Digital standardization of lean manufacturing tools according to Industry 4.0 concept

Standardization is a key element in the effective use of lean manufacturing methodologies and tools for achieving process sustainability. Their combination is conducive to eliminating waste and improving the efficiency of production processes and guarantees the company that employees use the most efficient tools and do not waste time on unnecessary activities. These activities can be further improved by using digital solutions, in accordance with the concept of Industry 4.0. Therefore, the authors have developed the e-Lean system, whose task is to digitize selected lean manufacturing tools. The subject of this work is analysis of the functionality and effectiveness of the essential part of the e-Lean system in the form of specialized TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) software as an application. During implementation in a construction production company, the TPM application was tested by lean manufacturing and maintenance specialists. The research consisted of assessing the functionality and efficiency of processes in relation to conventional TPM solutions. Additional functionalities of the e-Lean system have been confirmed, such as systemic approval of machinery inspection, which requires passing all necessary steps at individual inspection points, direct access for supervisors to the results of inspection activities and their status, direct and easy access to photographic documentation of machines added during inspection both in optimization of working time and its course (e.g., the optimal number of steps taken by the employee during the inspection), as well as an efficient system of motivating employees (collecting points). The improvement in the effectiveness of processes was determined by measuring the control times for three control points (polymerization furnace, packing area, and defibering machines). The average control time was reduced from 16,200 to 13,923 s. Thus, thanks to the use of the application, it was found that the efficiency of using the TPM tool was increased by approx. 15% compared to previously used non-digital solutions.The authors are grateful to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal) who partially financially supported this work through the RD Units Project Scope UIDP/04077/2020 and UIDB/04077/2020

Knowledge and information management

The paper describes selected issues related to knowledge management in a manufacturing company with a detailed analysis of the impact of optimal management using the MES system on financial and production results. The study presents an analysis of the company’s results before and after the implementation of the knowledge and information management system in a manufacturing company. Moreover, the paper presents an analysis of the company’s operations and defines a strategy for further activities aimed at increasing the financial and operational efficiency of the analysed production company

Effects of White and Brown Rot Decay on Changes of Wood Ultrastructure

Fungal decay results in gradual decomposition of compounds of wood cell walls. Mass loss of wood is usually applied to characterize the decay. However, mechanisms of brown and white rot decay are significantly different, resulting in different degradation of components of wood cell walls. Either type of wood decay should differentially influence wood ultrastructure. The traditionally applied descriptors of wood ultrastructure, i.e. crystallinity, the average spacing of the crystal planes and crystallite size, characterize the ultrastructure in an insufficient way. Crystallographic texture analysis was applied in the present study to characterize changes in wood ultrastructure as a result of brown and white rot decay. The Orientation Distribution Function (ODF) was separately determined for wood decayed by brown rot and white fungi and for several levels of mass loss. A series of crystallographic descriptors was derived from the obtained ODFs. The descriptors consisted of texture index, crystalline volume fraction, and skeleton lines of the ODF. The identified crystallographic orientations confirmed different mechanisms of wood decay for brown and white rot fungi. The observations were supported by different rates of changes of the texture index and evolution of crystalline volume fraction

New Crystallographic Relationships in Biogenic Aragonite: The Crossed-Lamellar Microstructures of Mollusks

Crossed-lamellar microstructures are the most common shell-forming biomaterials in mollusks. Because of their complex hierarchical 3D arrangement and small crystallite size, previous crystallographic studies are scarce and have centered on particular species with no comprehensive analysis available. To evaluate the crystallographic diversity of the crossed-lamellar microstructures, we have studied a large set of bivalve and gastropod species with crossed-lamellar layers using X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction. From the number, distribution, and relationships of maxima, we have classified pole figures into nine different recurring crystallographic patterns. According to their crystallographic equivalences, these patterns can be grouped into five groups. A first division is established according to whether there is one or two main orientations for the <i>c</i>-axis of aragonite. In the latter case, each orientation corresponds to one of the two sets of alternating first-order lamellae. The two main orientations of the <i>c</i>-axis diverge by rotation within the plane of the first-order lamellae around either a common <i>a</i>- or <i>b</i>-axis. We also show how some patterns may derive from others. Patterns with two <i>c</i>-axis orientations represent crystal relationships until now completely unknown in biogenic and abiogenic aragonite and are most likely produced by particular proteomic pools