Modelling and Simulation of Inventory Replenishment Policies and Comparison of Target Days Vs Actual Days of Inventory Held

Supply chain managers often apply aggregate planning techniques to develop make or buy decisions or even make for stock versus make to order scenarios for example. These scenarios often contain combinations of inventory holding vs capacity installed. Many supply chain managers have used ‘what-if’ decisions to develop supply chain scenarios to help them determine optimum results in terms of low cost and improved customer service. This study aims to create eight scenarios of varying inventory replenishment policies for one fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) organisation. The aim is to provide the supply chain manager with alternative options for lower inventory and yet be able to service the FMCG businesses at lowest cost. The results show that this allows supply chain managers to pick the scenario that optimises an organisation’s resources and competitive strategy

Barriers to practice of non-hazardous solid waste minimization by industries in Malaysia

The practice of waste minimization plays a significant role in sustainable development as the most acceptable method in the waste management hierarchy. This paper is a case study research on industrial non-hazardous wastes generated from different industrial activities in one of the major Malaysian industrial areas. This study is aimed at identifying the barriers of waste minimization practices in Malaysian industries. The combination of quantitative and qualitative methods were applied in the study through the use of a structured questionnaire prepared on Likert scale and semi-structured interviews with respondents across thirty (30) factories. Data collected through the questionnaire was analyzed using software and severity index tool. Findings reveal the barriers faced in practicing waste minimization by industries include the lack of time for separation of waste, absence of guidelines, regulations and limited accurate knowledge with severity index range of 62.5<=SI< 87.5, which were considered to be serious issues. Through the application of suitable educational and awareness programs for industrial stakeholders, an effective waste minimization practice can be achieved

Waste minimization benefits and obstacle for solid industrial waste in Malaysia

Moving toward a sustainable industrial activity requires an effective waste management that is applicable and efficient for all different types of industrial wastes .Waste minimization as the most acceptable option in waste management hierarchy, has a significant contribution in minimizing the solid wastes generated by manufacturing industries. The absence of appropriate policy, lack of awareness and information ,inadequate guidelines , limited time , lack of cooperation and application of old technologies such as end of pipe approaches are the common obstructive factors towards practicing efficient waste minimization by industries. The study was conducted to review and analyze the practical waste minimization methodologies and its characteristics based on the industrial activities. In addition the obstacles which hold up industries from practicing waste minimization efficiently were determined. Thus this study suggest the effective practices for improving waste minimization which suitable for manufacturing industries in Malaysia

Exploring the relationship among issues on awareness in practicing waste minimization (Malaysia)

This study is carried out to identify the level of awareness associated with waste minimization practices and industrial solid waste. It focuses on the issues of ‘lack of awareness and information’ as preventive factors in waste minimization practices by industries in Malaysia. About 30 industries were randomly sampled from the industrial area using a structured questionnaire, and employs severity index and correlation analysis for data analysis. The correlation analysis is used to identify the relationship between issues in this research. Results revealed that the lack of accurate or sufficient knowledge of waste minimization practices is a serious barrier in waste minimization practices among the industries given the severity index value of 64 %. However, the results also show a statistical significant relationship on the lack of accurate or sufficient knowledge and untrained personnel (r = 0.75, p < 0.01), absence of experts (r = 0.66, p < 0.01) and limited technical information (r = 0.61, p < 0.01)

Assessing the effectiveness of waste minimization methods in solid waste reduction at the source by manufacturing firms in Malaysia

Manufacturing industries in Malaysia play a fundamental role in economic growth and enhancing the population’s standard of living. However, a huge quantity of industrial wastes is generated daily, exacerbating landfill disposal issues. Waste minimization as the most sustainable approach of waste handling contributes to a significant reduction of waste. In Malaysia, practicing waste minimization by manufacturing firms is not very common. Thus, this study attempted to determine the most commonly practiced methods of minimization by manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Also, the effectiveness of each method in waste reduction was explored. Data were collected through survey and analyzed through the quantitative and qualitative approaches from 214 manufacturing firms that cover small, medium, and large sizes with a 67.5% response rate. The questionnaire was developed based on the review of literature and is validated by a panel of experts. Paired sample T-test was used to compare the solid waste generation one year before and one year after practicing methods. Spearman Rho Correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used to explore the relationships of methods and their significant contribution in waste reduction. Findings revealed that waste generation was significantly different after practicing waste minimization methods (p<0.05). With respect to the methods correlation and effectiveness in waste reduction, all waste minimization methods have a significant and positive correlation with waste reduction (p<0.05). Methods include segregation of wastes, on-site reuse and recycle, improved housekeeping, and equipment modification – all of which were found to be effective in waste reduction for Malaysian manufacturing firms (p<0.05)

Municipal solid waste management : towards the realization of sustainable management in the context of Sri Lanka's Kandy municipal council

Over the past decade, generation of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) in Sri Lanka has increased due to rapid economic growth, industrial and urban development. Thus, the management of MSW in Sri Lanka can be considered relatively poor and inadequate. This study conducted, among residents and workplaces in the Kandy municipal council area. It proposes to study the knowledge, perception, and concern of the respondents. The questionnaires were distributed among 340 respondents. The findings of this study show that only 56.5% of respondents’ have proper knowledge of solid waste management practices. Basically, in at the same time, the results had been showed lack of perception and concern as percentage 59.8% and 60% among considered respondents. The results revealed that there is a lack of knowledge, perception, and concern of respondents towards municipal solid waste management. The study further provides potentials of MSW management system for sustainable environmental development in KMC

Determination and comparison of solutions importance and approaches contribute to waste minimization among manufacturing firms in Shah Alam, Malaysia

Waste minimization plays an important role in sustainable industrial waste management. It is the most effective method in controlling waste arising. There are some common factors contribute in effective practicing of waste minimization in both developing and developed countries. This study examines and compares the most important solutions and approaches in enhancement of practicing waste minimization among 214 manufacturing industries in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Quantitative data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. It was revealed that improvement in internal monitoring system has the higher effectiveness in practicing waste minimization among other factors (SI=67.40%). Also respondent‘s perception toward approaches regarding awareness, encouragement and cooperation were found significantly higher than other approaches (p<0.05). The findings of this study highlight the necessity of training programs and technology modification as well as improvement in monitoring systems

A fuzzy analytic hierarchy approach for ranking and prioritizing sustainability criteria and indicators of ecotourism management

Ecotourism is an approach that should be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. For this reason, monitoring and evaluating the ecotourism destination is very important. A good practice is using an indicator system for planning and applying ecotourism models that emphasis on the sustainability approach. Ranking and prioritising of sustainability criteria and indicators facilitates evaluating the situation of the destination by managers. The purpose of this study was to prioritizing and ranking the sustainability criteria and indicators for monitoring and assessment of ecotourism management in Penang National Park, Malaysia. A Fuzzy Analytic hierarchical process (FAHP) was used for prioritizing 9 criteria and 21 indicators from four dimensions of 'ecological', 'social', 'economic' and 'institutional' which obtained from a modified Delphi survey