The conventional wood-based composites contain an unreacted free formaldehyde, which causes a cancerous effect on humans. To overcome this problem, citric-acid-modified corn and oil palm starches are ...proposed as ecobinders for wood-based composites in this study. Experimental rubber-wood panels were made using the ecobinders. The panels were subjected to FT-IR, TGA, DSC, and X-ray diffraction analyses, and then their modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, bond strength, water absorption, and thickness swelling were determined experimentally. The results obtained are shown in figures and tables.
Notwithstanding the research attention given to the implementation of lean practices, particularly in the developed countries, its adoption in the furniture industry in emerging economies is not ...promising and confined to a handful of studies only. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of contextual factors related to company size and ownership on the implementation of lean practices. In doing so, a methodological approach was implemented after a thorough review of the literature on the topic. A comparative review on the definitions of contextual factors disclosed varying descriptions as expressed by different researchers. The analyses showed that contextual factors do not have any impact on the implementation of lean practices. The findings revealed that the contextual factors are unsuitable as mediators since there is no evidence of their effects on lean practice implementation. This study is the first attempt at examining the influence of contextual factors on the implementation of lean practices in Malaysian furniture industries. The theoretical and practical contributions of this study offer a valuable insight into the potential lean implementation in the context.
According to modern management theory, the performance evaluation based entirely on objective indicators within an organization is not considered to be an effective tool. The research objective of ...this paper is to suggest a contemporary model for evaluation in the budgetary control process of the organization. The model is based on a modern evaluation approach and a complex toolkit of management science and mathematical theories of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic. In this model, subjective evaluations of the responsibility centres’ achievement and performance in budgetary control are generated by fuzzy techniques based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators. The model also allows for an immediate transformation of quantitative into qualitative evaluations and vice versa both in fuzzy and crisp types. The proposed model is an appropriate tool for the subjective performance evaluation of objective results from the organization’s budgetary control process under uncertainty. This model was tested in a Bulgarian enterprise for unique wood furniture manufacturing in July 2018 and was applied to five cost centres, with the results demonstrating its applicability. According to our study, the model provides a modern solution to a management problem that is unresolved in the scientific literature and is important to the budgetary management practice of organizations. We believe that the further improvement and implementation of the model will contribute to more effective management and thus to the enhancing competitiveness of the organization.
Inventory management systems and dynamic reliability measures and controls remain challenging at every stage, especially when time variances and operating conditions are considered. An inventory ...management system must maintain its adeptness over time while coping with the uncertainty of inventory flow. Unexpected delays during inventory movement can harm the reliability and robustness of the entire system. This paper introduces a method of quantifying the reliability of an inventory management system. Also, a novel, reliability-based robust design optimization model has been developed to optimally allocate and schedule time while considering uncertainty associated with inventory movement. The processes involved include purchasing, shipping, receiving, tracking, warehousing, storage, and turnover. A case study of a furniture company in Saudi Arabia is presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the model.
Furniture manufacturing in Malaysia is an established industry driven primarily by the availability of raw materials and labor. However, the industry suffers from the low-recovery rate of its ...materials, as it produces a substantial amount of waste during the manufacturing process. Although smaller waste fragments, or off-cuts, are recovered for other purposes, the splinters, shavings, and coarse dust have little economic value and are often discarded. Because wood is a well-established source of bioenergy, this study investigated the potential use of mill waste from the furniture-manufacturing industry for electrical energy generation. Waste from the rubberwood, bamboo, and rattan furniture industries was evaluated for its potential electrical energy generation, and the amount was compared with the electrical energy that was consumed by the furniture industry. The study also compared the emission of greenhouse gases from the combustion of these waste materials against fossil fuels used to generate electricity to assess its potential in terms of the environmental benefits. In conclusion, such mill waste could be utilized as substitute for fossil fuel to generate energy in the furniture industry.
O balanceamento de linha permite aumentar a eficiência de um processo produtivo. Apesar de recorrentemente pesquisada no exterior, a aplicação da heurística da utilização incremental para ...balanceamento de linha no Brasil foi apresentada em poucos estudos. Neste contexto, o objetivo desta pesquisa é, através de um estudo de caso, apresentar o resultado do balanceamento das atividades da linha de tratamento de superfície de uma indústria de mobiliário escolar e desportivo. Mediante a aplicação da heurística da utilização incremental para o balanceamento de linha, foi possível ampliar a capacidade produtiva do setor de serralheria. Comparou-se ainda a solução obtida pela heurística com a solução ótima obtida com programação linear. Concluiu-se que a aplicação da heurística de utilização incremental é eficaz para realizar o balanceamento de linha podendo ser mais bem explorada em aplicações no âmbito nacional.
This research seeks to improve the production process in the Korean furniture industry by reducing the amount of medium-density fibreboard, that is commonly used to produce furniture, in order to ...reduce production costs and formaldehyde emissions. This research selects a representative company from the Korean furniture industry to examine its optimal amount of medium-density fibreboard used, using the variables of a previous company; the sale levels, the Korea National Productivity Award Index, and technical efficiencies obtained from a previous study. By using its 2016 production level, we compare it with the amount of medium-density fibreboards actually used in 2016, and apply the results to the entire Korean furniture industry. In conclusion, the Korean furniture industry can minimize the amount of medium-density fibreboards used without reducing current production levels, and thereby save production costs, and contribute to substantially reducing formaldehyde emissions.
The measurement of the sustainability level can bring benefits to organizations, particularly in integrating traditional and sustainable management. Thus, the scope of this study is to structure a ...process to measure the sustainability level, specifically in micro- and small-sized enterprises that belong to the furniture industry, providing them the possibility to measure and monitor their sustainability level through indicators, subindices and a sustainability index. Currently, there is no system for measuring the level of sustainability and its integration in the management of furniture industries. Thus, the system proposed in this article can be considered unprecedented. This measurement system comprises the equations of measurement, standardization, weighting and aggregation of indicators in a sustainability index. The practical application was carried out in nine furniture industries. The results demonstrate that the indicators, subindices and index of sustainability are adequate to diagnose their sustainability level, revealing negligence with environmental aspects. Our conclusion is that the proposed method to measure the sustainability level of micro- and small-sized industries is consistent and reflects the reality of the furniture industry. Furthermore, its efficient use should consider a joint analysis of indicators and subindices. Finally, its integration with the management process of the industries enables a diagnosis, without additional information efforts, of the strengths and weaknesses of environmental, social and economic aspects.
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