The circular economy impact on small to medium enterprises

In recent years, the literature surrounding the circular economy has grown. While the notion of reducing, recycling and reusing have become adopted practices in many organisations under the umbrella of sustainability, having a circular economy is arguably the next generation step, in terms of sustainability. A systematic literature review on the circular economy identified a gap in the research, regarding the impact at the micro level to be placed on small to medium enterprises. The research concludes that a paradigm shift in circular thinking at the micro level is required, and that further research is needed to identify new skills, resources, approaches, and business models to enable subject matter experts (SMEs) to adopt a circular practice.N/

Integrating Industry 4.0 and Total Productive Maintenance for Global Sustainability

The integration of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and industry 4.0 (I4.0) is an emerging model, and the global pressure of various stakeholders raises scepticism of any emerging model towards providing sustainability. Therefore, this research aims to identify and rank the potential significant drivers of an integrated model of I4.0 and TPM to guide manufacturing enterprises towards sustainability. This research follows a four-phase methodology including literature review and expert opinion to select the sustainability indicators and I4.0 integrated TPM key drivers, followed by employing the Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach for weight determination of sustainability indicators. The research then deploys the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to prioritise the I4.0 integrated TPM key drivers based on their effect on various sustainability indicators. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to check the robustness of the TOPSIS. The findings establish the top five most influential key drivers of an I4.0 integrated TPM system, which include Top management support, Formal I4.0 adoption program, Mid-management involvement and support, Solid TPM baseline knowledge, and High engagement of the production team. These top drives can lead manufacturing firms towards sustainability. The digitalisation of shop floor practices, such as TPM could be adapted by shop floor managers and policymakers of manufacturing companies to deliver sustainability-oriented outcomes. In addition, this research may aid decision-makers in the manufacturing sector in identifying the most important drivers of Industry 4.0 and TPM, which will assist them in more effectively implementing an integrated system of Industry 4.0 and TPM to practice sustainability. The scope of TPM applicability is wide, and the current research is limited to manufacturing companies. Therefore, there is a huge scope for developing and testing the integrated system of Industry 4.0 and TPM in other industrial settings, such as the textile, food and aerospace industries. This research makes a first-of-its-kind effort to examine how an I4.0 integrated TPM model affects manufacturing companies' sustainability and how such effects might be maximised

Supply Chain Resilience Strategies and their Impact on Sustainability: An Investigation from the Automobile Sector

This study proposes a framework comprising supply chain (SC) resilience strategies to handle low-frequency high impact (LFHI) disruptive events. It also evaluates the impact of SC resilience strategies’ implementation on the triple bottom line of SC sustainability. A hybrid three-phased method is proposed to meet the research objectives of the study. In the first phase, the study employs the Delphi technique to select SC resilience strategies and SC sustainability dimensions. In the second phase, the Best–Worst Method (BWM) is employed to assess the relative weights of resilience strategies. Finally, in the third stage, summative Likert scoring is used to understand the impact of SC resilience strategies on the SC sustainability triple bottom line (3BL).The outcomes reveal that firms give due importance to inter-organizational relationships and supplier nearness for supply continuity. In the sustainability context, the obtained scores proved that resilience strategies have the maximum impact on economic sustainability, followed by environmental sustainability. This is the first study that examines aspects of SC resilience strategies and quantifies their impact on the triple bottom line of SC sustainability. This study is specific to the automobile sector; sectoral diversity may expose similarities and dissimilarities in the approach. The outcome establishes that supplier–manufacturer relationships need to be strengthened further to tackle any future uncertainties. Besides, supplier location decisions may also be revisited. The strategies proposed will aid SC managers to make informed decisions to prepare for uncertain events. In the face of uncertain events, often SC’s trade-off sustainability in pursuit of resilience. It manifests that resilience is a prerequisite for SC sustainability. While planning SCs, organizations often choose either sustainability or resilience. Thus, this study acknowledges the need to develop effective SC resilience strategies that are in harmony with the sustainability agenda

A Continuous Improvement Implementation Framework for Manufacturing Companies: a Delphi Study-Based Approach for Development and Validation

Purpose – Due to the absence of industry and region-specific implementation guides, change efforts, in particular Continuous Improvement implementations, continue to report high failure rates. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to present a finalised implementation framework specifically tailored for manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework derived from the existing literature is validated, through a Delphi study, by an expert panel to review its content and suitability for a practical application. Findings – This paper proposes a finalised framework tailored to the practical needs of users. The results of the Delphi approach offer a phased implementation framework that provides an overview of the implementation process of Continuous Improvement initiatives and the key activities involved. The framework is suitable for use by both business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners with varying degrees of previous implementation experience. Research limitations/implications – The research was carried out in the UK and is specifically focused on the manufacturing industry. It is therefore not clear the applicability of the framework presented to other regions and industries. The framework, although validated through several phases of research, still requires practical application and testing. Originality/value – Business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners will benefit from having the necessary content presented in a manner that will promote its practical application. It has also been demonstrated that the framework is robust in its content, incorporating the literature findings as well as the experience of an expert panel encompassing 20 people

A review of lean and agile management in humanitarian supply chains: analysing the pre-disaster and post-disaster phases and future directions

Disasters have quadrupled over the last two decades leading to unprecedented loss of life. The objective of disaster-focussed humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) is to ensure saving maximum lives with limited resources; despite severe uncertainties. Therefore, significant research has investigated lean and agile in HSCs; to effectively source and speedily deploy resources, with minimum wastage; in each disaster life-cycle phase. However, the literature and research findings are currently highly disjointed regarding how lean and agile principles may be aligned with different HSC activities in the disaster management lifecycle; and do not provide a collective understanding for practitioners and researchers. This paper reviews and organises the literature on HSCs in relation to lean and agile paradigms, focussing on the pre-disaster (mitigation and preparedness) and post-disaster (response and recovery) phases. Findings reveal, all phases benefit from both lean and agile, with agile benefitting the response phase most. The phases are inter-dependent and identifying optimum decoupling points for lean and agile principles are crucial. Majority research has focussed on individual or a couple of phases. Therefore, authors recommend research on integrating the functions of the different phases by employing lean and agile principles, to generate rapid response, economies of scale and cost minimisation

Analysis of factors influencing Circular-Lean-Six Sigma 4.0 implementation considering sustainability implications: An exploratory study

In this study, we develop a new paradigm, Circular Lean Six Sigma 4.0 (CLSS4.0) to promote manufacturing sustainability. This paper aims to provide a practical and holistic view of the drivers and barriers that can help companies design an integrated CLSS4.0 model. The paper is based on a qualitative exploratory study using multiple case studies within 12 Moroccan manufacturing firms conducted through semi-structured interviews with top executive managers. The results show that the drivers are related to expected operational and environmental performance, increasing customer requirements, gaining competitive advantage and market growth while barriers are related to insufficient tangible (finance, human and equipment) and intangible (skills and techniques) resources, data privacy, technical issues and management support. The proposed framework identifies the assessment of drivers and barriers and their attributes as a starting point for managers to lead the CLSS4.0 transformation, thereby contributing to its successful implementation. To the best of our knowledge, this study is among the very first studies to discuss the CLSS4.0 drivers and barriers. It could be useful to managers as a diagnostic tool to assess their ability to implement CLSS4.0 before investing in the initiative

An Environmental-Based Perspective Framework: Integrating IoT Technology into a Sustainable Automotive Supply Chain

Purpose - Over the next decade, humanity is going to face big environmental problems, and considering these serious issues, businesses are adopting environmentally responsible practices. To put forward specific measures to achieve a more prosperous environmental future, this study aims to develop an environment-based perspective framework by integrating the Internet of Things (IoT) technology into a sustainable automotive supply chain (SASC). Design/methodology/approach - The study presents a conceptual environmental framework - based on 29 factors constituting four stakeholders’ rectifications - that holistically assess the SASC operations as part of the ReSOLVE model utilizing IoT. Then, experts from the SASC, IoT, and sustainability areas participated in two rigorous rounds of a Delphi study to validate the framework. Findings – The results indicate that the conceptual environmental framework proposed would help companies enhance the connectivity between major IoT tools in SASC, which would help develop congruent strategies for inducing sustainable growth. Originality/value - This study adds value to existing knowledge on SASC sustainability and digitalization in the context where the SASC is under enormous pressure, competitiveness, and increased variability

A Six Sigma and DMAIC application for the reduction of defects in a rubber gloves manufacturing process

Purpose: In this era of globalisation, as competition intensifies, providing quality products and services has become a competitive advantage and a need to ensure survival. The Six Sigma's problem-solving methodology DMAIC has been one of the several techniques used by organisations to improve the quality of their products and services. This paper aims to demonstrate the empirical application of Six Sigma and DMAIC to reduce product defects within a rubber gloves manufacturing organisation. Design/methodology/approach: The paper follows the DMAIC methodology to systematically investigate the root cause of defects and provide a solution to reduce/eliminate them. In particular, the design of experiments, hypothesis testing and two-way analysis of variance techniques were combined to statistically determine whether two key process variables, oven's temperature and conveyor's speed, had an impact on the number of defects produced, as well as to define their optimum values needed to reduce/eliminate the defects. Findings: The analysis from employing Six Sigma and DMAIC indicated that the oven's temperature and conveyor's speed influenced the amount of defective gloves produced. After optimising these two process variables, a reduction of about 50 per cent in the “leaking” gloves defect was achieved, which helped the organisation studied to reduce its defects per million opportunities from 195,095 to 83,750 and thus improve its sigma level from 2.4 to 2.9. Practical implications: This paper can be used as a guiding reference for managers and engineers to undertake specific process improvement projects, in their organisations, similar to the one presented in this paper. Originality/value: This study presents an industrial case which demonstrates how the application of Six Sigma and DMAIC can help manufacturing organisations to achieve quality improvements in their processes and thus contribute to their search for process excellence

Industry 4.0 and Lean Six Sigma Integration in Manufacturing: A Literature Review, an Integrated Framework and Proposed Research Perspectives

This paper explores the literature on lean management (LM), Six Sigma (SS), Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and their relationship. A systematic literature review (SLR) combined with bibliometric analysis was conducted to identify, select and evaluate articles and was supported by content analysis to classify papers into group discussed clusters. A total of 134 articles were retrieved from relevant databases and publisher engines between 2011 and June 2022. The analysis of these articles enabled us to identify the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on Lean Six Sigma; the relationship between LM, SS and Industry 4.0 and the implications of their combination on operational excellence. The results show that while a majority of researchers consider Industry 4.0 to be a driver of LSS and a prerequisite for helping companies access the data and analytics needed, others find them to be complementary and synergistic. Similarly, various authors support the idea that LSS could be a facilitator of Industry 4.0. This study provides an overview of the main research streams in this field and its shortcomings and presents an LSS4.0 framework integrating lean six sigma and Industry 4 which will be of great value to academics and practitioners working in this area

Investigating Potential Interventions on disruptive impacts of Industry 4.0 technologies in Circular Supply chains: Evidence from SMEs of an Emerging Economy

As a transversal theme, the intertwining of digitalization and sustainability has crossed all Supply Chains (SCs) levels dealing with widespread environmental and societal concerns. This paper investigates the potential interventions and disruptive impacts that Industry 4.0 technologies may have on pharmaceutical Circular SCs (CSCs). To accomplish this, a novel method involving a literature review and Pythagorean fuzzy-Delphi has initially been employed to identify and screen categorized lists of Industry 4.0 Disruptive Technologies (IDTs) and their impacts on pharmaceutical CSC. Subsequently, the weight of finalized impacts and the performance score of finalized IDTs have simultaneously been measured via a novel version of Pythagorean fuzzy SECA (Simultaneously Evaluation of Criteria and Alternatives). Then, the priority of each intervention for disruptive impacts of Industry 4.0 has been determined via the Hanlon method. This is one of the first papers to provide in-depth insights into advancing the study of the disruptive action of Industry 4.0 technologies cross-fertilizing CE throughout pharmaceutical SCs in the emerging economy of Iran. The results indicate that digital technologies such as Big Data Analytics, Global Positioning Systems, Enterprise Resource Planning, and Digital Platforms are quite available in the Irans' pharmaceutical industry. These technologies, along with four available interventions, e.g., environmental regulations, subsidy, fine, and reward, would facilitate moving towards a lean, agile, resilient, and sustainable supply chain through the efficient utilization of resources, optimized waste management, and substituting the human workforce by machines