Benchmarking in supply chain management: a process to find a better way, rather than an attempt to reinvent the proverbial wheel

In searching for “best practices” in Supply Chain Management, the Asian Benchmarking Clearinghouse (ABC) of Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), jointly with Hong Kong Article Numbering Association (HKANA), conducted a consortium benchmarking study. Through systematic data collection and site visit processes, the consortium group gained critical insights into key issues, challenges and solutions. More importantly, the participated companies were able to identify their positions in the marketplace that were essential for goal setting and attaining superior performance. The Hong Kong Productivity Council shares a same benchmarking methodology with its global alliance partner, American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC). The approach was developed in 1993 and has been serving as one of the premier methods for successful benchmarking in the world

Synthesis and reactions of β-diketiminato heavy group 14 metal alkoxides and phosphanides

Some low-valent, three-coordinated β-diketiminato heavy group 14 metal complexes have been synthesised and their reactions examined. Initially, our attention is focused on several β-diketiminatolead(II) alkoxides. The lead(II) alkoxides show different basic and nucleophilic reactivities from transition metal analogues. For example, the reaction between the lead(II) tert-butoxide and methyl iodide proceeds only under forcing conditions to give the lead(II) iodide and methyl tert-butyl ether. However, facile reversible carbon dioxide insertion into the lead-oxygen bond is observed. To investigate the steric effect of the bulky β-diketiminato ligand, compounds with various aromatic groups attached to nitrogen have been made. When either [(BDIPh)PbCl] (BDIPh = [HC{C(Me)N(C6H5)}2]−) or [(BDIIPP)PbCl] (BDIIPP = [HC{C(Me)N(4-iPrC6H4)}2]−) was treated with potassium tert-butoxide, the reactions gave the unexpected bis[β-diketiminato]lead(II) complexes. However, treatment of [(BDIDMP)PbCl] (BDIDMP = [HC{C(Me)N(2,6-Me2C6H3)}2]−) with AgOTf led to the expected β-diketiminatolead(II) triflate. These results suggest that the ortho-substituent on the N-aryl groups in the β-diketiminato ligand plays an important role in influencing the formation of bis[β-diketiminato]lead(II) complexes. A series of β-diketiminato heavy group 14 metal phosphanides was synthesised. The phosphorus is pyramidally coordinated in the compounds containing diphenyl- or dicyclohexylphosphanido ligands. In contrast, the geometry at phosphorus is planar in the germanium(II) and tin(II) bis(trimethylsilyl)phosphanides. The phosphorus in the lead(II) bis(trimethylsilyl)phosphanide is pyramidally coordinated. The observed conformations may be explained by the steric congestion from the β-diketiminato ligand and electronic effects in the phosphanido ligand. Reactions of the phosphanido complexes with one equivalent of elemental chalcogen give phosphinochalcogenoito complexes. Further reaction with elemental chalcogen gives phosphinodichalcogenoato complexes. In contrast, treatment of the germanium(II) dicyclohexylphosphanide with elemental chalcogen leads to the formation of germanium(IV) chalcogenide. The presence of NMR-active nuclei in these complexes makes possible detailed spectroscopic analysis

Nanostructured micro particles as a low-cost and sustainable catalyst in the recycling of PET fiber waste by the glycolysis method

Magnetic Mg-Al-O@Fe3O4 micro particles were synthesized by coating nanosized Mg-Al double oxidesonto Fe3O4 micro particles. The formed hierarchical structure gave Mg-Al-O@Fe3O4 micro particles a highactive surface area, which enabled these micro particles to work efficiently as a catalyst in the glycolysisof poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The bis(hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) yield reached above80 mol% in the presence of 0.5 wt% of Mg-Al-O@Fe3O4 micro catalyst in the reaction system within90 min at 240 C. After the reaction, Mg-Al-O@Fe3O4 micro catalyst was easily retrieved by a magneticdecantation and can be repetitively used for two times with a high catalytic efficiency. After that, thedeactivated Mg-Al-O@Fe3O4 micro catalyst can be regenerated by heat treatment. The regenerated Mg-Al-O@Fe3O4 micro catalyst displays a comparable catalytic performance as that of the virgin catalyst.In addition, the Mg-Al double oxides and Fe3O4 micro particles are low-cost and environmentally benign.Therefore, the Mg-Al-O@Fe3O4 micro catalyst may contribute to an economically and environmentallyimproved large-scale circular recycling of PET fiber waste

XPS study of external α-radiolytic oxidation of UO2 in the presence of argon or hydrogen

UO2\ua0pellets exposed to 1.85 MBq and 3.30 MBq Am-241 sources with a 30 μm separation in solution were studied under Ar and H2\ua0atmospheres. The 1.85 MBq Am-241 source was shown to have a too low radiolytic production to cause any measurable change in UO2\ua0surface oxidation state. However, a significant oxidation was observed after exposure to the 3.30 MBq source under Ar atmosphere through the production of U(V), as seen from the U4f7/2-peak deconvolution and valence band peak analysis. The H2\ua0atmosphere was shown to suppress the oxidation of the UO2\ua0pellet surface as well as the dissolution in both Milli-Q and NaHCO3\ua0solutions. The dissolved uranium concentration was reduced by a factor 10 under H2\ua0atmosphere as compared to the Ar atmosphere experiments

Case depth evaluation of induction-hardened camshaft by using magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) method

Magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) method is one of the non-destructive\ua0evaluating (NDE) techniques used in industry to monitor the quality of ferromagnetic products during manufacture. In this article, case depth evaluation of the camshaft lobes by this means after induction hardening is described. A\ua0routine industrial monitoring practice is found to have limitation to evaluate the thickness of this process-hardened\ua0layer. With the aid of metallography on selected samples, this uppermost layer is found to have one, or more than one microconstituents. This infers that each type possesses different physical properties in response to the MBN measurement. Consequently, the interpretation of the MBN signal/data for case depth evaluation is not straight-forward.\ua0From metallography, a\ua0qualified component should have a\ua0uniform layer of martensite with grains ≤ 50\ua0\ub5m and the thickness around\ua03.0–5.0\ua0mm. This gives the magnetoelastic parameter (i.e. mp) in a\ua0range of\ua020–70 in industrial MBN measurement. The mp outside this range corresponds to either a\ua0non-martensitic\ua0type or a\ua0martensitic type with grains > 50\ua0\ub5m. In fact, the characteristic features of a\ua0Barkhausen burst like peak intensity, width and position can be used to categorise different microstructural conditions. Then, the case depth of the qualified components, or the thickness of the qualified martensite, can be estimated. Statistical regression decision tree model helps to divide this qualified group into three sub-groups\ua0between 3.0 and\ua06.0\ua0mm, and each can be identified by the decision criteria based on the specific ranges of the mp reading, the RMS of peak intensity and the peak position. In the end, a\ua0physical model is used to show how the difference of microstructures is influencing the magnetic flux, and thus the mp. Nevertheless, more information is needed to improve the model for this application.

High mobility graphene on EVA/PET

Transparent conductive film on a plastic substrate is a critical component in low cost, flexible and lightweight optoelectronics. CVD graphene transferred from copper- to ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foil by hot press lamination has been reported as a robust and affordable alternative to manufacture highly flexible and conductive films. Here, we demonstrate that annealing the samples at 60\ua0∘C under a flow of nitrogen, after wet etching of copper foil by nitric acid, significantly enhances the Hall mobility of such graphene films. Raman, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to evaluate the morphology and chemical composition of the graphene

Experimental investigations into the irregular synthesis of iron(iii) terephthalate metal-organic frameworks MOF-235 and MIL-101

MOF-235(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe) are two well-studied metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with dissimilar crystal structures and topologies. Previously reported syntheses of the former show that it has greatly varying surface areas, indicating a lack of phase purity of the products, i.e. the possible presence of both MOFs in the same sample. To find the reason for this, we have tested and modified the commonly used synthesis protocol of MOF-235(Fe), where a 3 : 5 molar ratio of iron(iii) ions and a terephthalic acid linker is heated in a 1 : 1 DMF : ethanol solvent at 80 degrees C for 24 h. Using XRD and BET surface area (SA(BET)) measurements, we found that it is difficult to obtain a pure phase of MOF-235, as MIL-101 also appears to form during the solvothermal treatment. Comparison of the XRD peak height ratios of the synthesis products revealed a direct correlation between the MOF-235/MIL-101 content and surface area; more MOF-235 yields a lower surface area and vice versa. In general, using a larger (3 : 1) DMF : ethanol ratio than that reported in the literature and a stoichiometric (4 : 3) Fe(iii) : TPA ratio yields a nearly pure MOF-235 product (SA(BET) = 295 m(2) g(-1), 67% yield). An optimized synthesis procedure was developed to obtain high-surface area MIL-101(Fe) (SA(BET) > 2400 m(2) g(-1)) in a large yield and at a previously unreported temperature (80 degrees C vs. previously used 110-150 degrees C). In situ X-ray scattering was utilized to investigate the crystallization of MOF-235 and MIL-101. At 80 degrees C, only MOF-235 formed and at 85 and 90 degrees C, only MIL-101 formed

Lithiated carbon fibres for structural batteries characterised with Auger electron spectroscopy

Structural batteries are multifunctional devices that store energy and carry mechanical load, simultaneously. The pivotal constituent is the carbon fibre, which acts as not only structural reinforcement, but also as electrode by reversibly hosting Li ions. Still, little is known about how Li and carbon fibres interact. Here we map Li inserted in polyacrylonitrile based carbon fibres with Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). We show that with slow charge/discharge rates, Li distributes uniformly in the transverse and longitudinal direction of the fibre, and when fully discharged, all Li is virtually expelled. With fast rates, Li tends to be trapped in the core of the fibre. In some fibres, Li plating is found between the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and fibre surface. Our findings can guide AES analysis on other carbonaceous electrode materials for Li-ion batteries and be used to improve the performance of structural batteries

Corrosion behaviour of additively manufactured 316L and CoCrNi

Alloys such as 316L and the medium-entropy alloy CoCrNi are known for their excellent strength and corrosion properties. In the present study, bulk samples of 316L and CoCrNi (without and with 0.11 wt.% N) alloys fabricated using powder bed fusion laser beam (PBF-LB) were tested in the as-printed state for their corrosion behaviour in 0.5\ua0M H2SO4 without and with added 3\ua0wt.% NaCl. The tests were done using potentiodynamic measurements and the results were compared with those of the conventionally manufactured 316L. By means of angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS), the passive film characteristics were studied in terms of composition and film thickness. The 316L fabricated using PBF-LB showed favourable passivation and corrosion behaviour as compared with its conventionally manufactured counterpart. It was observed that all the alloys fabricated using the PBF-LB showed similar corrosion behaviour, but with CoCrNi and CoCrNi-N showing better passivation behaviour than 316L alloys in the presence of NaCl. The ARXPS showed the presence of both hydroxide and oxides in all the alloys, with outer hydroxide layer and inner oxide layer. The ARXPS of both 316L alloys showed the expected presence of Cr–Fe oxide on the surface of as-passivated samples, whereas the presence of sulphide was also depicted for the conventionally manufactured 316L, supposed to be detrimental to its corrosion behaviour. The CoCrNi-based alloys showed the presence of only Cr2O3 layer in their passivated state, with Co and Ni acting as noble elements in the formation of the passive film. Upon micro-alloying with the strong solid solution strengthener N, CoCrNi did not show any negative effect on either the corrosion behaviour or the passivation behaviour of the alloy