Special Session on Industry 4.0

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"The Shift from Belt Conveyor Line to Work-cell Based Assembly Systems to Cope with Increasing Demand Variation and Fluctuation in The Japanese Electronics Industries"

As consumption patterns become increasingly sophisticated and manufacturers strive to improve their competitiveness, not only offering higher quality at competitive costs, but also by providing broader mix of products, and keeping it attractive by launching successively new products, the turbulence in the markets has intensified. This has impelled leading manufacturers to search the development of alternative production systems supposed to enable them operate more responsively. This paper discusses the trend of abandoning the strategy of relying on factory automation technologies and conveyor-based assembly lines, and shifting towards more human-centered production systems based on autonomous work-cells, observed in some industries in Japan (e.g. consumer electronics, computers, printers) since mid-1990s. The purpose of this study is to investigate this trend which is seemingly uneconomic to manufacturers established in a country where labor costs are among the highest in the world, so as to contribute in the elucidation of its background and rationality. This work starts with a theoretical review linking the need to cope with nowadays' market turbulence with the issue of nurturing more agile organizations. Then, a general view of the diffusion trend of work-cell based assembly systems in Japanese electronics industries is presented, and some empirical facts gathered in field studies conducted in Japan are discussed. It is worthy mentioning that the abandonment of short cycle-time tasks performed along conveyor lines and the organization of workforce around work-cells do not imply a rejection of the lean production paradigm and its distinctive process improvement approach. High man-hour productivity is realized as a key goal to justify the implementation of work-cells usually devised to run in longer cycle-time, and the moves towards this direction has been strikingly influenced by the kaizen philosophy and techniques that underline typical initiatives of lean production system implementation. Finally, it speculates that even though the subject trend is finding wide diffusion in the considered industries, it should not be regarded as a panacea. In industries such as manufacturing of autoparts, despite the notable product diversification observed in the automobile market, its circumstances have still allowed the firms to rely on capital-intensive process, and this has sustained the development of advanced manufacturing technologies that enable the agile implementation and re-configuration of highly automated assembly lines.

A Review on Effect of E-Hrm Practices on Msme Productivity

The influence of technology on human resource management has become a focal point of extensive research in recent times. This study seeks to delve into the extent of technology's impact on various facets of human resource management, including recruitment, training and development, performance evaluation, and employee engagement.The research further delves into how technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics have empowered organizations to streamline their HR operations, enhance their decision-making capabilities, and elevate employee satisfaction.The investigation also encompasses an examination of the potential challenges posed by technology in HR management, encompassing concerns about privacy, the displacement of jobs, and the imperative need for upskilling and reskilling the workforce. the research underscores that technology has wrought significant transformation in the realm of human resource management, offering a multitude of advantages like heightened efficiency, increased productivity, and improved employee engagement. Nevertheless, it equally underscores the vital need for responsible and ethical implementation of technology to avert adverse consequence

Bitemporal Support for Business Process Contingency Management

Modern organisations are increasingly moving from traditional monolithic business systems to environments where more and more tasks are outsourced to third party providers. Therefore, processes must operate in an open and dynamic environment in which the management of time plays a crucial role. Handling time, however, remains a challenging issue yet to be fully addressed. Traditional processing systems only consider business events in a single time dimension, but are unable to handle bitemporal events: events in two time dimensions. Recently, backend systems have started to provide increased support for handling bitemporal events, but these enhanced capabilities have not been carried through to business process management systems. In this paper, we consider the possible relationships that exist between bitemporal properties of events and we show how these relationships affect a business process. In addition, we demonstrate how bitemporal events can be handled to prevent certain undesired effects on the business process

Industrial training qualitative evaluation with fuzzy logic and an experience classification method

It is usual that companies must develop their own training processes, adaptable to their own production systems. In fact, the evaluation of the training process is a function of significant importance and must guarantee means for the identification of demands for corrective actions and for a procedure that ensures the continuous evolution of the process, therefore, that meets a dynamic of continuous improvement. The evaluation of a training process aims to provide information to support the decision making of the trainer, the process manager and other decision makers. This paper aims to propose a model of qualitative evaluation for industrial training based in fuzzy logic and a method of classification of training experiences. This training evaluation model considers the level of uncertainty that exists in qualitative responses (from trainees) and based on this, proposes a method for defining priorities for decision-making and carrying out improvement actions with the aim of evolving the training program. This action research was developed through a theoretical framework guided by the characterization of the context and the opportunity for improvement identified in this characterization, development of the model, and finally in the application of the model in an industrial training process.This work is supported by: European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER component, through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) [Project nº 39479; Funding Reference: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-39479

Navigating towards hyperautomation and the empowerment of human capital in family businesses: a perspective article

This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected] paper aims to explore the past and future impacts of automation on family businesses, with a focus on the opportunities for human capital empowerment. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws upon a contemporary literature search to examine a range of scholarly and practitioner perspectives of the challenges and benefits of automation, exploring the evolvement towards hyperautomation and the empowerment of human capital in family businesses. Findings Automation, transforming to hyperautomation, general purpose artificial intelligence (AI) and beyond has the possibility of radically improving productivity. Fear of job obsolescence has been present since the birth of modern automation, and whilst some jobs are at risk of redundancy, a net gain towards higher-skilled labour is already evident. Family business leaders must be prepared to react appropriately to the accelerating war for talent by implementing a strategy for human capital empowerment. Originality/value This unique paper synthesises developments in automation and proposes a future perspective centred upon the empowerment of human capital in family businesses

Solar Harbor: Nurturing Nature in Industrial Design

Warehouses are places where productivity and cost reduction meet to create highly profitable, efficient structures. At this intersection, however, there also lies a concrete box with little regard for the employees that toil within. These boxes, in addition to their disregard for human needs, interrupt nature in a massive way, destroying ecosystems for various lifeforms and leaving a large carbon footprint. These large, intrusive structures pose many problems regarding modern design, and contain outdated and unsustainable building practices that lead to many natural and societal problems. A thorough investigation of current warehouse design indicates all the afore-mentioned issues. This thesis strives to address some of these issues and provide solutions to problematic design practices. Specifically, this thesis focuses on a warehouse residing in the Fargo/Moorhead area, designing a warehouse that provides an update to the current structure, integrating natural lighting, sustainable design practices, and improvements on the building?s current program and layout

Digital Job Crafting in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Exploring the Phenomenon Through a Socio-Technical Lens

This paper offers a conceptual exploration into how Artificial Intelli- gence (AI) and Generative AI impact job crafting. Drawing from a comprehen- sive review of the existing literature, the analysis leverages established theoreti- cal frameworks on Digital Job Crafting. The study identified a range of organi- zational variables that influence how workers utilize AI and Generative AI tools in their work tasks. A conceptual model is proposed to describe job crafting prac- tices facilitated by AI