The understanding and the implementation of Industry 4.0: An exploratory Study of a Brazilian metal-mechanic SME

Constant changes are reflecting in all areas and segments of the industry. Innovation and technology are key basis for such transformations. The present work addresses the metal-mechanic “SME’s 4.0” challenges and opportunities and study a case of the industry established in the northwest region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The paper introduces the main concepts, models and pillars of the Industry 4.0, which provided its theoretical background. The research methodological strategy is a case study, since the research clues focus on one specific SME facing the Industry 4.0 reality. The descriptive and qualitative research includes interviews with seven managers of the SME, combined with direct observation and organizational documents. Data were categorized and analyzed using the content analysis technique. The main findings show that the concept of Industry 4.0 is clearly understood within the SME, but it is possible to find that the implementation is still in progress, through the use of the internet of things, robotization and simulation. Challenges that relate to such implementation necessitate a cultural change and an agile adaptation to recurrent innovations, to remain competitive. The opportunities, planning, process innovation and technological updating stand out as the main factors of adaptation. The research shows a need for the upper management to propose a discussion on such topic, in line with the organisation’s strategic platform.Mudanças constantes estão refletindo em todas as áreas e segmentos da indústria. Inovação e tecnologia são a base fundamental para essas transformações. O presente trabalho aborda os desafios e oportunidades metalmecânico “PMEs 4.0” e estuda um caso da indústria estabelecida na região noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O artigo apresenta os principais conceitos, modelos e pilares da Indústria 4.0, que forneceram sua fundamentação teórica. A estratégia metodológica da pesquisa é um estudo de caso, uma vez que as pistas da pesquisa se concentram em uma PME específica diante da realidade da Indústria 4.0. A pesquisa descritiva e qualitativa inclui entrevistas com sete gerentes da SME, combinadas com observação direta e documentos organizacionais. Os dados foram categorizados e analisados pela técnica de análise de conteúdo. As principais conclusões mostram que o conceito da Indústria 4.0 é claramente entendido dentro das PME, mas é possível descobrir que a implementação ainda está em andamento, através do uso da Internet das Coisas, da robotização e da simulação. Os desafios relacionados a essa implementação exigem uma mudança cultural e uma adaptação ágil às inovações recorrentes, para permanecerem competitivos. As oportunidades, o planejamento, a inovação de processos e a atualização tecnológica destacam-se como os principais fatores de adaptação. A pesquisa mostra a necessidade de a alta gerência propor uma discussão sobre esse tópico, de acordo com a plataforma estratégica da organização

What is the value of entrepreneurial orientation on the network and performance? An examination in trade fairs context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the network and exhibitor’s performance. The entrepreneurial orientation is seen as a highly competitive factor for the company, which can foster its trade fair business. Design/methodology/approach – A survey-based quantitative approach was adopted, including a questionnaire (n 5 362) applied to companies participating in trade fairs. To arrive at results, the study developed structural equations modeling techniques, using SPSS 24 and AMOS 20 software. Findings – The study demonstrates positive impacts of entrepreneurial orientation on network capability and consequent exhibitor’s non-sales performance and exhibitor’s sales performance. A conceptual model is presented. Research limitations/implications – The study was carried out mainly on Portuguese companies, restricting its generalization. In addition, the exhibitor’s performance was measured based on the exhibitors’ level of satisfaction and not on real sales results. Practical implications – The study offers a process which the results highlight such as innovativeness, proactivity, risk-taking, competitiveness and autonomy (dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation) as a mix of important ingredients for the exhibitor’s networking. The networking promotes intangible results (non-sales performance) that can generate sales (sales performance). Originality/value – The study is the first research to apply entrepreneurial orientation in the trade fair context and it also presents a relationship between non-sales performance and sales performance

Small firms competitive strategy : an exploratory study of a sample of Brazilian companies.

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D170738 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Production Systems and Logistics (CPSL 2021)

Proceedings of the CPSL 202

イノベーションと生産性との関係に関する実証研究: ベトナムの製造業企業を事例に

早大学位記番号:新8206早稲田大

Antecedents of supply chain relationships between MNC's and SME's in agile environment.

In a constantly changing global competitive environment, an organisation’s supply chain relationship directly impacts its ability to produce, and deliver innovative products to their customers in a timely and cost effective manner. The emerging area of supply chain relationship has received considerable attention in the academic and managerial press, yet there are many unanswered questions regarding the dynamics of such relationships. While the beneficial impact of supply chain relationship is generally acknowledged, very little research exists to date addressing what constitute supply chain relationship success in agile environment. A number of such fundamental issues drive this research initiative, including what are the antecedents of supply chain relationships between multinational companies (MNCs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysian electrical and electronics industry. The study begins by establishing the definition of supply chain relationship, based on a comparison of both theoretical and managerial descriptions. The critical antecedents associated with the supply chain relationships were developed, and the magnitude of the effect of these constructs on relationships between MNCs and SMEs in agile environment is assessed. Three critical antecedents of supply chain relationships which are; partner’s characteristics capability, alliance management capability and process capability, were established from resource-based and extended resource-based theories. This study presents a framework of an organisation’s resources and capabilities as an important antecedent of supply chain relationships. Using extensive literature reviews and empirical data, measurement scales of partner’s characteristics capability, alliance management capability and process capability were developed to relate the supply chain relationships model. The model was then tested using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling and multigroup analysis. The analysis employs quantitative data, collected through drop-and-collect method to 300 MNCs and SMEs respectively, in order to avoid low response rate. Findings reveal that in Malaysian agile environment, partner’s characteristics capability, alliance management capability and process capability directly and positively impacted supply chain agility practices in the dyad. The results also support the view that supply chain agility practices are impacted by the synergy among the three antecedents of supply chain relationships. The following attributes of organisations were found to be significantly related to partnership success in agile environment: innovation capability, information technology capability, process flexibility proficiency, partner compatibility, resources complementarities, cooperation and conflict management. The implications of these results for theoretical and managerial decision making in developing mutually beneficial supply chain relationship in agile environment are discussed

Designing a conceptual framework to investigate the influences of sustainability on demand chain studying new product development in manufacturing sector

Industrialisation has resulted in global competition requiring businesses to enhance their products and services to survive. Besides, the global climate emergency and sustainability challenges are not issues to be taken lightly. Industrial activities can play a critical role in mitigating environmental impacts. Manufacturing corporations as well as their entire supply chain stakeholders are accountable for taking action and seeking innovative solutions towards sustainability. In this respect, consumers, as end-users of distribution networks, are no exception, especially in light of the emerging circular economy (CE) concept. Consumer empowerment has resulted in the emergence of a new demand chain management (DCM) system to replace the traditional supply chains. In this situation, there is uncertainty regarding the sustainable preferences of consumers and their willingness to pay premium prices. This is where the impact of sustainability on both new product development (NPD) and DCM becomes critical for further research. Several studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between DCM and NPD, as well as the influence of sustainability on both. However, the issue of how the three concepts interact has remained unsolved. This research initially conducts a systematic review of literature consisting of 75 resources to provide a profound review of previous academic efforts and examine the possible associations between the main three study concepts. A qualitative case study analysis of four manufacturing companies from various global locations provides the input data for this study. Through content analysis and categorisation of qualitative data into final themes, this study ultimately develops a conceptual research framework. The generated framework highlights the sustainability influences on DCM and NPD as promised by the main study aim. It comprises four stages, starting with preliminary planning for sustainability and its influence on demand-driven product development, which then continues with innovative manufacturing and environmental management. Some moderating variables within different stages modify the relationships between dependant and independent variables. The final dependent variable and the output of the framework is NPD success, brand image, reputation, and competitive advantage, which describe the key benefits of associating sustainability with DCM and NPD. This study used four qualitative case studies to shed some light on the implications of sustainability for demand-driven product development. However, to overcome the limited target population, future researchers may conduct surveys to obtain a larger statistical sample. Furthermore, a longitudinal study would be beneficial to ensure the long-term benefits of sustainability applications within DCM and NPD contexts

International Student Projects and Sustainable Development Goals: A Perfect Match

Engineering Education is currently going through a transformation, driven by the need for educating better engineers and more engineers, and largely build on elements such as problem orientation, interdisciplinarity, internationalization, digitalization and sustainability. In 2020, the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership EPIC (Improving Employability Through Internationalization and Collaboration) has combined all these elements, and demonstrated how international and interdisciplinary student projects, focusing on solving real-world problems related to sustainability, can be carried out in a setting where students mainly work together online. A total of 56 students from 7 EU and 2 international universities, with backgrounds ranging from Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering to Textile Technologies and Business Informatics were working on 9 different projects throughout the spring of 2020. The paper presents the experiences from the setup and discusses some general recommendations for setting up this type of projects. The paper goes through the stages of defining and carrying out the projects: Defining the overall framework, identifying problems/project proposals in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, identifying the students and assigning students to projects, preparing students and supervisors, organising the physical kick-off seminar, and supporting the online collaboration. We also discuss evaluation and hand-over of the solutions, to ensure the projects have a lasting impact. We conclude that the sustainable development goals provide a highly motivating framework for interdisciplinary, international student projects based on problem-based learning. We also note that a careful design and execution of the all the preparatory stages are crucial in order for the projects to succeed, and discuss specific recommendations for these.</p

PBL Student Projects and Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study

Working with the Sustainable Development Goals can be a highly motivating factor in Problem Based Learning, especially if the solutions produced can be used afterwards and have an actual impact on people and communities. This paper describes how three engineering students from Aalborg University, Denmark, collaborated with the South African Organisation Green Shoots on bringing IT-supported Math education out to some of the most disadvantaged learners from townships and rural areas of the Western Cape. The project provided the Danish students with a unique learning experience and have a lasting impact on the communities involved. While the content of the project focused on bringing IT-supported Math education to learners in previously disadvantaged areas around the Western Cape, the project also provided valuable insight into how such students’ projects, where the outcomes benefit people and communities suffering from socio-economic challenges e.g. poverty, can be carried out. In addition to demonstrate that such projects are actually possible, we studied three critical aspects: How to ensure a good fit between learning objectives and project outcome, how to ensure that the project creates value for the partner organisation and communities, and how to ensure that the projects can be conducted without overloading the university supervisors. We believe that student projects focusing on SDGs have a big potential in terms of providing highly motivating student projects yet at the same time contribute to a better world through solutions that are being used even afterwards. However, our study was just a single case with one group of three students. We hope it will serve as inspiration for larger studies, where more quantitative data could be gathered in terms of how to establish a good framework around such projects, and in order to demonstrate the value for students and societies