Enhancing the Quality of Products and Projects through Better Designs and Modeling

Product quality improvement is one of the principal reasons to be more competitive in the global market. The essential methods widely employed to enhance product quality include discovering better designs and modelling. Moreover, creating alternative designs and stimulating innovation can be seen as important steps toward sustainable product and project development (Berawi, 2006; Berawi, 2015). To acquire better alternative designs, three basic common steps can be considered. The first step is to identify the needs of the project/product, particularly the functional requirements and design specifications. These parameters are combined and amended to determine the added value of the end results. The second step is to optimize the designs or project/product performances to obtain efficiency, safety, and sustainability, which can be done using simple- to advance-modelling and by simulating the design and process parameters throughout several iterations. The last step is to determine a rational method that should be well defined and formulated to improve the process and end result. The selection of appropriate methods will lead to the accuracy of choosing optimum design requirements, parameters, and measurement procedures. At the end result, the use of better designs and modelling will significantly contribute to the quality enhancement of designated products and projects. Furthermore, technological developments may contribute to accelerating product manufacturing in various fields of projects. To support this additional so-called catalyst, technology development processes and improvements can be generated by identifying key attributes, as well as by creating insightful and comprehensive approaches. In addition, interventions in terms of added value in technology development processes can play an important role in technology contributions and outcome

Research in Thermofluid and Materials for Better Industrial Products

Interdisciplinary linkage in research is needed to develop better solutions that will meet the needs of industries for greater efficiency and environment-friendly standards. Research and innovation in the fields of thermofluid and materials science and engineering, as an interdisciplinary research field, need to be continuously encouraged so that the growing needs of industries, such as thermal storage, power generation, drag reduction, safety, manufacture, and industrial management, are met. More precise prediction methods and innovations in design and manufacturing processes continue to be undertaken by some researchers, as presented in this edition of the International Journal of Technology (IJTech). From these studies, we can see that the optimization of a product or system is determined by its mechanical parameters, material properties, and process management. At the close of this year, we are very pleased to present a special edition of IJTech. This special edition is a series containing some of the best papers we selected from the 15th International Conference on Quality in Research (QiR) 2017, a two-year event organized by the Faculty of Engineering of Universitas Indonesia. We present 21 papers in the research areas of mechanical, material, and industrial engineering. This edition will cover studies in the fields of energy conversion and conservation, materials, and manufacture

Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable World

In recent decades, the effects of globalization have created an extremely competitive atmosphere in all aspects of society. However, this flourishing competition must consider the harmony and balance between human needs and the environment to create a sustainable future. In this context, science and technology play important roles in enhancing the quality of researches and projects. Furthermore, innovative research combined with science and ecofriendly technology is essential for achieving sustainable development. However, sustainability and project development can be achieved through creating alternative designs and stimulating innovation. Furthermore, innovation in terms of adding value to technology development processes can play a significant role in technological contributions and outcomes.At the close of this year, it is our utmost pleasure to welcome you to a special edition of the International Journal of Technology (IJTech) that presents the best papers from the 15th International Conference on Quality in Research (QiR) 2017, which was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. The Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia organizes this biennial event, and this year it did so in collaboration with the Universitas Udayana and Politeknik Negeri Bali. QiR 2017 was held in conjunction with the International Conference on Saving Energy in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (ICSERA), the 6th International Conference on Advanced Logistics and Transport (ICALT), the 2nd International Symposium on Biomedical Engineering (ISBE), and the 3rd Biannual Meeting on Bioprocess Engineering. QiR 2017 received 977 submissions from 28 countries worldwide, and 600 participants from universities, research institutions, and industries attended the event. There were seven symposia in QiR 2017, and they included many research themes, such as current issues in engineering research based on lab works, architecture, community engagement, and industrial applications. From approximately 500 presented papers, 60 papers were selected and divided into the three books of this special edition.In this first book, we are pleased to present 21 papers dedicated to product/project design and technology development. The readers will find various discussions regarding designs and modeling being implemented to create more effective and improved technologies in various engineering contexts

Creating a Sustainable Future Through the Integration of Management, Design, and Technology

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the collection of global sustainability goals set by the United Nations General Assembly and they are widely drawn on and paid particular attention to by three main stakeholders (the triple helix): governments, industries, and higher education institutions (HEIs). Governments play a key role in achieving development goals and targets through, for instance, setting and implementing water quality policy frameworks and standards, regulating the discharge of pollutants into the environment, as well as managing wastewater, recycling, and reuse of water (UNDESA, 2015). The ninth goal of the SDGs (or Goal 9) points out that industry, as it develops, drives an increase of value addition and enhances the application of science, technology, and innovation; consequently, industries are challenged to invest in skills and education and thus to provide the resources necessary to meet broader, inclusive, and sustainable development objectives (UN, 2018). Many universities attempt to articulate the processes relationships embedded in the educational model, leading to the alignment of the HEI strategy with the SDGs (Fleac? et al., 2018). In summary, the main idea of integrating the triple helix is to enhance the production of research at universities that is based on the most critical demands or market needs, accelerated and supported by relevant industries, and ultimately implemented by governments as a favorable policy.In order to achieve sustainable development (environmental, social, and economic equity), three basic elements—management, design, and technology—are very important and play significant roles. Environmentally sound design (i.e., green building for sustainable building construction) is a must and is becoming a principle criterion for new building construction projects. Innovative and higher-level design is making critical improvements to components that are expected to function properly in order to contribute to high performance products (Berawi, 2014). On the other hand, the quality of products as output of design is increasingly dependent on highly innovative design and technology. Technology innovation plays a critical role in expediting a transition to a sustainable mode of development and it is becoming an important instrument used to increase the flow of new ideas and next-generation products (Berawi, 2015). The very success of the process of creating valuable products is greatly determined by how seriously management is taken or implemented. For example, good construction project performance can contribute to increasing the resource efficiency and reducing the impact on the environment during the construction lifecycle (Berawi et al., 2013). In this special edition of IJTech, we are pleased to present twenty selected papers from the fifth International Conference on Soft Science 2018 (ISSC, 2018) that focus on areas related to the field of “soft science” in management. The conference was organized by the Research and Innovation Management Centre (RIMC) of the Universiti Utara Malaysia and created for students, researchers, and professionals, such as media, to discuss and share research and ideas in order to strengthen field management in relation to “soft science”, thus contributing to the creation of a sustainable future for the community

Accelerating Sustainable Energy Development through Industry 4.0 Technologies

Utilizing Industry 4.0 technologies to create a sustainable energy industry enables a decentralized energy system in which energy can be effectively produced, managed, and controlled from local resources. Furthermore, the technologies also enable data capture and analysis to improve energy performance. As digital energy is being developed and increasingly decentralized, renewable energy is now a more attractive option for creating sustainable development. The technologies are capable of integrating different energy sources to respond to an increasingly demanding and distributed market by providing sustainable and efficient resources. The technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) are already being used in the energy sector to transform the business processes of the industry. Energy management systems based on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), big data, blockchain, and machine learning (ML), have been used to support industry players in analyzing the energy market, improving the supply–demand chain, real-time monitoring, and generating more options for using alternative sources of energy, such as storage devices, fuel cells, and intelligent energy performance. The optimization of the energy industry can be achieved through energy production and distribution efficiency by the digitization of manufacturing processes and service delivery. Optimized energy pricing and capital resources, predictive operation and maintenance plans, efficiency of energy usage, and further maximizing asset lifetime and usage are among the solutions produced from the technologies of Industry 4.0. These technologies are set to transform the energy industry to being more sustainable. This transformation has happened through the provision of integrated information in both planning and operational processes. Industry 4.0 technologies contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of energy product life-cycles and value chains, therefore impacting business strategies to produce better energy management systems.         Smart energy ecosystems that employ cyber-physical systems enhance all production and consumption energy chain processes. Smart applications in energy production and usage consumption processes can be used efficiently in managing and optimizing energy, such as by storing energy on demand or reducing consumption. Utilizing Industry 4.0 technologies to create a sustainable energy industry enables a decentralized energy system in which energy can be effectively produced, managed, and controlled from local resources. Furthermore, the technologies also enable data capture and analysis to improve energy performance. As digital energy is being developed and increasingly decentralized, renewable energy is now a more attractive option for creating sustainable development. The technologies are capable of integrating different energy sources to respond to an increasingly demanding and distributed market by providing sustainable and efficient resources

Framework Study on Single Assembly Line to Improve Productivity with Six Sigma and Line Balancing Approach

Six sigma is a framework that is used to identify inefficiency so that the cause of inefficiency will be known and right improvement to overcome cause of inefficiency can be conducted. This paper presents result of implementing six sigma to improve piston assembly line in Manufacturing Laboratory, Universitas Indonesia. Six sigma framework will be used to analyze the significant factor of inefficiency that needs to be improved which causes bottleneck in assembly line. After analysis based on six sigma framework conducted, line balancing method was chosen for improvement to overcome causative factor of inefficiency which is differences time between workstation that causes bottleneck in assembly line. Then after line balancing conducted in piston assembly line, the result is increase in efficiency. Efficiency is shown in the decreasing of Defects per Million Opportunities (DPMO) from 900,000 to 700,000, the increasing of level of labor productivity from 0.0041 to 0.00742, the decreasing of idle time from 121.3 seconds to 12.1 seconds, and the increasing of output, which is from 1 piston in 5 minutes become 3 pistons in 5 minutes