. The implications drawn from the result analysis model can provide meaningful insights to managers for identifying strategies towards strengthening the supplier–manufacturer relationship and achieving organizational and market competence.
The increasing pressure due to legislation and various public policies has prompted manufacturers to seriously take into consideration the impact of electronic waste. To overcome this challenge, ...several manufacturers have incorporated reverse logistics into their business lines. Due to a lack of resources and/or managerial expertise, several companies choose to outsource product recovery activities to third parties. The growing demand has given rise to the number of third party logistics providers, who are assigned the task of efficiently and cost effectively achieving product recovery. The work of the 3PRL’s commences with the collection of returned products from various companies to retrieve maximum value harvested in the form of reusable products, components and materials. Thus, a 3PRLP needs to establish a recovery process able to effectively retrieve value from various types of product. To deal with multiple types of products, the recovery network needs to work with a balanced disassembly line. Thus in this paper we proposes a cost effective reverse logistics network from the perspective of the third party, which integrates the disassembly line balancing in the planning recovery network. This study develops a mixed integer non-linear programming problem for the same. The model is validated using various products from the liquid crystal displays industry.
Product recovery, accompanied by cradle to cradle policies from the contemporary supply chain, becomes an essential element in meeting environmental compliance and waste management policies. ...Incorporation of reverse logistics into the traditional supply chains becomes a complementary factor for efficient product recovery. To begin with product recovery, consumers are encouraged to return their end-of-use/end-of-life products, and the steps of collecting and planning the movement of returned products are crucial decisions. The efficient planning of a cost effective recovery process in reverse logistics requires dealing with the uncertainty underlying in the quantity and quality of the returned products. In this paper, we propose establishing an initial collection point within a permissible radius of the customer zones to overcome some of the issues of uncertainty. The uncertainty in the quantity and quality of the returned products are modelled using fuzzy triangular numbers. To capture the real world conditions of the proposed problem, our model aims at maximizing the profit incurred in the recovery process in an uncertain environment. The model was solved with the help of fuzzy mathematical programming. The model is validated by a company case belonging to the manufacturing of electronic products. To increase the applicability of the product recovery process in the industry, we propose a recovery process for the planning horizon consisting of multi periods and multi products. The outcomes of the proposed model indicate that for the successful realisation of such network, customers need to be legally enforced to return their end of used products in the channels established for value recovery.
The Indian electronics industry is facing immense pressure to include sustainability practices in order to meet customer expectations, comply with legislation and create an edge over competitors. ...This growing need for inclusion of sustainability is driving original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to collaborate with third-party reverse logistics providers (3PRLPs) to sustainably manage returns. Collaboration with 3PRLP will put OEMs in a stronger position regarding compliance with government legislation, improving upon their corporate image and customer satisfaction. It is a win-win situation for the OEM. On the other hand, from the 3PRLP's point of view, it is important to know the capabilities of the OEMs before entering into a collaborative endeavour. Hence, it is firstly necessary to identify the most appropriate attributes of the manufacturer which are essential for a sustainable collaboration. In this context, the study proposes a novel framework for investigating the performance attributes of the OEMs from the economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability. Since the evaluation of each attribute for each dimension of sustainability differs in terms of the nature of the information needed and the time and resources required, it is necessary to conduct a pre-evaluation of the attributes using the Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) method. Furthermore, the shortlisted attributes for each sustainability dimension are evaluated and prioritized using the best worst method (BWM). The novelty of the attribute selection process lies in simultaneously considering the degree of importance of the attribute as well as the degree of difficulty of the collection of data required for the assessment of the OEM. The result of this study helps decision-makers and practitioners to comprehend the most influential attributes of OEMs which are crucial for collaboration, thus enhancing the overall sustainability impact of the supply chain. The managerial implications drawn from the resulting analysis provide the 3PRLP with a sustainable evaluation framework which can be ideally used for the selection of collaborative partners. The above model is validated using the case of an Indian 3PRLP company that handles electronic products.
•Proposed a novel framework for investigating OEM's performance attributes to achieve sustainability.•Evaluation and prioritization of the attributes are performed using the best-worst method.•The model is validated using the case of Indian 3PRLP company.
Due to rising concerns for environmental sustainability, the Indian electronic industry faces immense pressure to incorporate effective sustainable practices into the supply chain (SC) planning. ...Consequently, manufacturing enterprises (ME) are exploring the option of re-examining their SC strategies and taking a formalized approach towards a sustainable partnership with logistics providers. To begin with, it is imperative to associate with sustainable forward and reverse logistics providers to manage effectively the upward and downstream flows simultaneously. In this context, this paper proposes an integrated SC network for the evaluation and selection of forward distribution partners (FDP) and third party reverse logistic providers (3PRLP) from a sustainable perspective of an Indian electronic ME. The sustainable evaluation of the logistic partners is performed using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and the technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution. The integrated logistics network is modeled as a bi-objective mixed-integer programming problem with the objective of maximizing the profit of the manufacturer and maximizing the sustainable score of the selected forward and reverse logistics providers. The novelty of the study is its ranking of the FDPs and 3PRLPs on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability and the simultaneous integration of logistics outsourcing decisions for the forward and reverse flow of products. Goal programming approach is utilized to capture the trade-off between the conflicting objectives and to attain a satisfying solution to the bi-objective problem. The results indicate that integrating the strategic decisions of selection of logistics partners with the operational flow planning decisions can immensely improve the sustainable performance value of the SC network and secure reasonable profits. The managerial implications drawn from the result analysis provide a sustainable framework to the ME for enhancing its corporate image.
Mindfulness is defined as paying attention in the present moment. We investigate the hypothesis that mindfulness training may alter or enhance specific aspects of attention. We examined three ...functionally and neuroanatomically distinct but overlapping attentional subsystems: alerting, orienting, and conflict monitoring. Functioning of each subsystem was indexed by performance on the Attention Network Test. Two types of mindfulness training (MT) programs were examined, and behavioral testing was conducted on participants before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) training. One training group consisted of individuals naive to mindfulness techniques who participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course that emphasized the development of concentrative meditation skills. The other training group consisted of individuals experienced in concentrative meditation techniques who participated in a 1-month intensive mindfulness retreat. Performance of these groups was compared with that of control participants who were meditation naive and received no MT. At Time 1, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated improved conflict monitoring performance relative to those in the MBSR and control groups. At Time 2, the participants in the MBSR course demonstrated significantly improved orienting in comparison with the control and retreat participants. In contrast, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated altered performance on the alerting component, with improvements in exogenous stimulus detection in comparison with the control and MBSR participants. The groups did not differ in conflict monitoring performance at Time 2. These results suggest that mindfulness training may improve attention-related behavioral responses by enhancing functioning of specific subcomponents of attention. Whereas participation in the MBSR course improved the ability to endogenously orient attention, retreat participation appeared to allow for the development and emergence of receptive attentional skills, which improved exogenous alerting-related process.
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