Addressing the Issues of Maintenance Management in SMEs: Towards Sustainable and Lean Maintenance Approach

This paper outlines on the preliminary outcomes of pilot project aimed at exploring the issue related to managing of maintenance activity in the Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs have been accepted as vital components of domestic industry development in many countries. However, the literature portrays that many of Malaysian SMEs particularly the companies involved in manufacturing, fabrication and machining services are struggling to manage the maintenance of their manufacturing equipment. Dependable manufacturing equipment is important factor towards organizational profitability. Managing the maintenance activity of those manufacturing equipment nowadays, is becoming more challenging due to automation and computerization. Due to such issues, SMEs companies are under stiff pressure to minimize lost time for their survival. Thus, this study seeks to explore the related issues towards further improvements. Qualitative research methodology was adopted in the study. Data were collected at eight (8) SMEs located in three (3) different areas, namely southern, central and eastern region of peninsular Malaysia. Information was gathered from semi-structured interviews with SMEs management and observations focuses on different areas of maintenance management at the respective SMEs. The main concern is to validate the critical success factors (CSFs) in managing the maintenance activity at selected SMEs. This study discovered that nine (9) CSFs are having the most significant impact towards improving the maintenance management practice for SMEs. These include: understanding the MM philosophy; management commitment and leadership; maintenance strategy; maintenance planning; maintenance training; monitoring and assessment; appropriate number of maintenance staff; integration of tools, techniques and technology, and; record of maintenance data. All those CSFs construct are integrated in a simple yet self-explanatory MM Framework to convey the conceptual idea of MM implementation program to the management and technical people within SMEs. It is believed that the MM Framework developed would serve as an indicator of company’s MM focus level. Through the identification of the CSFs constructs, the SMEs can utilize the information to improve their approach in systematic MM program. The discovered CSFs are vital for all stakeholders that directly or indirectly involve in managing the maintenance activity in SMEs. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01283 Full Text: PD

Crushing behaviour of plain weave composite hexagonal cellular structure

The tradition of fibre composite materials in energy absorbing tube applications has gained interest in structural collisions in the composite materials industry. Thus, the subject of this work is the experimental investigation to understand the effects of the failure initiator at the specimen’s edge, causing the increase in the specific absorbed energy (SEA), as well as the influence of the cellular structure composed of cells with small hexagonal angle exhibited high energy absorption capability. An extensive experimental investigation of an in plane crashing behavior of the composite hexagonal cellular structure between platen has been carried out. The cellular structure composed of hexagonal cells with angles varying between 45 and 60°. The materials used to accomplish the study are the plain weave E-glass fabric as a reinforcement and the epoxy resin system as a matrix. Furthermore, the specific energy absorption increases as the hexagonal angle increases

Bariery i wyzwania stojące przed wdrożeniem energii odnawialnej w Libii: przegląd

Given the importance of renewable energy as it provides alternative energy sources over the traditional fossil fuel that is environmentally friendly, clean and renewable, this research aims to explore scholarly articles and books that present and investigate the challenges and barriers facing the implementation of renewable energy sources in Libya where the social, cultural, financial and awareness aspects are an important consideration against renewable energy. This study contains a review of all relevant, peer-reviewed, and published articles from journals, websites, books, conference proceedings and bulletins. An extensive literature review was carried out with the aim of researching renewable energy in Libya. This was done to take a realistic perspective of the community and the knowledge services accessible. The review of literature has shown that further renewables energy research remains necessary as the current conditions of the energy sector in Libya need to be examined to understand the challenges and difficulties to introduce renewable energy within competent authorities and businesses are examined in accordance with their managers. This indicates the need to conduct various studies in Libya to explore the various challenges, mostly financial and technological, that face the purposeful implementation of renewable energy resources in Libya. Additionally, the level of awareness and culture perception of the use of renewable energy is an important aspect to be considered as reported as barriers affecting the implementation of renewable energy in various parts of the world.Biorąc pod uwagę znaczenie energii odnawialnej, zapewniającej alternatywną energię w stosunku do tradycyjnych paliw kopalnych, która jest przyjazna dla środowiska, czysta i odnawialna, niniejsze badanie ma na celu przegląd artykułów naukowych i książek, które przedstawiają i badają wyzwania i bariery stojące przed wdrożeniem odnawialnych źródeł energii w Libii, gdzie aspekty społeczne, kulturowe, finansowe i świadomościowe są ważnymi czynnikami, które nie sprzyjają energii odnawialnej. Niniejszy artykuł obejmuje przegląd wszystkich istotnych, recenzowanych i opublikowanych artykułów z czasopism, stron internetowych, książek, materiałów konferencyjnych i biuletynów. Obszerny przegląd literaturowy ma na celu zbadanie statusu energii odnawialnej w Libii. Takie spojrzenie pozwala uzyskać realistyczny pogląd na ocenę zagadnienia przez społeczeństwo oraz na dostępne w tym zakresie usługi. Wykazano, że niezbędne są dalsze badania w zakresie energii odnawialnej. Aby zrozumieć wyzwania i trudności we wdrażaniu odnawialnych źródeł energii, jakie stoją przed właściwymi organami, przedsiębiorstwami i ich kierownictwem, trzeba szerzej zapoznać się z warunkami funkcjonowania sektora energetycznego w Libii. Wskazuje to na potrzebę przeprowadzenia różnych analiz w celu zbadania wyzwań, głównie finansowych i technologicznych, utrudniających wdrażanie użytkowania energii odnawialnej w Libii. Ponadto, poziom świadomości i kulturowego postrzegania wykorzystania energii odnawialnej są ważnymi uwarunkowaniami, które należy uznać za bariery mające wpływ na wdrażanie energii odnawialnej w różnych częściach świata także w Libii