Sustainability-oriented application of value stream mapping: a review and classification

Notwithstanding the research on refining lean tools for the sake of sustainable development is slowly progressing, sustainability-oriented application of value stream mapping has received undivided attention from practitioners and researchers. Going through the literature highlights that there is a lack of research in integrating and systematizing the available knowledge on this lean tool, which is regarded as a visual process-based method to make sustainable progress over the time-based and green concepts of wastes to also assess and improve the societal sustainability performance of organizations. Hence, this paper has been aimed at presenting the findings of a systematic literature review on value stream mapping from the triple bottom line point of view. It classifies and codes the main studies in the context as well as provides a research agenda with nine recommendations that may advance this under-studied field. To narrow the gap in the current literature, this article also proposes a sustainability indicator set that would considerably contribute to guiding and strengthening the state-of-the-art research on successful implementation of the application. Besides, the findings indicate that more investigations are needed on employing survey and conceptual methodologies, applying comparative and cross-industry perspectives, developing sustainability indicator sets particularly societal metrics, and considering the stakeholders' benefits from adopting sustainability-oriented value stream mapping. The research on the convergence of this sustainability-oriented application and new paradigms such as IR 4.0 and/or Circular Economy should be also strengthened

Big Data Analytics for Sustainable Products: A State-of-the-Art Review and Analysis

Big data analytics, described as the fourth paradigm of science breaking through Industry 4.0 technological development, continues to expand globally as organizations strive to attain the utmost value and sustainable competitive edge. Yet, concerning its contribution to developing sustainable products, there is a need for innovative research due to limited knowledge and uncertainty. This research is hence aimed at addressing (a) how research on big data analytics for sustainable products has evolved in recent years, and (b) how and in what terms it can contribute to developing sustainable products. To do so, this study includes a bibliometric review performed to shed light on the phenomenon gaining prominence. Next, the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution, along with a survey, is used to analyze the matter in terms of the respective indicator set. The review’s findings revealed that there has been growing global research interest in the topic in the literature since its inception, and by advancing knowledge in the area, progress toward sustainable development goals 7, 8, 9, 12, and 17 can be made. The fuzzy-based analytical findings demonstrated that ‘product end-of-life management efficiency’ has the highest contributory coefficient of 0.787, followed by ‘product quality and durability’ and ‘functional performance’, with coefficients of 0.579 and 0.523, respectively. Such research, which is crucial for sustainable development, offers valuable insights to stakeholders seeking a deeper understanding of big data analytics and its contribution to developing sustainable products

Hierarchical analysis of barriers in additive manufacturing implementation with environmental considerations under uncertainty

International audienceNotwithstanding additive manufacturing has been gaining momentum in the industry, particularly during the fourth industrial revolution, their widespread implementation as a disruptive production technology has brought impacts on the environment. Considering this issue, the research for this paper was built upon the discussion concerning life cycle assessment (LCA) adoption in implementing additive manufacturing (AM). The capability of LCA to achieve environmental goals is a vivid illustration of why it has given researchers and practitioners an extensive impetus. However, to actualize such an effective approach, it is necessary to identify and face the barriers impeding its implementation in AM. Thus, this research aims to identify, classify, and analyze the most critical barriers hindering LCA adoption in AM implementation. To do so, the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process, along with a comprehensive literature review and thorough interviews with the relevant experts, was used to achieve the research purposes. The results revealed twenty-two barriers within five classifications, where the lack of financial resources to conduct LCA study on AM is the most dominant barrier, followed by the lack of LCA expertise in the AM context and the lack of laws and directives for LCA application in AM, respectively. The findings would be useful to decision-makers to develop suitable mitigation strategies and make more informed decisions with individual and/or cluster concentrations. This study can be fruitfully exploited as a guiding reference since no article has hitherto discussed, identified, or analyzed barriers in the understudied area

As Industry 4.0 mainly entails the diffusion and adoption of technology, developing countries may encounter challenges in the form of a sluggish diffusion-adoption process as it typically flows from developed countries. To demonstrate how this process is scientifically progressing, this article employs Bibliometric analysis which is widely used for examining and analysing massive volumes of scientific data. With the substantially growing academic and industry interests in Industry 4.0, this study by using the bibliometric and network analysis is accordingly aimed at investigating and mapping the literature on Industry 4.0. In doing so, this research extracted its data from the Scopus database based on the descriptive data of publication outputs; it retrieved 3988 journal articles published up to May 2021. The analyses indicate there is a consistent rise in the total number of cumulative publications up until today; interestingly, publications on the topic had dramatically increased by 1633 articles in 2020. Italy with 380 publications was ranked first among the leading countries, covering 9.52% of the overall publications. In general, 49% of the global publications were contributed by developed countries including Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea, Spain, and Poland. Surprisingly, none of the universities in the top 10 countries are ranked among the top 100 universities in the world. Based on the identified patterns, the major technologies related to Industry 4.0 are also discussed.

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Scrutinizing state-of-the-art I4.0 technologies toward sustainable products development under fuzzy environment

International audienceTo contribute to a growing global research interest that has evolved toward augmenting the economic, environmental, and societal values of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing context, this study is intended to (1) survey the applicability of Industry 4.0 technologies in each of the triple bottom lines at the product level and (2) scrutinize the technologies based on product sustainability criteria using the application of the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. Yet, there is a significant paucity of knowledge and uncertainty about the applicability of these technologies to developing sustainable products, hence providing an opportunity for innovative research. To be a sound assessment, this study investigates the perceptions of professional technologists, who play an important role as both internal and external stakeholders in addressing technological issues within organizations including multinationals. The findings obtained by the survey indicated the applicability level of six major technologies in contributing to product-level sustainability. The findings obtained by the fuzzy-based application revealed that 'Big Data Analytics' has the highest performance for developing sustainable products. Such an assessment, which is of critical importance to sustainable development, would be beneficial to policy-and decision-makers seeking to get a better understanding of the technologies and their applicability to sustainable products development

Sustainable manufacturing 4.0-pathways and practices

Themanufacturing industry has undergone numerous revolutions over the years,with a unanimous acceptance of the greater benefits of being sustainable. The present industrial wave—Industry 4.0—by using its enabling technologies and principles holds great potential to develop sustainable manufacturing paradigms which require balancing out the three fundamental elements —products, processes, and systems. Yet, numerous stakeholders, including industrial policy and decision makers, remain oblivious of such potential and requirements. Thus, this bibliometric study is aimed at presenting an overview of the broad field of research on the convergence of sustainable manufacturing and Industry 4.0 under the umbrella of “SustainableManufacturing 4.0”, which has yet to be developed. It includes the dissemination of original findings on pathways and practices of Industry 4.0 applied to the development of sustainable manufacturing, contributing a bibliometric structure of the literature on the aforementioned convergence to reveal how Industry 4.0 could be used to shift the manufacturing sector to a more sustainable-based state. An initial research agenda for this emerging area has accordingly been presented, which may pave the way for having a futuristic view on SustainableManufacturing 5.0 in the next industrial wave, i.e., Industry 5.0