Lean and green – a systematic review of the state of the art literature

The move towards greener operations and products has forced companies to seek alternatives to balance efficiency gains and environmental friendliness in their operations and products. The exploration of the sequential or simultaneous deployment of lean and green initiatives is the results of this balancing action. However, the lean-green topic is relatively new, and it lacks of a clear and structured research definition. Thus, this paper’s main contribution is the offering of a systematic review of the existing literature on lean and green, aimed at providing guidance on the topic, uncovering gaps and inconsistencies in the literature, and finding new paths for research. The paper identifies and structures, through a concept map, six main research streams that comprise both conceptual and empirical research conducted within the context of various organisational functions and industrial sectors. Important issues for future research are then suggested in the form of research questions. The paper’s aim is to also contribute by stimulating scholars to further study this area in depth, which will lead to a better understanding of the compatibility and impact on organisational performance of lean and green initiatives. It also holds important implications for industrialists, who can develop a deeper and richer knowledge on lean and green to help them formulate more effective strategies for their deployment

Assessing multi-version systems through fault Injection

Multi-version design (MVD) has been proposed as a method for increasing the dependability of critical systems beyond current levels. However, a major obstacle to large-scale commercial usage of this approach is the lack of quantitative characterizations available. Fault injection is used to help seek an answer this problem. Fault injection is a phrase covering a variety of testing techniques that can be applied to both hardware and software, all of which involve the deliberate insertion of faults into an operational system to determine its response. This approach has the potential for yielding highly useful metrics with regard to MVD systems, as well as giving developers a greater insight into the behaviour of each channel within the system, k this research, an automatic fault injection system for multi-version systems called FITMVS is developed. A multi-version system is then, tested using this system, and the results analysed. It is concluded that this approach can yield several extremely useful metrics, such as metrics related to channel sensitivity, channel sensitivity to common-mode error, program' scope sensitivity, program scope sensitivity to common-mode error, error frequency distribution and common-mode error frequency distribution. In addition to this, the analysis of the multi-version system tested indicates that the system has an extremely low probability of experiencing common-mode error, although several key points in channel code are identified as having higher sensitivity to faults than others

Active Learning “Factory of Boxes” in the Teaching-Learning Processes in Engineering and Entrepreneurship

“Factory of Boxes” is an Active Learning (AL) where concepts related to Industrial Engineering, Mechanics, Mechatronics, Electrotechnics and Entrepreneurial Management can be cultivated. The interconnection of these concepts offers the possibility of developing skills in the most diverse areas of knowledge. It is the use of AL, simulating the method of a factory which produces cardboard boxes in different layouts and production systems, namely: (a) Classic Taylorist-Fordist Model; (b) Positions’ Enrichment Volvo Model; (c) cell production Toyota Model; and (d) automated line Taylorist-Fordist Classic Model. Data collection was based on observation, counting and recording production in a simulated test at two Universities (UFPB – Brazil and UBI – Portugal) involving master students in Industrial Engineering. The data were analysed from the aspects of productivity and cycle-time. The results showed: (a) It is an economically viable AL since it uses low-cost materials (except for simulating with automated posts which requires some investment) and (b) the Classic Model has the highest cycle-time and the Toyota Model has higher productivity, although these results derive from simulations with a teaching-learning aim and cannot be generalized. With the involvement of students-apprentices, knowledge was absorbed through layout-sharing and analysis of work organisation models’ dynamics, involving activities using Engineering, Industrial Management and Entrepreneurship tools and concepts

Risk Management in Strategic Sourcing: An African Perspective

In this paper we survey existing literature from scholarly journals and practitioner literature published from 1980 to 2017 on the risks and mitigation factors of strategic sourcing in Africa and append the same with a detailed exemplar based on a large utility provider in South Africa.  The paper identifies the various supply chain risks facing organisations, contextualizing the same for Africa, and where applicable, the mitigation strategies thereof.  The preliminary finding was that there is generally an underrepresentation of Africa in supply chain management literature. Further, it was found that studies discussing supply chain risk and mitigation issues in Africa have focused mainly on challenges of sourcing in Africa.  A further observation was that literature provides some limited insights on how supply chain management tools such as total quality management, negotiation and supplier selection, and just-in time procurement may be implemented in African countries. However, the available literature manifests significant limitations in scope, both empirically and theoretically, when compared to the vast amount of contributions from emerging economies in Asia as well as developed economies. The study thus demonstrates that that there exists an untapped opportunity for future research in supply chain risk management in order to develop an integrated framework for risk management in strategic sourcing in Africa